Steve Farman

Hi I don't know were your based but Red cameras and the like are used a lot on UK funded features. Yes some big movies are shot on film still but all go down the DI route and most US funded film are now taken back for US post production. Harry Potter kept the UK labs afloat for years ( read Technicolor) Harry Potter finishes UK technicolor closes. But my client base is now artists and independent film makers with running times of 5 to 10 minutes and with a shoot of maybe 5000 feet. Yes I could and hope to cut a feature again but unless Ken Loach's new film takes his normal old school route, 35mm shoot, Movieola, Mag Track, Steinbeck edit, neg cut, combined print route. I cant see any thing else coming my way. But like I said, you cant stop progress, yes many people try and the film unions managed it for years in the 1980's but now its a digital world with instant results required. The general pubic just want entertainment and studios want big profits. Rant over

I think that it is all down to Kodak Lucky there only money making arm is film. BUT. I've just been told black leader for negative cutting has gone up by about 40% and there is something like a 10,000 feet min order So i am getting Joao at Prestech to process some stock to black for me. But if Kodak go out of business that would be it I think. Until then there will always be a underground group of film makers flying the film flag. I keep on cutting neg for 3 reasons, 1 the money, 2 the industry looked after me well so while I can still cut i will for anybody that need it to be done 3 I had a spare room at home so no rent to pay. But I adjusted my prices to the suit new independant client base, long gone are the studio prices, but everything else seems to going up in price so maybe film will just price it self out of the market.

Batman Begins Shot 1.6 million feet. 1100 cans of negative 2300 cuts in the edit Insured value 180 million dollars And a very large neg cutting bill The studio rang and said those very special words " Steve - Money is no object the release date is ****** it not being ready is not an option" Kerching Those were the days, I was also told that on TROY and KING ARTHUR Happy Days

DeJonghe in Belguim or Prestech in London both do B/W and I do negative cutting.

Hi yes I work with Joao at Prestech and I know Nigel Horn very well I know Joao does a good job in the film lab world we worked together last week, but if we are talking feature film production I fear he nor Nigel at i dallies have the capacity for that kind of work flow. But it is good to know that i dailles are getting back into print but my understanding was it was more for check printing DI negs not A & B cut negs that need grading. I am not aware that Film and Photo Design can print A & B negatives with grading. But I maybe wrong as I have been may times in the past. I worked on a Nowhere production a couple of weeks ago and they did not do the printing it went to DeJonghe in Belguim for the A & B printing. But lets hope we are like the old records of the past that everybody junked in favour of CD's now LP's are back in fashion, so never say never.

I was hoping they were going to print again as it would boost my business I am the last working negative cutter in the UK. I can cut to EDL using the OSC/r (software, dos based and not been available since 2000) and the Film Fusion software (not been available since 2006) and or work print. Film Fusion can work with PAL 24 and 25 and NTSC in 16mm, 35 m 2 , 3 and 4 perf, but once I hang up my scissors that’s it no more negative cutting in the UK. If fact if I had a mortgage I would not even be neg cutting now. Don’t get me wrong I had a wonderful career and made a couple of pounds along the way and worked on some great productions. My company Professional Negative Cutting Ltd used to have 3 branches and 15 members of staff up until 2006 then negative cutting fell off a cliff. Mike Fraser neg cutting gone, Silva Wheelers gone, The Neg Cutting Company Gone, Computermatch gone and even PNC (almost Gone) so from a probable 80 – 100 negative cutters employed in early 2000 to now there just me in the UK. Ken Loach is my last feature client on negative, but his next film may go DI or be produced aboard and I think it’s unlikely it will be chemical print finish from original cut negatives due to lack of labs that can print ungraded negatives in the UK or Europe. When I cut Tacita Dean’s FILM project that was printed in Holland and the last one I did for her had to go the Germany for printing due to lack of facilities here in the UK. It was mixed B/W and Colour and was it cut A,B,C & D rolls But hope that Cinelabs International change their minds as there is some good business to had printing 16mm and 35mm cut negative productions if they price it right. I send a lot of work over to DeJonghie and Haghe Film Digital ( Cineco)

Hi In my mind “the benefits of chemical printing” should not be question, it should be can you still get chemical print productions made. I am the last working negative cutter in the UK. I can cut to EDL using the OSC/r (software, dos based and not been available since 2000) and the Film Fusion software (not been available since 2006) and or work print. Film Fusion can work with PAL 24 and 25 and NTSC in 16mm, 35 m 2 , 3 and 4 perf, but once I hang up my scissors that’s it no more negative cutting in the UK. If fact if I had a mortgage I would not even be neg cutting now. Don’t get me wrong I had a wonderful career and made a couple of pounds along the way and worked on some great productions. But its over now, time to move on and don’t look back. My company Professional Negative Cutting Ltd used to have 3 branches and 15 members of staff up until 2006 then negative cutting fell off a cliff. Mike Fraser neg cutting gone, Silva Wheelers gone, The Neg Cutting Company Gone, Computermatch gone and even PNC (almost Gone) so from a probable 80 – 100 negative cutters employed in early 2000 to now there just me in the UK. That’s the problem, Yes Chris Nolan was a negative chemical print fan, I know because I cut Batman Begins for him, but that was the last all chemical print job he was allowed to do in the UK. Ken Loach is my last feature client on negative, but his next film may go DI or be produced aboard and I think it’s unlikely it will be chemical print finish from original cut negatives due to lack of labs that can print ungraded negatives in the UK or Europe. When I cut Tacita Dean’s FILM project that was printed in Holland and the last one I did for her had to go the Germany for printing due to lack of facilities here in the UK. It was mixed B/W and Colour and was it cut A,B,C & D rolls The truth is there is no longer the skills base available (Graders / printers ( men and machines) that can queue and grade an A & B negative and print it) in the few labs left. So there is very little likelihood that a major movie would be made in Europe on chemical print finish nowadays so DI wins by default. I know its not a directly part of this thread but it’s just to say the old ways are just that, but who knows someone may invent a new long life stable image capturing multi format friendly system called “negative” one day. LOL Steve(at)negcut.com