Film leader

Last updated
Countdown on the head leader of a film reel Eight (film start) cropped2.jpg
Countdown on the head leader of a film reel

A film leader is a length of film attached to the head or tail of a film to assist in threading a projector or telecine. A leader attached to the beginning of a reel is sometimes known as a head leader, or simply head, and a leader attached to the end of a reel known as a tail leader or foot leader, or simply tail or foot.

Contents

"Film leader", used generically, refers to different types manufactured for many editorial and laboratory uses. For example, some types are used in negative cutting while making A and B rolls for printing. "Painted leader" is perforated film in overall colors, usually white, black, red, blue, or green. These are used for protective head and tail leaders to keep the body of the program material from being damaged. "Fill leader" (also called picture fill, or spacer, or slug film) is used to space out different sections of magnetic audio film stock so they are kept in synchronization with the picture. Typically, this is made from rejected or retired prints of previously released programs.

A universal film leader is a head leader designed for television and theatrical motion picture exhibition applications. This includes the countdown, and technical information about the film, including title, studio, production number, aspect ratio, sound level and mix, reel number and color.

Head leaders are marked with visual and audio information that may be used to ensure that the correct amount of time is allowed for the machine to run up to speed and arrive at the beginning of the program or movie. They generally feature a countdown.

Countdown leaders

Two versions of the countdown leader are well-known:

Academy Leader
First introduced on November 1, 1930 by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, [1] it has numbers marked once every foot (16 frames per foot in 35 mm film), counting down from 12 to 3. "NINE" and "SIX" are spelled out, to avoid confusion between 6 and 9 when viewed upside-down. The numbers are printed upside down relative to the visual program so as to be right side up when the projectionist is threading a projector. At 3, a quick beep is heard (but this beep is muted on 35mm theatrical release prints to prevent it from being accidentally played in the theater). The Academy leader is specified by SMPTE 301. [2] The standard also specifies the position and placement of the cue marks at the end of the reel.
SMPTE Universal Leader
In the mid-1960s, the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) replaced the Academy Leader with a new style, called the SMPTE Universal Leader, [3] designed for both television and theatrical projection applications (though it did not gain widespread acceptance theatrically). It featured a continuous countdown from 8 to 2 (measured in seconds, rather than feet), with the numbers in the center of a target with two white circles and a rotating "clock arm" animation. At the beginning, before the countdown, it features "16 SOUND START" and then "35 SOUND START" in a circle target. Then "PICTURE START" appears and the countdown begins. The numbers appear right side up when projected on a screen, while the Academy countdown numbers would be upside down. During the four count, the letters "C C F F" would appear around the countdown, signifying the use of those frames as "control frames." At 2, a quick beep would be heard, sometimes known as the "2-pop". [4] The Universal Leader is specified by ANSI/SMPTE 55. [5] The standard also specifies position and placement of the cue marks at the end of the reel. Either by 1992 or 2000, the name of the leader was changed from "Universal Leader" to "Television Leader."

The latest overall length of both styles is the same: in 35mm, 16 feet and 4 frames or 260 frames. The countdown section begins with a single frame bearing the words "Picture Start." The sync beep (or 2-pop) occurs in synchronization with the last numbered frame ("3" on the Academy leader, "2" on the SMPTE Television leader). The length of the countdown section, including the "Picture Start" frame through to and including the "3" foot or "2" second frame, is 9 feet and 1 frame (145 frames) plus 47 frames of black (for a total of 12 feet even or 192 frames).

In 2013, SMPTE introduced the D-Cinema Digital Leader; a picture version of the countdown leader for use with Digital Cinema Distribution Master (DCDM) files. [6] [7] The DCDM is the penultimate step to the creation of the Digital Cinema Package (DCP). Unlike the previous film standards, no provision is made for changeover cue marks because digital cinema files are continuous.

Previous versions

Society Leader
Introduced in 1951 by SMPTE, [8] it was a modification of the "Academy leader" in order to work better with the film chains most TV stations were then using. The numbers still counted down once every foot, from 11 to 3, but instead of being upside down relative to the main program visuals, the numbers were right side up. Furthermore, instead of there being just black film in between the numbers, Society leader had a crosshair pattern to help with television framing and focusing. This style of countdown leader did not receive a separate standard identification. It was completely replaced by the SMPTE Universal leader.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keykode</span> Barcode-based film markings developed by Eastman Kodak

Keykode is an Eastman Kodak Company advancement on edge numbers, which are letters, numbers and symbols placed at regular intervals along the edge of 35 mm and 16 mm film to allow for frame-by-frame specific identification. It was introduced in 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">35 mm movie film</span> Standard theatrical motion picture film gauge

35 mm film is a film gauge used in filmmaking, and the film standard. In motion pictures that record on film, 35 mm is the most commonly used gauge. The name of the gauge is not a direct measurement, and refers to the nominal width of the 35 mm format photographic film, which consists of strips 1.377 ± 0.001 inches (34.976 ± 0.025 mm) wide. The standard image exposure length on 35 mm for movies is four perforations per frame along both edges, which results in 16 frames per foot of film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VistaVision</span> Motion picture camera film format

