35 mm film print frames. At far left and far right, outside the perforations, is the SDDS soundtrack as an image of a digital signal. SDDS stands for Sony Dynamic Digital Sound which is a cinema Sound system developed by Sony Between the perforations is the Dolby Digital soundtrack (note the tiny Dolby "Double D" logo in the center of each area between the perforations). Dolby Digital is the marketing name for a series of lossy audio compression technologies developed by Dolby Just inside the perforations, on the left side of the image, is the analog optical soundtrack, with two channels encoded using Dolby SR noise reduction that can be dematrixed into four channels using Dolby Pro Logic. The Dolby SR noise reduction format ( Spectral Recording) was developed by Dolby Laboratories and has been in common use in professional audio since 1986 Dolby Pro Logic is a Surround sound processing technology designed to decode soundtracks encoded with Dolby Surround. The optical timecode used to synchronize a DTS soundtrack, which sits between the optical soundtrack and the image, is not pictured. DTS (also known as Digital Theater Systems) owned by DTS Inc ( is a multi-channel digital Surround sound format used for both commercial/theatrical Finally, the image here is an anamorphic image used to create a 2. 39:1 aspect ratio when projected through an anamorphic lens. Anamorphic format is a term that can be used either for the Cinematography technique of capturing a Widescreen picture on standard 35 mm film, or other Note the thin frame lines of anamorphic prints. A frame line is the unused space that separates two adjacent images or Film frames on the Release print of a motion picture.

35 mm film is the basic film gauge most commonly used for both still photography and motion pictures, and remains relatively unchanged since its introduction in 1892 by William Dickson and Thomas Edison, using film stock supplied by George Eastman. Film gauge is a physical property of Film stock which defines its width Photography (fә'tɒgrәfi or fә'tɑːgrәfi (from Greek φωτο and γραφία is the process and Art of recording pictures by means of capturing William Kennedy Laurie Dickson (3 August 1860 &ndash 28 September 1935 was an Anglo - Scottish Inventor who devised an early motion picture This focuses on Motion picture film For Still photography film see Photographic film. George Eastman ( July 12, 1854 – March 14, 1932) founded the Eastman Kodak Company and invented Roll film, helping to The photographic film is cut into strips 35 millimeters (about 1 3/8 inches) wide — hence the name. This article is mainly concerned with Still photography film For Motion picture film please see Film stock. ^[1][2] The standard negative pulldown for movies ("single-frame" format) is four perforations per frame along both edges, which makes for exactly 16 frames per foot^[3] (for stills, the standard frame is eight perforations). Negative pulldown is a characteristic of motion picture film formats Film perforations, also known as perfs, are the holes placed in the Film stock during manufacturing and used for transporting (via Sprockets and claws and A film frame, or just frame, is one of the many single photographic images in a motion picture.

A wide variety of largely proprietary gauges were used by the numerous camera and projection systems invented independently in the late 19th century and early 20th century, ranging from 13 mm to 75 mm (0. 51–2. 95 in). ^[4] 35 mm was eventually recognized as the international standard gauge in 1909,^[5] and has remained by far the dominant film gauge for image origination and projection despite threats from smaller and larger gauges, and from novel formats, because its size allows for a relatively good tradeoff between the cost of the film stock and the quality of the images captured. This focuses on Motion picture film For Still photography film see Photographic film. The ubiquity of 35 mm movie projectors in commercial movie theaters makes it the only motion picture format, film or video, that can be played in almost any cinema in the world. This article is concerned with technical aspects of moving film projection Cinemaaustraliajpg|thumb|A movie theater in Australia ]]A movie theater, movie theatre, picture theatre or cinema is a venue

The gauge is remarkably versatile in application. In the past one hundred years, it has been modified to include sound, redesigned to create a safer film base, formulated to capture color, has accommodated a bevy of widescreen formats, and has incorporated digital sound data into nearly all of its non-frame areas. A film base is a transparent substrate which acts as a support medium for the Photosensitive Emulsion that lies atop it Since the beginning of the 21st century, Eastman Kodak and Fujifilm have held a duopoly in the manufacture of 35 mm motion picture film. Eastman Kodak Company ( is an American multinational Public company which produces imaging and photographic materials and equipment is a Japanese company known for its Photographic film and Cameras Fujifilm is the world’s largest photographic and imaging company. A true duopoly is a specific type of Oligopoly where only two producers exist in one Market.

Early history

Main article: Kinetoscope

In 1880, George Eastman began to manufacture gelatin dry photographic plates in Rochester, New York. The Kinetoscope is an early motion picture exhibition device Though not a Movie projector —it was designed for films to be viewed individually through the window George Eastman ( July 12, 1854 – March 14, 1932) founded the Eastman Kodak Company and invented Roll film, helping to Gelatin (also gelatine, from French gélatine) is a translucent colourless brittle nearly tasteless solid substance, extracted from the Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York State, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Along with W. H. Walker, Eastman invented a holder for a roll of picture-carrying gelatin layer coated paper. Hannibal Goodwin's invention of nitrocellulose film base in 1887 was the first transparent, flexible film;^[6] the following year, Emile Reynaud developed the first perforated film stock. The Reverend Hannibal Goodwin (1822-1900 an Episcopal priest at the House of Prayer in Newark New Jersey patented a method for making transparent flexible roll Nitrocellulose (also cellulose nitrate, flash paper) is a highly flammable compound formed by Nitrating Cellulose through exposure to A film base is a transparent substrate which acts as a support medium for the Photosensitive Emulsion that lies atop it Charles-Émile Reynaud ( December 8 1844 &ndash January 9 1918) was a French science teacher responsible for the first animated Film perforations, also known as perfs, are the holes placed in the Film stock during manufacturing and used for transporting (via Sprockets and claws and Eastman was the first major company, however, to mass-produce these components, when in 1889 Eastman realized that the dry-gelatino-bromide emulsion could be coated onto this clear base, eliminating the paper. An emulsion ( IPA: /ɪˈmʌlʃən/ is a mixture of two Immiscible (unblendable liquids ^[7]

