Quality service at Italys MOVIE MAGNETIC

[Rik Jackman]

OK thanks for the responses Can and Dominique.

@Dominique De Bast - I take it your B&W (colour stock) silent film was 16mm?

Adding up all the comments in this thread (and some others) I think we can be confident that Alberto will do the following

Format	Existing sound format	ORS	New Sound Stripe	Status
Super 8mm	Optical	Yes	Yes	Verified
Super 8mm	Optical	Yes	No	?
Super 8mm	Optical	No	Yes	Verified
Super 8mm	Magnetic	Yes	Yes	Verified
Super 8mm	Magnetic	Yes	No	Verified
Super 8mm	Magnetic	No	Yes	Verified
Super 8mm	Silent	Yes	Yes	Verified
Super 8mm	Silent	Yes	No	?
Super 8mm	Silent	No	Yes	Verified
16mm	Optical	Yes	Yes	Verified
16mm	Optical	Yes	No	Verified
16mm	Optical	No	Yes	Verified
16mm	Magnetic	Yes	Yes	Verified
16mm	Magnetic	Yes	No	Verified
16mm	Magnetic	No	Yes	Verified
16mm	Silent	Yes	Yes	Verified
16mm	Silent	Yes	No	Verified
16mm	Silent	No	Yes	Verified

For clarity, my random speculation about the existing sound stripe possibly being affected by the process has been shown to be 100% unfounded and the existing sound stripe is entirely unaffected so that's great.

I will include this table in my communication with Alberto (when I finally get round to it) to seek absolute clarity on the Super 8mm ORS without new sound stripe.

Please shout if you think I have misinterpreted something!

[Dominique De Bast]

Rik, it was a silent super 8 film.

[Rik Jackman]

Thanks Dominque

So if Alberto gave Dominque the option to leave his Super 8mm silent film as silent OR add a sound stripe then it does rather lead one to think the same can be offered for an optical film.

Updated table below

Format	Existing sound format	ORS	New Sound Stripe	Status
Super 8mm	Optical	Yes	Yes	Verified
Super 8mm	Optical	Yes	No	???
Super 8mm	Optical	No	Yes	Verified
Super 8mm	Magnetic	Yes	Yes	Verified
Super 8mm	Magnetic	Yes	No	Verified
Super 8mm	Magnetic	No	Yes	Verified
Super 8mm	Silent	Yes	Yes	Verified
Super 8mm	Silent	Yes	No	Verified
Super 8mm	Silent	No	Yes	Verified
16mm	Optical	Yes	Yes	Verified
16mm	Optical	Yes	No	Verified
16mm	Optical	No	Yes	Verified
16mm	Magnetic	Yes	Yes	Verified
16mm	Magnetic	Yes	No	Verified
16mm	Magnetic	No	Yes	Verified
16mm	Silent	Yes	Yes	Verified
16mm	Silent	Yes	No	???
16mm	Silent	No	Yes	Verified

Sorry if I have hi-jacked the thread.

[Osi Osgood]

I just thought of something, perhaps Alberto's insistence on mag striping super 8 optical sound is so that collectors will still be able to enjoy they're optical sound films with sound, long after optical projectors have went the way of the dodo. But this is mere speculation on my part, and is no replacement for Alberto's speaking for himself, which is always for the best, so the floor is yours dear Alberto. You are among friends, here. 😀

[Robin Moss]

Evening everyone. Having read this thread, I really wanted to mention my own experience of using Alberto's services which has consisted of five consignments of film sent over to him in Italy over the last 18 months. The results of Alberto's treatment prompted me to write an article in the latest issue of 'Projections' magazine here in the UK, published last week.

I originally read about Alberto and the services he offers to support this great hobby of ours on the previous Forum platform and I was intrigued, to say the least. I decided to give it a go and sent two early Derann Super 8 mag sound Hammer features, the titles being 'Dracula Prince of Darkness' and 'Lust For a Vampire'. The latter film was quite pink, in fact it was pink when I purchased it at a film fair years ago. The Dracula film had a pink haze on the print, but you could still see the colours. I spliced the four parts of each film onto large 1600 foot spools (please note the reinforced splicing mentioned earlier in this thread), thinking that really I had nothing to lose and potentially a lot to gain.

