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Optical. AFAIK all commercial 35mm film prints used optical at that time (1960s-1980s). I've used 16mm film with audio on separate magnetic tape, but my god wa

Optical. AFAIK all commercial 35mm film prints used optical at that time (1960s-1980s). I've used 16mm film with audio on separate magnetic tape, but my god was that a pain to deal with.

dylan604 1y ago
That's what I assumed. One of the post facilities I worked in had multiple mag followers where the audio was recorded in 2 channel pairs before ultimately getting mixed down to the final mix that would be used to make that optical track on a release print. At some point, for the lulz, someone laid down a 5.1 mix to 3 separate 35mm mags just to playback in the theater. These would all sync to the projector, and would make all sorts of clunks and loud noises when they'd all start playing. these were all kept in sync with quartz crystals. it was the most steampunk thing I had ever seen. Mind you, this was in the early/mid 90s just after the first NLEs were coming out. So my mind was totally blown in how it used to be done.
- ilamont 1y ago
  > it was the most steampunk thing I had ever seen. Was it a Steenbeck? That's what I used when I was working on a documentary I shot on 16mm film. As I said earlier, it was a PITA. Here's one in action: https://youtu.be/Iiw86naTOPw?si=eu5wcZXWh5oPIqKu https://youtu.be/Iiw86naTOPw?si=eu5wcZXWh5oPIqKu More details here, including about the company's bankruptcy last year: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steenbeck https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steenbeck
  - dylan604 1y ago
    Not a Steenbeck. We had a couple of flatbeds similar for editing actual film, but these followers were different. Here's a link to a random site returned from searching for 35mm mag follower[0]. These are probably different to the specific ones I had seen, but close enough for discussion. I remember the first time seeing a mag reel as it looked just like cassette tape, but with sprocket holes[1]. I was also surprised when it was only 2 channels for that full width of mag. I remember something being able to be swapped out and I was thinking it was to allow for a different mag head to allow for more tracks, but I think it was for switching to 16mm since the tracks would be in a different location. (I've had plenty to drink and have slept many times since then) [0] https://www.next-archive.com/product/mb51-mwa-albrecht-16mm-175mm-35mm-magnetic-tape-sound-follower/ https://www.next-archive.com/product/mb51-mwa-albrecht-16mm-... [1] https://hollywoodfilmsupplies.com/film-supplies/kodak-35mm-mag-audio-fullcoat https://hollywoodfilmsupplies.com/film-supplies/kodak-35mm-m...

Optical. AFAIK all commercial 35mm film prints used optical at that time (1960s-1980s). I've used 16mm film with audio on separate magnetic tape, but my god was that a pain to deal with.

dylan604 1y ago

That's what I assumed. One of the post facilities I worked in had multiple mag followers where the audio was recorded in 2 channel pairs before ultimately getting mixed down to the final mix that would be used to make that optical track on a release print. At some point, for the lulz, someone laid down a 5.1 mix to 3 separate 35mm mags just to playback in the theater. These would all sync to the projector, and would make all sorts of clunks and loud noises when they'd all start playing. these were all kept in sync with quartz crystals. it was the most steampunk thing I had ever seen. Mind you, this was in the early/mid 90s just after the first NLEs were coming out. So my mind was totally blown in how it used to be done.

ilamont 1y ago
> it was the most steampunk thing I had ever seen. Was it a Steenbeck? That's what I used when I was working on a documentary I shot on 16mm film. As I said earlier, it was a PITA. Here's one in action: https://youtu.be/Iiw86naTOPw?si=eu5wcZXWh5oPIqKu https://youtu.be/Iiw86naTOPw?si=eu5wcZXWh5oPIqKu More details here, including about the company's bankruptcy last year: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steenbeck https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steenbeck
- dylan604 1y ago
  Not a Steenbeck. We had a couple of flatbeds similar for editing actual film, but these followers were different. Here's a link to a random site returned from searching for 35mm mag follower[0]. These are probably different to the specific ones I had seen, but close enough for discussion. I remember the first time seeing a mag reel as it looked just like cassette tape, but with sprocket holes[1]. I was also surprised when it was only 2 channels for that full width of mag. I remember something being able to be swapped out and I was thinking it was to allow for a different mag head to allow for more tracks, but I think it was for switching to 16mm since the tracks would be in a different location. (I've had plenty to drink and have slept many times since then) [0] https://www.next-archive.com/product/mb51-mwa-albrecht-16mm-175mm-35mm-magnetic-tape-sound-follower/ https://www.next-archive.com/product/mb51-mwa-albrecht-16mm-... [1] https://hollywoodfilmsupplies.com/film-supplies/kodak-35mm-mag-audio-fullcoat https://hollywoodfilmsupplies.com/film-supplies/kodak-35mm-m...