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Unusual 16mm/35mm bloop generators


Marc Roessler

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This a somewhat film-archeological topic...

Over the years, I've seen all kinds of sync ups, especially for 16mm.

In their Beatles docu, the Maysles hit the microphone with a card for marking audio.
In other documentaries, I've heard different electronically generated bloops, often with very noticeable warble (not sure where that came from .. the rest of the track seemed OK).
Then there's this strange horn like audio mark in the casting footage for Rebel without a cause, along with a mechanical-counter-like ID screen apparently shifted in while the camera was rolling:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVDzlZcQe1w
I'd also be interested in hearing some details about these.

But the most interesting one surely has been from Scorsese's Italianamerican (1974), right at the beginning of the film.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcWUNfmf0tI
A photo flash bulb and a distinctive, brief beep with sharply rising frequency (sounds like a starving oscillator). Does anyone happen to know what kind of contraption that was? Custom/home made, or was this widely used? Is there a specific reason for that style of bloop, or was that just a side effect of used oscillator?

Edited by Marc Roessler
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I can't speak for that, but the Arri 16BL at film school had a bloop light and a beep. We didn't use it, preferring a slate. IIRC the CP16R had the same, likewise unused. So I assume they were widely used for documentary

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