With the advent of flexible film, Thomas Alva Edison quickly set out on his invention, the Kinetoscope, which was first shown at the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences on May 9, 1893. The Kinetoscope is an early motion picture exhibition device Though not a Movie projector —it was designed for films to be viewed individually through the window Events 1457 BC - Battle of Megiddo (15th century BC between Thutmose III and a large Canaanite coalition under the King of Year 1893 ( MDCCCXCIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common ^[8] The Kinetoscope was a film loop system intended for one-person viewing. ^[9] Edison, along with assistant W. K. L. Dickson, followed that up with the Kinetophone, which combined the Kinetoscope with Edison's cylinder phonograph. The Kinetoscope is an early motion picture exhibition device Though not a Movie projector —it was designed for films to be viewed individually through the window The phonograph, or gramophone, was the most common device for playing recorded Sound from the 1870s through the 1980s Beginning in March 1892, Eastman and then, from April 1893 into 1896, New York's Blair Camera Co. supplied Edison with 1 9/16–inch filmstock that would be trimmed and perforated at the Edison lab to create 35 mm gauge filmstrips (at some point in 1894 or 1895, Blair began sending stock to Edison that was cut exactly to specification). ^[10] Edison's aperture defined a single frame of film at 4 perforations high. ^[11] Edison claimed exclusive patent rights to his design of 35 mm motion picture film, with four sprocket holes per frame, forcing his only major filmmaking competitor, American Mutoscope & Biograph, to use a 68 mm film that used friction feed, not sprocket holes, to move the film through the camera. The American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, was a motion picture company founded in 1895 and active until 1928 A court judgment in March 1902 invalidated Edison's claim, allowing any producer or distributor to use the Edison 35 mm film design without license. Filmmakers were already doing so in Britain and Europe, where Edison had failed to file patents. ^[12] A variation developed by the Lumière Brothers used a single circular perforation on each side of the frame towards the middle of the horizontal axis. ^[13] It was Edison's format, however, that became first the de facto standard and then, in 1909, the "official" standard of the newly formed Motion Picture Patents Company, a trust established by Edison. The Motion Picture Patents Company (MPPC also known as the Edison Trust) founded in December 1908 was a trust of all the major film companies ( Edison A special trust or business trust is business entity formed with intent to monopolize business to restrain trade, or to fix prices. Scholar Paul C. Spehr describes the importance of these developments:

The early acceptance of 35 mm as a standard had momentous impact on the development and spread of cinema. The standard gauge made it possible for films to be shown in every country of the world… It provided a uniform, reliable and predictable format for production, distribution and exhibition of movies, facilitating the rapid spread and acceptance of the movies as a world-wide device for entertainment and communication. ^[14]

The film format was introduced into still photography as early as 1913 (the Tourist Multiple) but first became popular with the launch of the Leica camera, created by Oskar Barnack in 1925. Leica Camera AG is a leading German optical company that has been designing and developing Cameras since 1913 and manufacturing them in series production since Oskar Barnack ( November 1, 1879 – January 16, 1936) was a German precision Mechanic and industrial designer ^[15]

Amateur interest

The petrochemical and silver compounds necessary for the creation of film stock meant from the start that 35 mm filmmaking was to be an expensive hobby with a high barrier to entry for the public at large. Petrochemicals are chemical products made from raw materials of Petroleum or other Hydrocarbon origin Silver (ˈsɪlvɚ is a Chemical element with the symbol " Ag " (argentum from the Ancient Greek: ἀργήντος - argēntos gen In Economics and especially in the theory of Competition, barriers to entry are obstacles in the path of a firm which wants to enter a given Market Furthermore, the nitrocellulose film base of all early film stock was dangerous and highly flammable, creating considerable risk for those not accustomed to the precautions necessary in its handling. Nitrocellulose (also cellulose nitrate, flash paper) is a highly flammable compound formed by Nitrating Cellulose through exposure to A film base is a transparent substrate which acts as a support medium for the Photosensitive Emulsion that lies atop it Birt Acres was the first to attempt an amateur format, creating Birtac in 1898 by slitting the film into 17. Birt Acres ( July 23, 1854 &ndash1918 born in Richmond, Virginia, USA of English parents was a photographer and film pioneer 5 mm widths. By the early 1920s, several formats had successfully split the amateur market away from 35 mm — namely 28 mm (1. 28 mm film was introduced by the Pathé Film Company in 1912 under the name Pathé Kok. 1 in) (1912), 9.5 mm (0. 95 mm film is an amateur Film format introduced by Pathé Frères in 1922 as part of the Pathé Baby amateur film system 37 in) (1922), 16 mm (0. 63 in) (1923), and Pathe Rural, a safety 17. 5 mm format (1926). Eastman Kodak's 16 mm format won the amateur market and is still widely in use today, mainly in the Super 16 variation which remains very popular with professional filmmakers. The 16 mm size was specifically chosen to prevent third-party slitting, as it was very easy to create 17. 5 mm stock from slitting 35 mm stock in two. It also was the first major format only to be released with the non-flammable cellulose diacetate (and later cellulose triacetate) "safety film" base. Cellulose triacetate, also known simply as triacetate, is manufactured from Cellulose and Acetate. This amateur market would be further diversified by the introduction of 8 mm film (0. 8 mm film is a motion picture film format in which the filmstrip is eight Millimeters wide 31 in) in 1932, intended for amateur filmmaking and "home movies". ^[16] By law, both 16 mm and 8 mm gauge stock (as well as 35 mm films intended for non-theatrical use) had to be manufactured on safety stock. The effect of these gauges was to essentially make the 35 mm gauge almost the exclusive province of professional filmmakers, a divide which mostly remains to this day.

