SECTION:  Hollywood

 

MEETING DATE(S): May 16, 2006                         ATTENDANCE:  Approx. 100

 

 

LOCATION: Linwood Dunn Theater – Hollywood CA

 

SPEAKERS:  (include company affiliation)                                               TOPICS:

 

Ralph Sargent – Film Technology Co., Inc.                                        Film Preservation

Tony Munroe – Triage Film Laboratory                                              “    “

Paul Rutan, Jr. -   “        “       “                                                           “    “

Robert Dennis – Ascent Media                                                           “     “

Colleen Simpson – Technicolor                                                          “     “

Andrew Oran – FotoKem Laboratory                                                  “     “

 

                                                                                                         

The May 16^th meeting of the Hollywood Section was assembled rather quickly, due to a last minute change in schedule.  On a two-week notice, we asked the film laboratories specializing in preservation to submit a project on which they were working, and to obtain permission of the owners of the movie.

This ended up with one of the most varied and interesting exhibits we have had on this subject in a long time.  Totally coincidentally, no two presentations were from the same type source, so each segment described a different approach.

 

The evening opened with our now common get-together in the lobby of the Linwood Dunn Theater, with refreshments provided by Ascent Media.  At 7:30, the audience of about 100 went into the auditorium, and Chair Patricia Keighley gave opening announcements, followed by other business regarding membership, education, and student chapters.

 

Section Manager Dick May introduced the speakers.  First was Ralph Sargent, of Film Technology Co., Inc.  Their presentation was a new print of a section of the 1929 Paramount feature Redskin, photographed in two-color Technicolor.  It was accompanied by its original music and effects sound track, played back from a separate magnetic recording.

 

Next were two clips from Triage Laboratory, introduced by co-managers Tony Munroe and Paul Rutan, Jr.  Their first subject was a 1912 short subject, Babes in the Woods, with a new print from a negative copied from an original stencil-colored print.  They then ran clips from the 1952 feature The Snows of Kilimanjaro (20^th Century Fox), which was shot in three-color Technicolor.  The samples showed the correction of registration problems from the three elements not matching properly.

 

Robert Dennis of Ascent Media, representing Cinetech Laboratory, gave an explanation of SuperCineColor, with an example from Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd (1952).  Cinetech had restored this picture for the UCLA Film and Television Archive.

 

The last of the 35mm presentations was by Colleen Simpson of CFI/Technicolor, showing work they did on the 1942 U. S. Navy documentary The Battle of Midway.  This subject was filmed in 16mm Kodachrome with hand-held cameras during the actual battle.  The original film was blown up to 35mm, and Technicolor prints used for theatrical exhibition.   The new print was made from a negative copied from a release print held by the Academy Film Archive.  Especially notable were several places where the impacts of explosions were so close to the camera it caused the film to jump out of frame.

 

The final, and spectacular, clip was given by Andrew Oran of FotoKem, showing one reel of a new print of the 1964 20^th Century Fox film Cleopatra in 70mm and DTS sound.  The print was made directly from the 65mm camera negative, and on the Dunn’s 20 foot high screen was quite a sight.

After this, Patricia Keighley gave thank you certificates to each presenter, and reminded the audience to come to the next meeting, on June 20^th.

 

 

  

 

 

SUBMITTED BY:

 

Name: Richard P. May    Section Officer Title:   Manager

Company Affiliation & Contact Tel. No.  Film Technology Co., Inc      310 251-5495