Four to five weeks later I received my films back from Alberto and went about re-mounting them onto 800 foot reels for projection on my preferred Bauer projector, giving them a FilmGuard treatment at the same time. First of all I noticed that the leader and countdown was no longer red which fired my enthusiasm to check the print of each film as I FilmGuarded it. To my complete delight, all the pink on "Lust For A Vampire" had gone and some colour had returned to the print that had previously been almost totally masked. The Dracula print was even better, as the film had retained more colour prior to the treatment and again any pink haze was no longer evident, just leaving a really great print.

Well, being in the film hobby for over 45 years, you can guess I was really excited to go through my entire Super 8 collection. Since that first 'experiment' I have sent several consignments of up to three 2000' foot reels, with a mix of features, shorts and trailers. I have even incorporated films for other collectors I know with mine, so confident am I in Alberto and his work. Alberto's process involves a chemical wash, which I understand removes impurities which over time and with use can take root in the emulsion of the film. This is done to enable the O.R.S Treatment to be fully effective, just leaving untreated red and faded film underneath the tape splices. Without doubt, he has given my faded films a new lease of life and I no longer feel a sense of unease in projecting them for friends and family.

This thread has sought to clarify what conditions Alberto might, or might not stipulate when undertaking the O.R.S Treatment (colour fade treatment), as he also offers a magnetic striping service too.

The only situation that would prompt Alberto to require that a film be mag striped (which he does with a balance track by the way) when undertaking the O.R.S treatment, would be for a Super 8 Optical Sound Airline Print. In fact he has done this for me on two feature prints I have, "For Your Eyes Only" and "A Pain in the A.." (L'Emmerdeur). The sound on the Bond film in particular had varying levels and quite muffled in places. My experience of airline prints is that the sound quality can leave a lot to be desired, so I can quite appreciate Alberto's stance on this in wanting to deliver a quality service for both picture and sound. So to be clear, Alberto will only require a combination of Mag Striping and the O.R.S Treatment for Super 8 Optical Sound Airline Prints.

The results for me, as I asked him to re-record the soundtrack too was an absolutely stunning job on the Bond film, with beautiful clear sound. L'Emmerdeur, presented more of a challenge, as there was no English sound source he could use, except the original English optical track on the film. This he did and the sound is good with no hissing and at a constant clear level.

I know Alberto's passion for the preservation of film is every bit as keen as my own. I only wish I had held onto faded prints I've let go over the years due to fade!!! Now, I'm hunting them down once again knowing that there is a potential remedy!!!

I hope my comments may prove useful to anyone contemplating contacting Alberto.

[Dominique De Bast]

I had no Idea L'emmerdeur was available on super 8. Good to know.

[Lee Mannering]

Alberto was able to save my early Derann favourite of the 1970/80's AUTO CINE Pathe and I was so grateful to practically have it back how I remembered it before it went pink/red gradually over the years. It is really touching to enjoy golden oldies for me particularly when they are saved by a very handy man to have the film services of.

Just had another magnetic striping job back as well.

I'm betting is dear Derek Simmonds of Derann was still around he would have linked into Movie Magnetics services big style and how lucky we are to have them and all these beautiful new Super 8 releases happening as well.

[Osi Osgood]

I am very impressed with the color correction, but anybody, (or a number of people) do some videos of they're treated films and put them up on YouTube? My last concern is what has been an issue on some treated prints and that is the red blotches left on the print after treatment, mostly seen in dark scenes.

[Brad Miller]

It's ashamed that Ignacio guy doesn't take his camera to Alberto's place and shoot a video of some of the striping and ORS processing rather than making video after video of him shooting projected films off of the screen intercut with footage of his projector "watching the reels spin".

[Lee Mannering]

Lucky to have his services we are. A big help he is.

[Alan Myers]

I must ask the question, what is the price of this service?

[Osi Osgood]

Robin, the only real issue that any of us have ever had, is why Alberto INSISTS on mag striping super 8 optical sound prints, as a requirement to get the ORS service in the first place. I will readily admit that the ORS service in and of itself is remarkable to say the least. My Grizzly Adams print really does look incredibly good, with only the slightest touch of any resilient fade, it's just the inconvenience of having to have an additional service that we really don't want. Honestly, I would prefer to have first hand evidence of what the ORS treatment does to an optical track on super 8, only to have actual evidence as to why the mag striping is required.