How to add sound to amateur films (1954)

dimensionally more stable than tape, and, therefore, synchronisation is perhaps a little easier. Stripe on Film Stripe denotes an application of magnetic recording becoming extremely popular with cine enthusiasts. The magnetic coating is applied directly to the film as a narrow stripe outside the picture area. The sound record is therefore carried by the film itself just as it is in an optical recording. In fact 16-mm. films are often made on single-perforated film so that the magnetic coating may be applied in the position which has been standardised for optical sound tracks. For the amateur who has shot many films on the usual double-perforated 16-mm. stock, however, this is not a convenient arrangement. Alternative facilities are therefore available for applying the stripe at the edge of the film outside the perforations. Magnetic stripe has been applied also to 8 mm. and 9-5 mm. In the case of 8 mm. the stripe is again placed outside the perforations and therefore does not detract from the picture area. In 9-5 mm. the narrow track partially overlaps the picture recorded by the camera. The projector gate is narrower than that in the camera, however, and consequently the stripe does not appear on the screen. With magnetic stripe there are no difficulties of synchronisation. Since the magnetic recording is on the film itself, it cannot get out of step with the picture. In principle, you just project the film and record the music or commentary to fit the picture. If you get the timing exactly right when recording, the sound will be reproduced in perfect synchronisation on every occasion. On the other hand the converse is equally true. Every so often you require a complex sound effect. In your anxiety to record it well you may easily misjudge the timing. If you record the sound out of step you have no choice but to erase it and try again. In general, this is a simple matter, but not always. On tape you can, if you wish, adjust the 49