How film works

Main articles: Photographic film, Color film (motion picture), Exposure (photography), and Film base

Inside the photographic emulsion are millions of light-sensitive silver halide crystals. This article is mainly concerned with Still photography film For Motion picture film please see Film stock. This article discusses the evolution and technology behind color Photographic film, with specific focus on Motion pictures. In Photography, exposure is the total amount of Light allowed to fall on the photographic medium ( Photographic film or Image sensor) during the A film base is a transparent substrate which acts as a support medium for the Photosensitive Emulsion that lies atop it A silver halide is one of the compounds formed between Silver and one of the Halogens &mdash Silver bromide (AgBr chloride Each crystal is a compound of silver plus a halogen (such as bromine, iodine or chlorine) held together in a cubical arrangement by electrical attraction. Silver (ˈsɪlvɚ is a Chemical element with the symbol " Ag " (argentum from the Ancient Greek: ἀργήντος - argēntos gen Abundance Owing to their high Reactivity, the halogens are found in the environment only in compounds or as Ions Halide ions and oxoanions Iodine (ˈaɪədaɪn ˈaɪədɪn or /ˈaɪədiːn/ from ιώδης iodes "violet" is a Chemical element that has the symbol I and Atomic Chlorine (ˈklɔriːn from the Greek word 'χλωρóς' ( khlôros, meaning 'pale green' is the Chemical element with Atomic number 17 and When the crystal is struck with light, free-moving silver ions build up a small collection of uncharged atoms. These small bits of silver, too small to even be visible under a microscope, are the beginning of a latent image. A latent image on Photographic film is an invisible image produced by the exposure of the film to Light. Developing chemicals use the latent image specs to build up density, an accumulation of enough metallic silver to create a visible image. Photographic processing is the Industrial process by which conventional Photographic film is treated after Photographic exposure in order to produce the ^[17]

A short strip of undeveloped 35 mm film.

The emulsion is attached to the film base with a transparent adhesive called the subbing layer. A film base is a transparent substrate which acts as a support medium for the Photosensitive Emulsion that lies atop it Below the base is an undercoat called the antihalation backing, which usually contains absorber dyes or a thin layer of silver or carbon (called rem-jet on color negative stocks). Without this coating, bright points of light would penetrate the emulsion, reflect off the inner surface of the base, and reexpose the emulsion, creating a halo around these bright areas. The antihalation backing can also serve to reduce static buildup, which was a significant problem with old black and white films. The film, which runs through the camera at 18 inches per second, could build up enough static electricity to actually cause a spark bright enough to expose the film; antihalation backing solved this problem. Color films have three layers of silver halide emulsions to separately record the red, green, and blue information. For every silver halide grain there is a matching color coupler grain. The top layer contains blue-sensitive emulsion, followed by a yellow filter to cancel out blue light; after this comes a green sensitive layer followed by a red sensitive layer.

Just as in black-and-white, the first step in color development converts exposed silver halide grains into metallic silver – except that an equal amount of color dye will be formed as well. Black-and-white is a number of Monochrome forms in Visual arts. The color couplers in the blue-sensitive layer will form yellow dye during processing, the green layer will form magenta dye and the red layer will form cyan dye. A bleach step will convert the metallic silver back into silver halide, which is then removed along with the unexposed silver halide in the fixer and wash steps, leaving only color dyes. ^[18]

In the 1980s Eastman Kodak invented the T-Grain, a synthetically manufactured silver halide grain that had a larger, flat surface area and allowed for greater light sensitivity in a smaller, thinner grain. Tabular-grain film is a type of Photographic film that includes T-MAX films from Kodak (with Kodak's T-grain emulsion Thus Kodak was able to break the problem of higher speed (greater light sensitivity — see film speed) which required larger grain and therefore more "grainy" images. Film speed is the measure of a photographic film's sensitivity to Light. Film grain or granularity is the random optical texture of processed Photographic film due to the presence of small grains of a metallic silver developed from With T-Grain technology, Kodak refined the grain structure of all their "EXR" line of motion picture film stocks^[19] (which was eventually incorporated into their "MAX" still stocks). Fuji films followed suit with their own grain innovation, the tabular grain in their SUFG (Super Unified Fine Grain) SuperF negative stocks, which are made up of thin hexagonal tabular grains. ^[20]

Other common types of photographic films

In addition to black & white and color negative films, there are black & white and color reversal films, which when developed create a positive ("natural") image that is projectable. In Photography, a reversal film is a still positive image created on a transparent base using photochemical means There are also films sensitive to non-visible wavelengths of light, such as infrared.

Attributes

Color

Main article: Color film (motion picture)

Originally, film was a strip of cellulose nitrate coated with black-and-white photographic emulsion. This article discusses the evolution and technology behind color Photographic film, with specific focus on Motion pictures. An emulsion ( IPA: /ɪˈmʌlʃən/ is a mixture of two Immiscible (unblendable liquids ^[9] Early film pioneers, like D. W. Griffith, color tinted or toned portions of their movies for dramatic impact, and by 1920, 80 to 90 percent of all films were tinted. David Llewelyn Wark "D W" Griffith (January 22 1875 &ndash July 23 1948 was a premier pioneering Academy Award -winning American Film director. Film tinting is the process of adding color to black and white film usually by means of soaking the film in dye and staining the film Emulsion ^[21] The first successful natural color process was Britain's Kinemacolor (1908–1914), a two-color additive process that used a rotating disk with red and green filters in front of the camera lens and the projector lens. Kinemacolor was the first successful colour Motion picture process used commercially from 1908 to 1914 ^[22][23] But any process that photographed and projected the colors sequentially was subject to color "fringing" around moving objects, and a general color flickering. ^[24]

