Making a print off a tape spliced super 8 short?

[GrizeldaFilms]

Hello
I am working on a short film on super 8.
After Im done with the tape splice editing,
Will I be able to make a super 8 copy of a tape spliced super8 film.
Thanks

[mattias]

using an optical printer, yes. contact print, no. and blow it up to 16 while you're at it, so you can send it to festivals.

[MovieStuff]

Hi, Matt!

I must disagree. While A-B rolls are better, every super 8 film I ever made was cut together with tape splices and contact printed sucessfully. In fact, I used a Ciro splicer, carefully burnished out the air bubbles, and the edits were just about perfect. On the other hand, when I had film blown up by Interformat to 16mm, the splices jumped more and were more apparent because they reacted in the optical printer gate just like they do in a projector gate.

But contact printing actually makes a well made tape splice virtually invisible because there is no gate for the splice to hang up on and cause a jump. Granted in a contact print, for that one frame, the emulsion is separated by the super thin layer of tape, but not enough to lose critical focus and it does go by too quickly to be noticed.

In the old days, when Kodak was the only people that could provide a Kodachrome print (everyone else used Ektachrome with jumbo grain) I would have contact prints made by them that film making buddies would swear were AB rolls.

In short, I found just the opposite as you. Contact printing works great for a well made tape splice but optical printing doesn't. A contact print subdues the evidence of a splice. An optical print will call attention to it.

Perhaps your experience has been different, but that's been mine, anyway.

Roger

[mattias]

> Granted in a contact print, for that one frame, the emulsion is separated by the super thin layer of tape

that's what i was thinking about, yes. my splices usually cover four frames though, and i though even the frames before and after would be affected a little.

> but not enough to lose critical focus and it does go by too quickly to be noticed.

really? i haven't even tried to have a lab contact print tape spliced material before, since i thought it wouldn't work. if it indeed does, i happily stand corrected.

/matt

[MovieStuff]

I once used a splicer that covered more than one frame and, indeed, you can definately see the splice big as day. The Ciro splices, which only cover one frame on each side of th splice, do work really well for contact prints if you burnish the hell out of them to get rid of air bubbles. Contact printers use a big, sprocketed drum that the film wraps around, along with the print stock. Because of this, the film can't shift up or down or sideways. The Ciro tape is soooo thin that the only frame really affected is the one to each side of the splice covered by tape. In the end, the only anomaly you get is possibly bubbles (which can be addressed) and slight softening of the image (which is so slight as to be a distinction without a difference, really).

I'd say try it, if you could find someone that still made Kodachrome prints. Otherwise, I don't see the point. The Ektachrome print stock is just too grainy.

Roger

[MrObvious]

How do you "burnish" splices?

Marc S.

[MovieStuff]

With a burnisher, of course! I'm not kidding. There are tools used by graphic artists called burnishers that are (were) used to apply Press-type (rub on type), long before computers made the drawing table something to eat breakfast on. Art supply and hobby stores still carry them. They may look at you funny when you request one, but they're still around. Use the flat wide end, which is made of flexible white plastic, and push the air bubbles out to the edges. It also clears up the tape by forcing it flatter against the film. In a pinch, a popsicle stick will work, but not as good.

Roger

[MovieStuff]

Nigel,

I think the idea was to pull a print. However, I'm not sure I understand why anything projected would have no value. And if pulling a print would make the viewing experience better by getting rid of the splices, then why avoid it? Are you saying anything of "value" must be seen on video only? What other choice is there if not projection?

Roger

[Nigel]

Why not just keep the splices--I don't project anything of true "value" anymore. But I still project things that I make for the sole purpose of projection. With Kodak Presstapes and all. Good Luck

[Mikko]

What other choice is there if not projection?

None.

Keep making those prints!
I have asked this before but never got a answer... How do you stripe print film? (isn't the emulsion on wrong side?) Or can a print be made such way that the emulsion is on the right side?

Thanks!
Mikko