Journal of Film Preservation - FIAF

however, he had chosen an entirely different strategy; seeking instead to
emulate the qualities of the original. He felt he had largely succeeded;
yet when pressed, admitted that he too personally preferred the more
deeply saturated older prints.
We were back to square one. The 7390 and 7387 stocks no longer
existed, and the only major alternative involved attempting a reversal
print. Copying onto Kodak’s gamma-1 reversal 7399 material might
potentially best preserve the tonal detail of the original, and more closely
approximate the color of the old prints. Yet there are many obstacles to
this approach.
It seems ironic that the 7399 stock, intended exactly for printing from
projection-contrast materials, should not enter this discussion until so
very near the end, but prejudices against its use in professional work are
so widespread that it is very rarely employed. Such was the case here;
the thinking being that reversal stocks are not viable as a professional or
archival medium, primarily because the industry does not support them.
There are technical considerations. 7399 has a slightly higher RMS granularity
than do negative stocks. More importantly, it produces a nearly
unusable soundtrack. (19) It should be remembered, however, that the
operating needs – and assets – of archives are qualitatively different than
those of film productions. What would be in practice unthinkable for a
release print might be curiously efficient for a preservation project. The
printing of All My Life, a film known for its color, might be just the case
where traditional factors became secondary, and unusual alternatives
could be considered.
Regarding the audio of All My Life, Baillie himself has said the Fitzgerald
song, which played constantly at the Tulley cottage when he was visiting,
“...had to have the same sound it had at Paul’s with a potato sack over
the speaker. It’s supposed to sound a little scratchy.” (20) Now, a review of
Baillie’s other major films of the era shows an incredible dexterity in the
use of audio collage, with extreme attention paid to the flow and movement
of mood. It is in part the simplicity of All My Life’s soundtrack,
relying only on the qualities of Fitzgerald’s singing, and the precise sense
of listening to a beat-up record, that distinguishes the film from Baillie’s
other works. It is evocative, but audio fidelity is not as crucial to its success
as color. In this case I find Baillie’s judgment to be sound, and further;
to serve as justification for a possible reversal print.
The problem remained, however, as to just how to print the sound in a
reversal scenario. Several possibilities existed, all of which were plausible
only because the project’s intended purpose was preservation, with
screening always occurring within an archival context.
All of these involved a variation of double-system sound. In terms of
audio fidelity, the striking of a new, separate magnetic track would actually
improve quality over the best possible optical configuration (21) , while
being playable on any standard interlock projector. In addition to this
one might consider the production of a black-and-white optical sound
55 Journal of Film Preservation / 53 / 1996
projectors, which are primarily red and
infrared sensitive. Despite this impediment,
this method has a few proponents
in the independent sector. In such
instances, boosting the gain in projection
is necessary. I have not heard of a dye
track print, but suspect it would only be
plausible for film artists working with a
rough aesthetic.
20. Bruce Baillie, interviewed by Scott
MacDonald, in A Critical Cinema 2 -
Interviews with Independent Filmmakers,
Berkeley, University of California Press,
1992, p. 121.
21. Mag striping would offer similar
quality, but as this practice is essentially
obsolete, it seems to offer no practical
advantages over dual-system. Striping is
also disadvantageous from a preservation
standpoint, as the magnetic coating may
cause earlier deterioration of the film
itself.
22. One would then have the choice of
whether to make a negative or reversal
master. While neg is the standard procedure,
here the direct positive method
offers some advantages. As positive
image tracks play better than do negatives,
a reversal track would offer playback
potential in some double-system
set-ups. It also might allow more avenues
for sound prints to be struck in future
reversal scenarios, should either new
printing stocks or optical readers become
available.
There are some considerations unique to
the reversal method, however. Neg/pos
optical systems are effective because
image spread in the variable area track of
the negative is effectively cross-modulated
by image spread in the positive
track. In cases where a direct positive is
desired, the cross-modulation occurs
between the two developments of the
reversal process. Tests may be required if
the lab is not accustomed to processing
sound stock reversal. Also, as in the
striking of any optical master, one should
remember to consider film wind in relation
to one’s overall printing needs.
23. Slight variations exist between camera
stocks, which are designed to render
the tonal range of the world, and printing
stocks, designed to render the tonal
range of a film image, so it would certainly
be an experiment. But stranger
things have been known to work. Also,
while I have not studied the changes
made to Kodachrome materials over the
years, I know from many viewings that
the older Kodachrome stocks exhibit a