Business screen magazine (1961)

i Your Film a "Worse for Wear" Salesman? J Techniques of Film Rejuvenalion, Vital to Holl)"»oo(l and to Television, Also Important in Business Films k Men's Wear Store recently ■ * conducted a survey to dis.ver whether the freshness and atness of a salesman's appearj.jce have a direct bearing on the •:eption accorded him. The regies clearly indicated that a shabsalesman registers an immedi ily unfavorable impression on k prospect. When it comes to motion pic|e film, we find the same prob,n. The objective of the film is : create a favorable impression ■^ the ideas, the product, the ilpfulness of the sponsor. Yet, a ]tion picture print, once in use. :sily acquires a shabby appear5jce. Blemished Film Loses Punch The production may be excel it and the prints turned out by laboratory perfect, but in the uurse of handling and projection. ;:h print encounters various haz ;ls that inevitably result in atches and abrasion marks iiich mar the projected image of film. These blemishes, like a ppily dressed salesman, lessen ; effectiveness of the film pres ; tation. An increasing number of indus;il sponsors are becoming conious of the scratch problem and ;i asking what can be done about i The answer is: A great deal. Film Is Receptive to Damage The nature of the photographic Eiulsion. and likewise of the base, rike them receptive media for ac:mulation of scratches and dirt. ( print is called ""dirty" when it saws fingerprints, oil spots, and Sating matter attracted by static ij handling a projection. I Film can be treated to increase distance to scratches and dirt. pnstant print checks insure .ratcli removal. {Photo from \ipid Film Technique.) 3 w^ I^^^^^^l 1 ^ lilH^H However, no film can be made icrMch-proof. Scratches and abrasions will appear in a short time under normal use. When film is scratched during the first run — as freqently occurs — subsequent use of the film will make these scratches more and more apparent. The accumulation of dirt and scratches creates additional abrasions during the projection and rewinding of a film. Cost Fraction of Replacement Rejuvenating a print — removing :=cratches and restoring its original brilliant photographic quality — costs only a fraction of its replacement. It is not. however, a do-ityourself proposition. It requires specialized work by professional technicians. Effective rejuvenation involves a sequence of chemical treatments that cause the scratches on both the emulsion and the base to mend, much as a cut on a person's hand would heal. Cutthrough emulsion scratches that have removed the entire photographic image cannot be eliminated. Film rejuvenation was originated by European motion picture laboratory engineers and was introduced in the United States in 1930. This process immediately proved to be a life-saver for Hollywood mm mm Selecting film from inicnloni of rejuvenated prints for a TV station shipment ( Rapid ) . producers. At that time, domestic exhibition prints were always made from the original negatives which became badly scratched before many prints had been made. Rejuvenation changed that situation providing an unlimited number of top-quality prints from the original negative. Hollywood producers and distributors, and more recently the television svndicators. have found another money-making use for film rejuvenation. By the restoration of used release prints for reissues and foreign distribution, new revenues are obtained from additional markets without increasing new print costs. Rejuvenated prints are seen on the screens of many first-run theatres. Sponsors Are Now Attentive Having established itself as a boon to the quality minded Hollywood producers, rejuvenation is now receiving the attention of industrial film sponsors, intent on deriving full value and quality from their investment in motion picture films. The aim of the industrial sponsor differs from the theatrical producer in one important aspect. The industrial film is often intended for a limited, but very select audi Second: rcjuicnalion begins aith thorough cleaning via a three-stage process: ultrasonic cleaning is last step. ence. E.xtending the life of a business film is no! a major problem. The reward: confidence on the part of the sponsor that each show First step: before treatment. every print is inspected by a skilled technician to assure that film can be restored to showing perfection. (Pliotos by Comprehensive Filmtreat, Inc.) ing of his film retains all the crisp, sparkling value of the original. Rejuvenation, when executed by expert technicians, supplies this confidence. As one film department head put it: "It costs so little . . . it saves so much!" g' Showmanship: a Constant Goal ^~ We refer our readers to page 77 of this issue where some of the nation's foremost service organizations in the field of film rejuvenation are listed. Nothhig counts more than perfection on the screen when the sponsored film reaches its intended audience! Only through constant print vigilance, maintained by the distributor, can film results be assured for the sponsor. g" Third step: impregnation of film by chemicals which mend scratches, remove abrasion marks. Each .side of film is treated .separately. Emuhion layers are partly liquified to facilitate healing action. Film is then seasoned by impinged air; given protective treatment. UMBER 6 • 'Volume 23 • 1962