soy hippy nueva hola!

This is how films were edited from the 1960's until a few years ago when digital took over. These days, even if a film is shot on 35mm, a digital copy is made to simplify the editing.

From the front
The first pair of plates run the "rough cut" sound. This is the orchestral parts of the music score that cannot be changed in length. In reality, it covers most of the film. The average audience member rarely realizes the amount of music interwoven on almost every scene.

The second and third pairs are the A-B picture plates. The picture negative is cut on 2 rolls changing to and fro on scenes that fade in and out, since they need to overlap during printing.
It is a highly complex and skilled process. The average film is about 10,000 feet long, cut from an artistic selection by the director from more than 50,000 feet of film from the camera.



Take a look at just the credits from this film (one that I worked on) and note the number of scene changes, all synchronized to Dave Grusin's continuous music track. Adding the titles is yet another story and a highly complex one. They were 'B' roll on the printer.
That moment that Billy Williams captured at 2:45 is a memorable moment in the history of cinematography. Billy ended up with another academy award for his mantelpiece for all his efforts.



A visit to the cinema will take on a whole new aspect to you in the future.

 

It sounds like one of the early versions of the Moviola.

IEEE Xplore Full-Text PDF:

Many similar machines were made in different parts of the world.

 

A very simple German machine, their are so many possibilities

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That makes my think that an early editing machine may have been modified for this restoration work. Most machines were all about protecting the film, rather than being able to touch the viewing area.

One thing that may seem quite confusing to you is the way that the editors were handling the film. This is not the negative, it is the first print, mostly called "rushes". By the time that the editors have finished chopping and changing, the film is filthy, scratched and covered with joining tape, but every frame has a number.
The cut positive is then sent to the laboratories, where the negative is cut to match in operating theater conditions, with state of the art air filtration. Staff are gloved and covered from head to toe. This is a part of the film industry that few people even know exists. The original negative is insured for up to 5 million pounds a roll, so their is never more than one roll of cut negative out of the vault at any one time..

 

That machine is a 1950's Moviola. They are a funny metallic green in color. Early machines had a foot treadle, rather than a motor, but they are all cranked by hand to move the frames one at a time. The motor moves the frames at 24 per second
the viewer hinges sideways, so access to the frame is possible.

 

It sounds to me as if they were doing a variety of work in order to achieve a result.

A film of that era contains 10 to 12 reels. Often reels are missing (when they have been borrowed for use in documentaries over the years) and put back loose into the storage. Often the reels are not numbered. An important part of their work may have been to sort the whole lot out.

Also, during editing, as little as 10% or the film shot is used. Going through the remainder has led to the discovery of many absolute gems.

The history of that generation probably owes a lot to those 3 old ladies.

 

That is the film industry for you. What other industry would allow a 13 year old to show the film to 2,000 paying customers.
If ABC had owned an airline, they would probably allowed me to fly Concorde.

In all my years, I have only known one person who can read a negative and that was David Lean. Few people know that prior to his career as a director, he was the film editor of British Movietone News.
Normally the negative is printed, a positive print is produced, the print is edited and the negative cut to match.
One Saturday, following the 'Grand National' at 3pm, David went to the laboratories, ran the negative of the race on the theater projectors and cut 700 feet of film all over the floor. The race was shown on the cinema news at 9pm the same day. The whole industry thought that it was impossible.

One of his funniest moments ever, happened many years later when he was directing Ryan's Daughters.
He walked into the editing suit one evening and a bumptious young apprentice jumped off his chair, ran over to David and boldly asked him. "Mr Lean, would you like me to show you how a film is edited".

 

I was thinking about doing that but then I had reservations. I uploaded a verse from a Snoop Dogg song on here awhile ago on Vocaroo, when someone was all hyped about that and wanted people to record their voice.

 

do you have a recommendation?

 

I like it too, my fav Frankie knuckles tune. The whistle song.

 

I hope you and 6 do one.

 

Music has no boundaries

 

Sounding good, Orison : )

 

I concur Rue, that was great Orison

 

Not out of my comfort zone because of the song, or me singing, just the sharing it on hip part. Lol

 

You two did great, very funny and such an effort on both your parts. Great job. Clap clap clap clap. Once burned plays the guitar. He is really good as well. Can play classical on it too. He has been playing for a long time, I am trying to get him to play and I sing along,

 

We were bummed when the show was cancelled

 

I prefer a good march.

 

I'm still debating weather or not to have party. I must decide by the end of the week