In 1916, William Van Doren Kelley produced the first commercially successful American color system using 35 mm film called Prizma. The Prizma Color system was a technique of color Motion picture photography invented in 1913 by William Van Doren Kelley. Initially a system that used frame sequential photography and projected through additive synthesis, Prizma was refined to bi-pack photography, with two strips of film (one sensitized for red and one for blue) threaded as one through the camera. The method of projection was also changed: each record was printed and processed on duplitized stock, creating a successful subtractive color process. Duplitized film stock was a type of film available through various companies used in color photography and special effects This basic principle behind color photography set the standard for many later successful color formats, such as Multicolor, Brewster Color, and Cinecolor. Multicolor is a subtractive natural color process for motion pictures. Cinecolor was an early Subtractive color -model two color Film process based upon the Prizma system of the 1910s and 1920s and the Multicolor

Although color was available for years prior, color in Hollywood feature films became popular with Technicolor, whose main advantage was quality prints in shorter time than its competitors. Technicolor is the trademark for a series of color film processes pioneered by Technicolor Motion Picture Corporation In its earliest conception, Technicolor was a two-color system, recording red and green. 1922's Toll of the Sea was the first film printed in their subtractive color system. The Toll of the Sea is a motion picture produced by the Technicolor Motion Picture Corporation and released by Metro Pictures in 1922, featuring Unlike Kinemacolor, which recorded color frame-sequentially, Technicolor's camera recorded red and green frames simultaneously through a beam splitting prism onto one strip of film. Two prints on half-width stock were processed from this negative, and one was toned red, and the other toned green. The two strips were then cemented together, forming a single strip similar to duplitized film.

In 1928, Technicolor introduced imbibition printing (similar to lithography) that streamlined the process. Lithography is a method for Printing using a plate or stone with a completely smooth surface Using two matrices coated with hardened gelatin in a relief image, thicker where the image was darker, aniline color dyes were transferred onto a third, blank strip of film.

In 1934, William T. Crispinel and Alan M. Gundelfinger revived the Multicolor process under the company name Cinecolor. Multicolor is a subtractive natural color process for motion pictures. Cinecolor was an early Subtractive color -model two color Film process based upon the Prizma system of the 1910s and 1920s and the Multicolor Cinecolor enjoyed large success in animation and low-budget pictures, largely due to its inexpense and good image results. But while Cinecolor used the same duplitized stock method as Prizma and Multicolor, its main advantage was inventing processing machines that could do larger quantities of film in a shorter time.

Technicolor re-emerged with a three-color process for cartoons in 1932, and live action in 1934. Using a beam-splitter prism behind the lens, this camera incorporated three individual strips of black and white film, each one behind a filter of one of the primary colors (red, green and blue), allowing the full color spectrum to be recorded. Primary colors are sets of Colors that can be combined to make a useful range ( Gamut) of colors ^[25] A printing matrix with a hardened gelatin relief image was made from each negative, and the three matrices transferred color dye onto a blank film to create the print. ^[26]

In 1950 Kodak announced the first Eastman color 35 mm negative film (along with a complementary positive film) that could record all three primary colors on the same strip of film. ^[27] An improved version in 1952 was quickly adopted by Hollywood, making the use of tri-strip Technicolor cameras and bi-pack cameras (utilized in two-color systems such as Cinecolor) obsolete in color cinematography. Cinecolor was an early Subtractive color -model two color Film process based upon the Prizma system of the 1910s and 1920s and the Multicolor This "monopack" structure is made up of three separate emulsion layers, one sensitive to red light, one to green and one to blue.

Safety film

Main article: Safety film

Although Eastman Kodak had first introduced acetate-based film, it was far too brittle and prone to shrinkage, so the dangerously flammable nitrate-based cellulose films were generally used for motion picture camera and print films. Because of the highly flammable nature of cellulose Nitrate film, by the beginning of the 20th century manufacturers had begun to introduce Cellulose acetate as a safe alternative Eastman Kodak Company ( is an American multinational Public company which produces imaging and photographic materials and equipment An acetate, or ethanoate, is either a salt or Ester of Acetic acid. In 1949 Kodak began replacing all of the nitrate-based films with the safer, more robust cellulose triacetate-based "Safety" films. Nitrocellulose (also cellulose nitrate, flash paper) is a highly flammable compound formed by Nitrating Cellulose through exposure to Cellulose triacetate, also known simply as triacetate, is manufactured from Cellulose and Acetate. In 1950 the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded Kodak with a Scientific and Technical Academy Award (Oscar) for the safer triacetate stock. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ( AMPAS) is a professional honorary organization ostensibly dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of Motion "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. ^[28] By 1952, all camera and projector films were triacetate-based. ^[16] Most if not all film prints today are made from synthetic polyester safety base (which started replacing Triacetate film for prints in the early 1990s). Polyester is a category of Polymers which contain the Ester Functional group in their main chain Ironically, the downside of polyester film is that it is extremely strong, and, in case of a fault, will stretch and not break–potentially causing damage to the projector and ruining a fairly large stretch of film: 2–3 ft or ~2 sec. Polyester is a category of Polymers which contain the Ester Functional group in their main chain Also, polyester film will melt if exposed to the projector bulb for too long. Original camera negative is still generally made on a triacetate base. The original camera negative (OCN is the film in a Motion picture camera which captures the original image

Common formats

See list of film formats for a comprehensive table of known formats

Academy format

Main article: Academy ratio

In the conventional motion picture format, frames are four perforations tall, with an aspect ratio of about 1. This list of Film formats catalogues formats developed for shooting or viewing Motion pictures, ranging from the Chronophotographe format from 1888 to mid-20th century The Academy ratio of 1371 is the standard aspect ratio of a frame of 35mm film when used with 4-perf pulldown, and was standardized by The aspect ratio of a Shape is the ratio of its longer Dimension to its shorter dimension 37:1, 22 mm by 16 mm (0. 866 in × 0. 630 in). This is a derivation of the aspect ratio and frame size designated by Thomas Edison (24. 89 mm by 18. 67 mm or 0. 980 in by 0. 735 in) at the dawn of motion pictures, which was an aspect ratio of 1. 33:1. ^[29] The first sound features were released in 1926–27, and while Warner Bros. was using synchronized phonograph discs (sound-on-disc), Fox placed the soundtrack in an optical record directly on the film (sound-on-film) on a strip between the sprocket holes and the image frame. Warner Bros Entertainment Inc (or Warner Bros, Warner Bros Pictures) is one of the world's largest producers of Film and The term Sound-on-disc refers to a class of Sound film processes utilizing a Phonograph or other disc to record or playback Sound in sync with a motion Sound-on-film refers to a class of Sound film processes where the sound accompanying picture is physically recorded onto photographic film usually but not always the same ^[30] "Sound-on-film" was soon adopted by the other Hollywood studios, resulting in an almost square image ratio.

