The simplest way to process motion picture film is to use a spiral similar to the ones that are used in photography. A spiral can hold 2 x 50 ft of super-8 or 100 ft of 16mm, that is to say around 3 minutes of footage. One loads in complete darkness, and then plunges it in buckets containing the appropriate chemicals. The number of steps, the durations and temperatures depend of the process used. Once processed, one just needs to dry the film, and project the results when working with reversal.
For those that are hooked to the smell of fixing, two automatic processors running 260 ft/hr can process 16mm negatives and prints. One of the machines is dedicated to color and the other one is setup for black & white. These machines are started based on the demand of our members for a specific process.
When using a negative / positive process, the contact printer is the tool that can make prints. It works like a projector where you would run both the original material and the raw stock in front of an illuminated gate. On our machines, color timing is achieved through the use of filters of primary colors and holes of different sizes that modulate the light according to the result you want.
The optical printer can re-film frame by frame an original film. The camera frames the image in macro and the setups permits tthe making of slow motion, fast motion, etc. L’Abominable has a J-K to blow-up s8 on 16mm and an Oxberry for opticals and blow-ups in 16 / S16 and 35 mm.
The animation stand is used to make titles and animation work. A 16/S16/35mm camera is pointed towards a table. This device can also be used to transfer to film a video file by refilming it frame by frame.
Vice versa, these projectors that we have modified can transfer film material to digital.
Finally, the sound camera is the tool to produce a optical negative, which is then used to make a combined optical sound print.
In order to completer the possibilities of the lab, we are looking for the following items :
Oxberry
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Camera and camera lens carriages for an Oxberry 1200 optical printer (with square railings)
Super-8 Oxberry gate
Video Analyzer
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Hazeltine ou Colormaster , that can handle 16mm
CTM-Debrie editing tables
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Debrie HDC 16 ou 35mm editing tables
CTM-Debrie TCI printers
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1000W lamp power rack unit
EL 108 to 112 color vane control cards
16mm optical sound unit
Magnetic film recorder/player
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MWA MB51 and 16/35mm optical sound heads
16mm Synchronizer > 1980
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e.g. Debrie TMN…
Sensitometry
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unlock dongle for Shamrock Labograf
35mm Projection
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Kinoton projection lantern 1000-2000W
Workshop
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Lathe