Plus-X Reversal for projector prints isn't a good idea.

From: JEFFREY PAULL (email suppressed)
Date: Sat Jan 23 2010 - 14:06:42 PST


Greetings -
The following is true of both colour stocks and B&W stocks.

All camera negative film stocks are extra low contrast (to capture the big range of tones of a scene).
The projection positive stocks used to make positive prints from those low contast originals are always extra-high contrast stocks.
They kick up the negative's low contrast so it has a "good" contrast on the screen.
Also:
B&W Camera negative stocks (Plus-X and Tri-X) have a grey layer built into the plastic base. Can't be washed out.
In the camera, this absorbs the light of extra-bright parts of the image so it doesn't "halate" - make glowing rings around lightbulbs in the picture.
If you were to project a print made on these camera stocks, that grey plastic base would hold back some of the total light and make the picture dimmer than if you'd used a regular print stock.

Regular print stocks receive only very careful exposure in the lab, so grey plastic isn't needed to absorb excess light.
So print stocks have transparent plastic bases, and all the projection light shining through the bright parts of the image, winds up on the screen.

What to do, if you want to make projection prints from B&W Plus-X or Tri-X?

Print it on (high contrast) colour positive print stock, (see intro sentence at start.) even though there's no colour.
It will kick up the B&W contrast just as the B&W stock would have done that.
But, you may not get a totally neutral grey scale; the image may wind up bluish or brownish, etc.
Discuss with your lab maven.

One more: sound track stocks are high contrast stocks, but they might have a grey plast base also.
So the resulting prints might have a "good" contrast, but they'd be dimmer than usual.

    - Jeffrey Paull

On Sat 23/01/10 15:37 , Mark Toscano email suppressed sent:
> I was thinking maybe Fred meant the 7361 b/w reversal print stock, which is
> indeed discontinued, so if you want to make prints from reversal b/w, you
> have to either make a dupe neg or use Plus-X or Tri-X as print stock and do
> it yourself or with an accommodating lab...
>
>
> mark t
>
>
>
>
>
> --- On Fri, 1/22/10, Freya (address suppressed)
> AHOO.COM> wrote:
>
>
> > From: Freya (address suppressed)
> AHOO.COM>
> > Subject: Re: [FRAMEWORKS] Research question: Plus-X
> Reversal
> > To: F
> email suppressed
> > Date: Friday, January 22, 2010, 11:13 AM
>
> > Not sure if I am misunderstanding
>
> > you. I can't imagine that you mean that Plus-X Reversal
> is
> > obsolete because it has been replaced by colour neg or
>
> > something, given that you sensibly point out that all
> the
> > different technologies, new and old, are a canvas of
>
> > artistic possibilities from which an artist can choose.
>
> >
>
> > However if you meant that it is obsolete in the sense
> of
> > being no longer available, (You say "where art tho?") I
>
> > should point out that thou art still available from
> Kodak as
> > ever. Kodak have even recently updated their publicity
> still
> > in fact:
>
> >
>
> > http://motion.kodak.com/US/en/motion/Products/Production/Black_
> And_White_Films/7265.htm
> >
>
> > (For some reason for the first few seconds I thought
> she
> > was cutting her toenails!)
>
> >
>
> > Even more suprisingly Tri-X Reversal is also still
>
> > available in 16mm too!
>
> >
>
> > They are both available in 100 and 400ft roll lengths
> and
> > they are also both available in Super8 still too.
>
> >
>
> > I encourage anybody with the resources to do so to
> shoot
> > some. It looks amazing! Really beautiful and an easy
> way to
> > add some magic to your film.
>
> >
>
> > Sadly I expect if I shoot anything this next year it
> will
> > probably be video, but we shall see what transpires! :)
>
> >
>
> > love
>
> >
>
> > Freya
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > > This is not to say that each person must consider
>
> > every new
>
> > > technological development an "advance." Some might
>
> > have no
>
> > > use for 3-D, or Imax, or multi-screen events. But
>
> > every
>
> > > technological development is an "advance" if all it
>
> > does is
>
> > > open up a new possibility. Unfortunately in some
>
> > cases
>
> > > "advances" eventually make older possibilities
>
> > obsolete.
>
> > > (16mm Plus-X Reversal, where art thou?)
>
> > >
>
> > > Fred Camper
>
> > > Chicago
>
> > >
>
> > >
>
> > >
>
> >
> __________________________________________________________________
> > > For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at (address suppressed)
> om>.
> > >
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >      
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
> __________________________________________________________________
> > For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at (address suppressed)
> om>.
> >
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> __________________________________________________________________
>
> For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at (address suppressed)
> om>.
>
>
>
>
>

__________________________________________________________________
For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.