In 1932, to restore a more rectangular image ratio, the picture was shrunk slightly vertically, with the line between frames thickened. Hence the frame became 22 mm by 16 mm (0. 866 in by 0. 630 in) with an aspect ratio of 1. 37:1. This became known as the "Academy" ratio, named so after the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The Academy ratio of 1371 is the standard aspect ratio of a frame of 35mm film when used with 4-perf pulldown, and was standardized by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ( AMPAS) is a professional honorary organization ostensibly dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of Motion ^[31] Since the 1950s the aspect ratio of theatrically released motion picture films has been 1. 85:1 (1. 66:1 in Europe) or 2. 35:1 (2. 40:1 after 1970), so the "Academy" ratio was relegated to usage primarily for television. The image area for "TV transmission" is slightly smaller than the full "Academy" ratio at 21 mm by 16 mm (0. 816 in by 0. 612 in), an aspect ratio of 1. 33:1. Hence the "Academy" ratio is often mistakenly referred to as having an aspect ratio of 1. 33:1, referring to the TV transmitted area, instead of the actual 1. 37:1 ratio of the full "Academy" area. ^[31]

Widescreen

Main articles: Anamorphic, Aspect ratio (image), and Widescreen

The commonly used anamorphic format uses a similar four-perf frame, but an anamorphic lens is used on both the camera and projector to produce a wider image, today with an aspect ratio of about 2. Anamorphic format is a term that can be used either for the Cinematography technique of capturing a Widescreen picture on standard 35 mm film, or other The aspect ratio of an Image is its width divided by its height A widescreen image is a film computer or television image with a wider and shorter aspect ratio than the standard Academy frame developed during the Classical Anamorphic format is a term that can be used either for the Cinematography technique of capturing a Widescreen picture on standard 35 mm film, or other 39 (more commonly referred to as 2. 40:1. The ratio was 2. 35:1 — and is still quite often mistakenly referred to as such — until a SMPTE revision of projection standards in 1970). ^[32] The image, as recorded on the negative and print, is horizontally compressed (squeezed) by a factor of 2. ^[33]

A film which has been "hard matted" to 1. 85:1 in-camera. Most non-anamorphic widescreen films, however, are "soft matted" by a mask in the movie projector gate. This article is concerned with technical aspects of moving film projection

The unexpected success of the Cinerama widescreen process in 1952 led to a boom in film format innovations in order to compete with the growing audiences of television and the dwindling audiences in movie theaters. Cinerama is the trademarked name for a Widescreen process which works by simultaneously projecting images from three synchronized 35 mm projectors onto a huge deeply-curved A film format is a technical definition of a set of standard characteristics regarding image capture on Photographic film, for either stills or movies These processes could give theatergoers an experience that television couldn't-- color, stereophonic sound and panoramic vision. Before the end of the year, 20th Century Fox had narrowly "won" a race to obtain an anamorphic optical system invented by Henri Chrétien, and soon began promoting the Cinemascope technology as early as the production phase. Anamorphic format is a term that can be used either for the Cinematography technique of capturing a Widescreen picture on standard 35 mm film, or other Henri Jacques Chrétien ( February 1, 1879, Paris – February 6, 1956, Washington) was a French astronomer CinemaScope was a Widescreen movie format used from 1953 to 1967 ^[34]

Looking for a similar alternative, other major studios hit upon a simpler, less expensive solution by May 1953: using a removable aperture plate in the film projector gate, the top and bottom of the frame could be cropped to create a wider aspect ratio. Paramount Studios began this trend with their aspect ratio of 1. 66:1, first used in Shane, which was originally shot for Academy ratio. Shane is a 1953 Western film made by Paramount Pictures. It was produced and directed by George Stevens from a Screenplay The Academy ratio of 1371 is the standard aspect ratio of a frame of 35mm film when used with 4-perf pulldown, and was standardized by ^[35] It was Universal Studios, however, with their May release of Thunder Bay that introduced the now standard 1. Thunder Bay is a 1953 American Adventure film directed by Anthony Mann and starring James Stewart in their second non- 85:1 format to American audiences and brought attention to the industry the capability and low cost of equipping theaters for this transition.

Other studios followed suit with aspect ratios of 1. 75:1 up to 2:1. For a time, these various ratios were used by different studios in different productions, but by 1956, the aspect ratio of 1. 85:1 became the "standard" US format. These flat films are photographed with the full Academy frame, but are matted (most often with a mask in the theater projector, not in the camera) to obtain the "wide" aspect ratio. The Academy ratio of 1371 is the standard aspect ratio of a frame of 35mm film when used with 4-perf pulldown, and was standardized by This standard, in some European nations, became 1. 66:1 instead of 1. 85:1, although some productions with pre-determined American distributors compose for the latter in order to appeal to US markets.

