A copy for projector!?

[Hau-Jou Chiou]

Could I make a copy for projector from my 16mm negative film with stereo soundtrack and subtitle?

Does anyone know where can do this?

[David Sweetman]

Could I make a copy for projector from my 16mm negative film with stereo soundtrack and subtitle?

Does anyone know where can do this?

I'm not sure if 16mm projection is common at theatres and festivals anymore, would you be doing an optical blow-up to 35?

 

I'd assume the subtitles would be on a separate roll, so when your neg is cut and ready you'll probably have an A roll, B roll, and C roll with subtitiles. I don't know if a lab will cut negative...and especially with subtitles it seems like a post-house thing. The lab can probably make the print though.

 

So what you're looking for is a list of motion picture labs and post houses, the easiest way to find out would probably be to call them up and ask how they can do what you need them to. For sure don't take my word for it, I have about as much post experience as a film school student.

[Charles MacDonald]

Could I make a copy for projector from my 16mm negative film with stereo soundtrack and subtitle?

Does anyone know where can do this?

16mm soundtracks are mono, if you want a stereo track you would be looking at making a 35mm print. This can be done from a 16mm negative, Mind you most theatres with 35mm equipment are probably ONLY set up for a wide screen format, so if your 16mm is not in super 16, you will probaly end up having to crop your image.

[Hau-Jou Chiou]

16mm soundtracks are mono, if you want a stereo track you would be looking at making a 35mm print. This can be done from a 16mm negative, Mind you most theatres with 35mm equipment are probably ONLY set up for a wide screen format, so if your 16mm is not in super 16, you will probaly end up having to crop your image.

 

All what you said I understand, but in my country super 16 transfer to 35mm print is very expensive about 303 US dollors per minutes. So, I am searching the cheaper way to make a print for some festival!

[David Mullen ASC]

Generally a 16mm print is 1.37 : 1 and has a mono optical soundtrack, which sounds, well, not so great.

 

Mag-striped prints are rare and interlocked sound (projector interlocked with a separate mag track) doesn't exist in film festivals, only in some film mixing studios and labs.

 

Shooting regular 16mm negative for a 16mm contact print is just like shooting 35mm negative for a 35mm contact print, except that the negative is A-B checkerboarded when conformed to the EDL, to hide splices.

 

The final mixed sound (the printmaster) is used to make an optical negative, which allows the sound to be exposed onto the edge of the print. So you need to find a facility that can make a 16mm optical soundtrack negative.

 

Shooting Super-16 would require an optical printer reduction to standard 16mm if you wanted to see the whole widescreen image, with a hard matte. Not many labs offer this service.

[Brian Drysdale]

I've shot a Super 16 short that didn't have the budget for prints etc. It went out on the festival circuit using digital projection, I believe on Digibeta.

 

The optical sound on 16mm isn't good.

Edited April 14, 2007 by Brian Drysdale

[Hal Smith]

Optical sound on 16mm prints is barely good enough for voice, music on 16mm always sounds pretty ugly by contemporary standards. So if your project is strictly spoken word you might be able to live with optical 16mm, my advice would be to do something different if music is important.

[Tim O'Connor]

I've shot a Super 16 short that didn't have the budget for prints etc. It went out on the festival circuit using digital projection, I believe on Digibeta.

 

The optical sound on 16mm isn't good.

 

Brian, in your experience, was Digibeta acceptable everywhere or did different festivals have

different requirements as to the digital media necessary for projection?

 

Does anybody have opinions on what is the best digital format for projecting Super 16 mm

originated formats?

 

By the way, if you're shooting a Super 16 mm feature that you hope may have sales in the DVD

market, what are your thoughts regarding the HD and SD DVD markets? If editing in Final

Cut Pro, say, what changes would you make to account for both and at which point, from the

beginning or would it be a choice when printing to DVD? I am going to ask some post/DVD

house people about their thoughts but would like to know what people here think. Thanks.