• We have a machine that can engrave subtitles on a finished 16 mm or 35 mm print (for the time being, we have only tried it in 16 mm).

• This is done in two steps. First, an engraving with a very small laser beam that takes away emulsion, drawing the letters like a minuscule paintbrush. Then, the residue of the engraving process is taken away.

• To do this, we start by making a subtitle file using a piece of software such as Belle nuit subtitler and taking a telecine transfer of the print as a reference (if possible, it should be made at 25 frames per second). A reference frame is taken at the beginning of each roll, which will be “frame 0” where the engraving begins.

• It is not possible to make drawings, etc., with this machine – only two lines of text measuring a maximum of 40 characters each, with a 3-frame gap between the subtitles!