In September 1953, 20th Century Fox debuted CinemaScope with their production of The Robe to great success. CinemaScope was a Widescreen movie format used from 1953 to 1967 ^[36] CinemaScope became the first marketable usage of an anamorphic widescreen process and became the basis for a host of "formats," usually suffixed with -scope, that were otherwise identical in specification, although sometimes inferior in optical quality. (Some developments, such as SuperScope and Techniscope, however, were truly entirely different formats. Superscope is also the name of an anamorphic Widescreen process and of an extension Microsoft has added to its DHCP Server Techniscope or 2-Perf is a 35mm motion picture camera film format introduced by Technicolor Italia in 1963 ) By the early 1960s, however, Panavision would eventually solve many of the Cinemascope lenses' technical limitations with their own lenses,^[33] and by 1967, Cinemascope was retired in favor of Panavision and other third-party manufacturers. Panavision is a Motion picture equipment company specializing in Cameras and lenses, based in Woodland Hills California. ^[37]

The 1950s and 1960s saw many other novel processes utilizing 35 mm, such as VistaVision, SuperScope, Technirama, and Techniscope, most of which ultimately became obsolete. VistaVision is a variant of the 35 mm motion picture film format created by Paramount Pictures in 1954 based on the Glamorama and Superama Technirama is a screen process that was used by some film production houses as an alternative to CinemaScope. VistaVision, however, would be revived decades later by Lucasfilm and other studios for special effects work, while a SuperScope variant became the predecessor to the modern Super 35 format that is popular today. Lucasfilm Limited' is an American Film production company founded by George Lucas in 1971, based in San Francisco California Super 35 (originally known as Superscope 235) is a Motion picture Film format that uses exactly the same film stock as standard 35 mm film, but

Super 35

Main article: Super 35 mm film

The concept behind Super 35 originated with the Tushinsky Brothers' SuperScope format, particularly the SuperScope 235 specification from 1956. Super 35 (originally known as Superscope 235) is a Motion picture Film format that uses exactly the same film stock as standard 35 mm film, but In 1982, Joe Dunton revived the format for Dance Craze, and Technicolor soon marketed it under the name "Super Techniscope" before the industry settled on the name Super 35. Dance Craze is a 1981 American Documentary film about the English 2 Tone Music genre. Technicolor is the trademark for a series of color film processes pioneered by Technicolor Motion Picture Corporation ^[38] The central driving idea behind the process is to return to shooting in the original silent "Edison" 1. 33:1 full 4-perf negative area (24. 89 mm by 18. 67 mm or 0. 980 in by 0. 735 in), and then crop the frame either from the bottom or the center (like 1. 85:1) to create a 2. 40:1 aspect ratio (matching that of anamorphic lenses) with an area of 24 mm by 10 mm (0. 945 in by 0. 394 in). Although this cropping may seem extreme, by expanding the negative area out perf-to-perf, Super 35 creates a 2. 40:1 aspect ratio with an overall negative area of 240 square millimetres (0. 372 sq in), only 9 mm² (0. 014 sq in) less than the 1. 85:1 crop of the Academy frame (248. 81 mm² or 0. 386 sq in). ^[39] The cropped frame is then converted at the intermediate stage to a 4-perf anamorphically squeezed print compatible with the anamorphic projection standard. This allows an "anamorphic" frame to be captured with non-anamorphic lenses, which are much more common, less expensive, faster, smaller, and optically superior to equivalent anamorphic lenses. ^[39] Up to 2000, once the film was photographed in Super 35, an optical printer was used to anamorphose (squeeze) the image. This optical step reduced the overall quality of the image and made Super 35 a controversial subject among cinematographers, many who preferred the higher image quality and frame negative area of anamorphic photography (especially with regard to granularity). Film grain or granularity is the random optical texture of processed Photographic film due to the presence of small grains of a metallic silver developed from ^[39] With the advent of Digital intermediates (DI) at the beginning of the 21st century, however, Super 35 photography has become even more popular, since the cropping and anamorphosing stages can be done digitally in-computer without creating an additional optical generation with increased grain. Digital intermediate (often abbreviated as DI) describes the process of digitizing a Motion picture and manipulating color and other image characteristics to change As DI becomes less expensive and more popular, it is likely to render Super 35 optical conversions completely obsolete in the near future.

3-Perf

Main article: Negative pulldown

Most motion pictures today are shot and projected using the 4-perforation format, but cropping the top and bottom of the frames for an aspect ratio of 1. Negative pulldown is a characteristic of motion picture film formats Negative pulldown is a characteristic of motion picture film formats 85 or 1. 66. In television production, where compatibility with an installed base of 35 mm film projectors is unnecessary, a 3-perf format is sometimes used, giving — if used with Super 35 — the 16:9 ratio used by HDTV and reducing film usage by 25 percent. Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic Filmmaking is the process of making a Film, from an initial story idea or commission through scriptwriting shooting editing and finally distribution to an audience Negative pulldown is a characteristic of motion picture film formats Super 35 (originally known as Superscope 235) is a Motion picture Film format that uses exactly the same film stock as standard 35 mm film, but High-definition television (HDTV is a Digital television Broadcasting system with higher resolution than traditional television systems (standard-definition Because of 3-perf's incompatibility with standard 4-perf equipment, it can utilize the whole negative area between the perforations (Super 35 mm film) without worrying about compatibility with existing equipment; the Super 35 image area includes what would be the soundtrack area in a standard print. Super 35 (originally known as Superscope 235) is a Motion picture Film format that uses exactly the same film stock as standard 35 mm film, but ^[40] All 3-perf negatives require optical or digital conversion to standard 4-perf if a film print is desired, though 3-perf can easily be transferred to video with little to no difficulty by modern telecine or film scanners. Telecine (ˈtɛləˌsɪni/ /ˌtɛləˈsɪni/ ˌtɛləˈsɪnə also /ˌtɛləˈsiːn/ — "tel-e-Sin-ee" "tel-e-Sin-a" as 'cine' is the same root as in 'cinema' A motion picture film scanner is a device used in Digital Filmmaking to scan original film for storage as high-resolution Digital intermediate With digital intermediate increasingly becoming a standard process for post-production, 3-perf has become more popular with productions which would otherwise be averse to an optical conversion stage. Digital intermediate (often abbreviated as DI) describes the process of digitizing a Motion picture and manipulating color and other image characteristics to change ^[41]

