Work Print
Leaders
To same time and confusion later, the head and tail
leaders on your work print should be set up properly.
Splice an SMPTE Universal
leader to the head of your work print, making
sure that there are 47 blank frames between the
single "2" on the Universal leader and
the first frame of your picture. Splice at least
18 feet of single perf white leader to the beginning
of the Universal leader. Place
the frame marked "Picture Start," which
is next to the first number 8 in the Universal
leader, at zero in your synchronizer. Measure
off exactly 12 feet toward the head of the white
leader, which will again bring you to a zero frame
on the synchronizer, and mark this frame with
a large "X". Label this frame "Edit
Sync".
At the end of your show, splice
on the tail portion of the Universal leader. Make
sure that there are 87 blank frames between the
last frame of your show and the frame marked "Finish"
in the Universal leader. Splice 16 feet of single
perf white leader to the end of the Universal
leader. Set the "Finish" frame in your
synchronizer at zero. Measure exactly 12 feet
toward the end of the white leader and mark this
frame with a large "X". Label the frame
"Tail Edit Sync". Splice 2 feet of black
single perf leader on the tail of the white leader
to complete the leadering. (Figure 7 - Head Leaders
and Tail Leaders ) topˆ
Marking
Work Prints
During the creative editing process, decisions
are made as to what optical effects will be incorporated
in the finished product and where and how they
will be utilized to enhance the effectiveness
of the production. The effects that can be achieved
during the printing process are fades, dissolves,
burn-ins, and double exposures. When the editor
determines the position and lengths of these effects,
he marks the work print according to the type
of effect and its duration.
A fade-in
should be marked by two straight lines forming
a "V". These lines should start at the
beginning of the scene in the center of the frame
and extend for the length of the effect, ending
at the edges of the work print. topˆ
The fade-out
is the reverse of the fade-in, extending from
the beginning of the effect and at the edges of
the film, to the last frame of the scene, where
the two lines converge. In both effects, the point
where the lines meet indicates a black screen.
topˆ
A dissolve
is actually a fade-in of one scene, superimposed
over the fade-out of another. In this case, the
center of the effect is at the scene change in
the work print. In marking a dissolve, the lines
are the same as for the fades, but are superimposed
as in the illustration. topˆ
One word of caution. When cutting
the work print where a dissolve is going to occur,
make certain that the cut is far enough away from
a slate or camera stop so there will be enough
original to make the overlap. For example, where
a 48 frame dissolve is going to occur, the work
print splice is at the center of the dissolve.
There must be at least 24 frames more original
available for the A and B rolls to complete the
total 48 frame overlap. topˆ
Double
exposures, superimposed titles, etc.
should be indicated by cutting in the back ground
scene of the work print a few inches of work print
of the scene to be superimposed. The start of
this cut-in indicates where the overprint is to
begin. A few more inches should be cut in to indicate
where the effect is to end. At least one of these
sections should have an edge number. The marking
to indicate double exposure is a wavy line. topˆ
Occasionally during the editing
process, portions of the work print may become
damaged and must be replaced with leader. To indicate
to the conformer that the scene
should be extended, an arrow is marked
on the leader with the head, indicating where
the scene should end. If the splice occurs in
the leader, then two arrows should be used as
shown. It is advisable to replace the missing
footage with white leader. topˆ
Splices occurring in the work
print, which are to be disregarded by the conformer,
should be indicated by two short parallel lines
drawn through the splice and at right angles to
it. This means that the scene is not to be cut
at that splice. Any frames lost due to unintentional
cuts, should be replace by the same
number of white leader frames. topˆ
Titles
Readability is the prime requisite of title. They
must be visible and legible. Be careful in using
typestyles such as Old English, fancy scripts,
and type with extremes of thin and thick lines.
There must be sufficient contrast
between letters and the background. A common fault
is the use of white letters over a light background
or mottled with light and dark. Drop shadow style
may be a solution, by use of optical intermediates,
if you must use this type of background. Titles
must be positioned in the frame so that no part
will be cut off by any format used. Edges may
be cropped by rear-projection systems or television
cut-off. The top and bottom of the frame may be
masked to change proportions such as in wide screen
projection of films shot in the Academy aperture.
The "Safe Area" for
television is the most restrictive in general
use, so if you are within those boundaries, you
are very likely safe against cut-off of essential
information. It is advisable to consult the safe
picture area and safe title area charts, SMPTE
RP 27.3-1989. topˆ
Further
suggestions in preparing and photographing titles:
- Avoid overcrowded titles.
- Make your smallest letters
at least 1/25 the total height of your image.
For television titles, this should be doubled.
- A field chart will help the
artist determine how to lay out titles. These
are available for standard formats or you can
make your own. A number 8 field for an Academy
aperture (1.33:1 aspect ratio) is 8 inches wide
and 6 inches high.
- High contrast positive film
is recommended in photographing either negative
or positive title. A positive title has a black
background with a clear letter, shot from black
type on a white card. A negative title has clear
background with a black letter, shot from white
type on a black card. The black area of the
high contrast film should be a minimum of 3.00
in density, and the clear area should be a maximum
of 0.10 in density.
- If your original printing
materials are reversal or master positive, your
superimposed titles should be positive.
- If your original is negative,
superimposed titles are more complex. Depending
on whether your printing negative is going to
be a color reversal intermediate or a duplicate
negative made from a master positive, the titles
and their emulsion positions will be different.
35mm prints with superimposed titles can be
made in a single operation from a 35mm picture
negative and a 35mm negative title on a contact
printer. Check with your ACVL laboratory before
you prepare title for negative printing materials.
- The camera original of a
title will normally be in the B wind emulsion
position. In contact printing, the emulsion
position of the title should be the same as
the printing material. If you need an A wind
camera original of the title, this can be accomplished
by prepared the type on a clear cell in either
black or white as required, and then flipping
the cell on the background card so that the
title reads from right to left.
- Great care must be exercised
in photographing titles in order for them to
be steady on the screen. topˆ
Conforming
Original to Work Print
When work print editing is completed and the editorial
decisions for printer optical effects have been
made and marked, the next step is matching the
original to the edited work print. This procedure
requires accuracy and cleanliness. Conforming
errors are very difficult to correct, and often
impossible without some compromise. A misread
edge number that results in cutting the original
at the wrong place cannot usually be corrected
without the loss of at least one frame. If sync
is involved, complicated adjustments between picture
and sound track are involved. Mistakes at this
stage of production can be costly and time consuming.
Where black and white footage
has to be intercut with color, or reversal footage
cut with negative, it is important to contact
your ACVL laboratory before any of the material
is intercut. The method you choose will be determined
by cost, quality, and available services.
Cleanliness is very important,
particularly in handling negative materials. Dust
particles on reversal or positive original will
show up as black spots on the screen and are not
too disturbing, but on negative they will appear
on the screen as bright white spots that cannot
be ignored by the viewer. Original should always
be handled with clean, lint-free editing gloves.
Many producers prefer to have
the laboratory of any independent service conform
their original, especially when negative is used.
If you do your own conforming, make certain that
your splicer is properly adjusted and that you
use fresh cement. Unused cement should be disposed
of and replaced with fresh from the supply container
at least at the beginning of each day’s
work. topˆ |