VistaVision

Main article: VistaVision

A diagram of the VistaVision format, affectionately dubbed "Lazy 8" because it is eight perforations long and runs horizontally (lying down). VistaVision is a variant of the 35 mm motion picture film format created by Paramount Pictures in 1954 based on the Glamorama and Superama VistaVision is a variant of the 35 mm motion picture film format created by Paramount Pictures in 1954 based on the Glamorama and Superama Film perforations, also known as perfs, are the holes placed in the Film stock during manufacturing and used for transporting (via Sprockets and claws and

The VistaVision motion picture format was created in 1954 by Paramount Pictures in order to create a finer-grained negative and print for flat widescreen films. VistaVision is a variant of the 35 mm motion picture film format created by Paramount Pictures in 1954 based on the Glamorama and Superama Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and Distribution company, based in Hollywood California. ^[42] Similar to still photography, the format uses a camera running 35 mm film horizontally instead of vertically through the camera, with frames that are eight perforations long, resulting in a wider aspect ratio of 1. Photography (fә'tɒgrәfi or fә'tɑːgrәfi (from Greek φωτο and γραφία is the process and Art of recording pictures by means of capturing 5:1 and greater detail, as more of the negative area is used per frame. ^[39] This format is unprojectable in standard theaters and requires an optical step to squeeze the image into the standard 4-perf vertical 35 mm frame. ^[43]

While the format was dormant by the early 1960s, the camera system was somewhat revived for visual effects by John Dykstra at Industrial Light and Magic, starting with Star Wars, as a means of reducing granularity in the optical printer by having increased original camera negative area at the point of image origination. John Charles Dykstra, ASC (born June 3 1947 in Long Beach California, United States) is a two-time Academy Award -winning Industrial Light & Magic ( ILM) is a motion picture Visual effects company that was founded in May 1975 by George Lucas and is owned Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope (originally released as Star Wars) is a 1977 Space opera An optical printer is a device consisting of one or more film Projectors mechanically linked to a Movie camera. The original camera negative (OCN is the film in a Motion picture camera which captures the original image ^[44] Its usage has again declined since the dominance of computer-based visual effects, although it still sees very limited utilization. ^[45]

Perforations

Main article: Film perforations

35mm film perforation hole types. Film perforations, also known as perfs, are the holes placed in the Film stock during manufacturing and used for transporting (via Sprockets and claws and

BH perfs: Film perforations were originally round holes cut into the side of the film, but as these perforations were subject to wear and deformation, the shape was changed to what is now called the Bell & Howell (BH) perforation, which has straight top and bottom edges and outward curving sides. Böwe Bell & Howell is a US -based former Manufacturer of Motion picture machinery The BH perforation's dimensions are 0. 110 inches (2. 79 mm) from the middle of the side curve to opposite top corner by 0. 073 inches (1. 85 mm) in height. ^[46] The BH1866 perforation, or BH perforation with a pitch of 0. Film perforations, also known as perfs, are the holes placed in the Film stock during manufacturing and used for transporting (via Sprockets and claws and 1866 inches (4. 74 mm), is the modern standard for negative and internegative films.

KS perfs: Because BH perfs have sharp corners, the repeated use of the film through intermittent movement projectors creates strain that can easily tear the perforations. Furthermore, they tended to shrink as the print slowly decayed. Therefore, larger perforations with a rectangular base and rounded corners were introduced by Kodak in 1924 to improve steadiness, registration, durability, and longevity. Eastman Kodak Company ( is an American multinational Public company which produces imaging and photographic materials and equipment Known as "Kodak Standard" (KS), they are 0. 0780 inches (1. 981 mm) high by 0. 1100 inches (2. 794 mm) wide. ^[2] Their durability makes KS perfs the ideal choice for intermediate and release prints, as well as original camera negatives which require special use, such as high-speed filming, bluescreen, front projection, rear projection, and matte work. The original camera negative (OCN is the film in a Motion picture camera which captures the original image Chroma Key is the name under which ex- Dream Theater Keyboardist Kevin Moore records A front projection effect is an in-camera Visual effects process in Film production for combining foreground performance with pre-filmed background footage The increased height also means that the image registration was considerably less accurate than BH perfs, which remains the standard for negatives. ^[47] The KS1870 perforation, or KS perforation with a pitch of 0. Film perforations, also known as perfs, are the holes placed in the Film stock during manufacturing and used for transporting (via Sprockets and claws and 1870 inches (4. 75 mm), is the modern standard for release prints.

These two perforations have remained by far the most commonly-used ones. BH and KS are also are known as N (negative) and P (positive) perforations, respectively. The Bell & Howell perf remains the standard for camera negative films because of its perforation dimensions in comparison to most printers, thus having the ability to keep a steady image compared to other perforations. ^[48]

DH perfs: The Dubray Howell (DH) perforation was first suggested in 1931 to replace both the BH and KS perfs with a single standard perforation which was a hybrid of the two in shape and size, being like KS a rectangle with rounded corners and a width of 0. 1100 inches (2. 79 mm), but with BH's height of 0. 073 inches (1. 85 mm). ^[43] This gave it longer projection life but also improved registration. One of its primary applications was usage in Technicolor's dye imbibition printing (dye transfer). Technicolor is the trademark for a series of color film processes pioneered by Technicolor Motion Picture Corporation ^[48] The DH perf never caught on, and Kodak's introduction of monopack Eastmancolor film in the 1950s reduced the demand for dye transfer,^[47] although the DH perf persists in certain special application intermediate films to this day. ^[49]

CS perfs: In 1953, the introduction of CinemaScope required the creation of a different shape of perforation which was nearly square and smaller to provide space for four magnetic sound stripes for stereophonic and surround sound. ^[9] These perfs are commonly referred to as CinemaScope (CS) or "fox hole" perfs. Their dimensions are 0. 0780" (1. 85 mm) in width by 0. 0730" (1. 98 mm) in height. ^[50] Due to the size difference, CS perfed film cannot be run through a projector with standard KS sprocket teeth, but KS prints can be run on sprockets with CS teeth. Shrunken film with KS prints that would normally be damaged in a projector with KS sprockets may sometimes be run far more gently through a projector with CS sprockets because of the smaller size of the teeth. Though CS perfs have not been widely used since the late 1950s, Kodak still retains CS perfs as a special-order option on at least one type of print stock. ^[51]

During continuous contact printing, the raw stock and the negative are placed next to one another around the sprocket wheel of the printer. The negative, which is the closer of the two to the sprocket wheel (thus creating a slightly shorter path), must have a marginally shorter pitch between perforations (0. 1866 in pitch); the raw stock has a long pitch (0. 1870 in). While cellulose nitrate and cellulose diacetate stocks used to shrink during processing slightly enough to have this difference naturally occur, modern safety stocks do not shrink at the same rate, and therefore negative (and some intermediate) stocks are perforated at a pitch of 0. 2% shorter than print stock. ^[46]

New innovations in sound

35mm film audio tracks, from left to right: SDDS, Dolby Digital, analog optical, and DTS time code. SDDS stands for Sony Dynamic Digital Sound which is a cinema Sound system developed by Sony Dolby Digital is the marketing name for a series of lossy audio compression technologies developed by Dolby DTS (also known as Digital Theater Systems) owned by DTS Inc ( is a multi-channel digital Surround sound format used for both commercial/theatrical

New digital soundtracks introduced since the 1990s include Dolby Digital, which is stored between the perforations on the sound side; SDDS, stored in two redundant strips along the outside edges (beyond the perforations); and DTS, in which sound data is stored on separate compact discs synchronized by a timecode track stored on the film just to the right of the analog soundtrack and left of the frame. Dolby Digital is the marketing name for a series of lossy audio compression technologies developed by Dolby SDDS stands for Sony Dynamic Digital Sound which is a cinema Sound system developed by Sony In Engineering, redundancy is the duplication of critical components of a system with the intention of increasing reliability of the System, usually DTS (also known as Digital Theater Systems) owned by DTS Inc ( is a multi-channel digital Surround sound format used for both commercial/theatrical A Compact Disc (also known as a CD) is an Optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio ^[52] Because these soundtrack systems appear on different parts of the film, one movie can contain all of them, allowing broad distribution without regard for the sound system installed at individual theatres.

The optical track technology has also changed: distributors and theaters are changing to cyan dye optical soundtracks instead of black and white (silver) tracks, which are less environmentally friendly. This requires replacing the incandescent exciter lamp with a complementary colored red LED or laser, which is backwards-compatible with older tracks. ^[53] (The cyan tracks do not register well through older photo-sensors. ) The film Anything Else (2003) was the first to be released with only cyan tracks. Anything Else is a 2003 Romantic comedy film The film was written and directed by Woody Allen, produced by his sister Letty Aronson, and stars ^[53] The transition is expected to be completed by the end of 2007 and has already happened in most multiplexes.

Technical specifications

Areas on an Academy-width 35 mm spherical film print.

Technical specifications for 35 mm film are standardized by SMPTE.

• 16 frames per foot (0. 748 in (19 mm) per frame (long pitch))
• 24 frames per second (frame/s); 90 feet (27 m) per minute. 1,000 feet (300 m) is about 11 minutes at 24 frame/s.
• vertical pulldown
• 4 perforations per frame (all projection and most origination excepting 3-perf)

35 mm spherical^[39]

• 1. 37:1 aspect ratio on camera negative; 1. 85:1 and 1. 66:1 are hard or soft matted over this
• camera aperture: 0. 866 by 0. 630 in (22 by 16 mm)
• projector aperture (full 1. 37:1): 0. 825 by 0. 602 in (21 by 15 mm)
• projector aperture (1. 66:1): 0. 825 by 0. 497 in (21 by 13 mm)
• projector aperture (1. 85:1): 0. 825 by 0. 446 in (21 by 11 mm)
• TV station aperture: 0. 816 by 0. 612 in (21 by 16 mm)
• TV transmission: 0. 792 by 0. 594 in (20 by 15 mm)
• TV safe action: 0. 713 by 0. 535 in (18 by 14 mm); corner radii: 0. 143 in (3. 6 mm)
• TV safe titles: 0. 630 by 0. 475 in (16 by 12 mm); corner radii: 0. 125 in (3. 2 mm)

Super 35 mm film^[39]

• 1. 33:1 aspect ratio on camera negative
• camera aperture: 0. 980" by 0. 735"
• picture used (35 mm anamorphic): 0. 945 in (24. 00 mm) by 0. 394 in (10. 00 mm)
• picture used (70 mm blowup): 0. 945 in (24. 00 mm) by 0. 430 in (10. 92 mm)
• picture used (35 mm flat 1. 85): 0. 945 in (24. 00 mm) by 0. 511 in (12. 97 mm)

35 mm anamorphic^[39]

• 2. 39:1 aspect ratio, from a 1. 19:1 frame with a 2× horizontal squeeze
• camera aperture: 0. 866 in (22. 00 mm) by 0. 732 in (18. 59 mm)
• projector aperture: 0. 825 in (20. 96 mm) by 0. 690 in (17. 53 mm)

See also

• 16 mm film
• 35 mm still photography film (135 film)
• 70 mm film
• Color film (motion picture)
• Filmstock
• History of the art and technique of making films
• Original camera negative
• Still photography film formats

Lists

• List of film formats
• List of motion picture film stocks

References

External links

• American Widescreen Museum
• Fujifilm Motion Picture Films
• Kodak: Cinematography
• Motion Picture Stock Timeline