VistaVision is a higher resolution, widescreen variant of the 35 mm motion picture film format that was created by engineers at Paramount Pictures in 1954.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">16 mm film</span> Historically popular gauge of film

16 mm film is a historically popular and economical gauge of film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film ; other common film gauges include 8 mm and 35 mm. It is generally used for non-theatrical film-making, or for low-budget motion pictures. It also existed as a popular amateur or home movie-making format for several decades, alongside 8 mm film and later Super 8 film. Eastman Kodak released the first 16 mm "outfit" in 1923, consisting of a camera, projector, tripod, screen and splicer, for US$335. RCA-Victor introduced a 16 mm sound movie projector in 1932, and developed an optical sound-on-film 16 mm camera, released in 1935.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Movie projector</span> Device for showing motion picture film

A movie projector is an opto-mechanical device for displaying motion picture film by projecting it onto a screen. Most of the optical and mechanical elements, except for the illumination and sound devices, are present in movie cameras. Modern movie projectors are specially built video projectors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reel</span> Device used to store elongated and flexible objects

A reel is a device used to store elongated and flexible objects by wrapping the material around a cylindrical core known as a spool. Many reels also have flanges around the ends of the spool to help retain the wrapped material and prevent unwanted slippage off the ends. In most cases, the reel spool is hollow in order to pass an axle and allow it to spin like a wheel — a winding process known as reeling, which can be done by manually turning the reel with handles or cranks, or by machine-powered rotating via motors.

Coded anti-piracy (CAP) is an anti-copyright infringement technology which marks each film print of a motion picture with a distinguishing pattern of dots, used as a forensic identifier to identify the source of illegal copies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Projectionist</span> Movie projector operator

A projectionist is a person who operates a movie projector, particularly as an employee of a movie theater. Projectionists are also known as "operators".

Digital Cinema Initiatives, LLC (DCI) is a consortium of major motion picture studios, formed to establish specifications for a common systems architecture for digital cinema systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Movietone sound system</span> Sound system for film

The Movietone sound system is an optical sound-on-film method of recording sound for motion pictures that guarantees synchronization between sound and picture. It achieves this by recording the sound as a variable-density optical track on the same strip of film that records the pictures. The initial version was capable of a frequency response of 8500 Hz. Although modern sound films use variable-area tracks instead, modern motion picture theaters can play a Movietone film without modification to the projector. Movietone was one of four motion picture sound systems under development in the U.S. during the 1920s, the others being DeForest Phonofilm, Warner Brothers' Vitaphone, and RCA Photophone, though Phonofilm was principally an early version of Movietone.

In filmmaking, video production, animation, and related fields, a frame is one of the many still images which compose the complete moving picture. The term is derived from the historical development of film stock, in which the sequentially recorded single images look like a framed picture when examined individually.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Academy ratio</span> Aspect ratio with a width of 1.37:1

The Academy ratio of 1.375:1 is an aspect ratio of a frame of 35 mm film when used with 4-perf pulldown. It was standardized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as the standard film aspect ratio in 1932, although similar-sized ratios were used as early as 1928.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Film perforations</span> Functional element in motion picture film

Film perforations, also known as perfs and sprocket holes, are the holes placed in the film stock during manufacturing and used for transporting and steadying the film. Films may have different types of perforations depending on film gauge, film format, and intended usage. Perforations are also used as a standard measuring reference within certain camera systems to refer to the size of the frame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cue mark</span> Visual indicator on motion picture films

A cue mark, also known as a cue dot, a cue blip, a changeover cue or simply a cue, is a visual indicator used with motion picture film prints, usually placed in the upper right corner of a film frame. Cue dots are also used as a visual form of signalling on television broadcasts.

A release print is a copy of a film that is provided to a movie theater for exhibition.

A Digital Cinema Package (DCP) is a collection of digital files used to store and convey digital cinema (DC) audio, image, and data streams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sound follower</span> Device for the recording and playback of film sound

A sound follower, also referred to as separate magnetic, sepmag, magnetic film recorder, or mag dubber, is a device for the recording and playback of film sound that is recorded on magnetic film. This device is locked or synchronized with the motion picture film containing the picture. It operates like an analog reel-to-reel audio tape recording, but using film, not magnetic tape. The unit can be switched from manual control to sync control, where it will follow the film with picture.

The DP70 is a model of motion picture projector, of which approximately 1,500 were manufactured by the Electro-Acoustics Division of Philips between 1954 and about 1968. It is notable for having been the first mass-produced theater projector in which 4/35 and 5/70 prints could be projected by a single machine, thereby enabling wide film to become a mainstream exhibition format, for its recognition in the 1963 Academy Awards, which led to it being described as "the only projector to win an Oscar", and for its longevity: a significant number remained in revenue-earning service as of February 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Test film</span>

Test film are rolls or loops or slides of photographic film used for testing the quality of equipment. Equipment to be tested could include: telecine, motion picture film scanner, Movie projectors, Image scanners, film-out gear, Film recorders and Film scanners.

<i>A Sound Sleeper</i> 1909 American film

A Sound Sleeper is a 1909 American comedy film directed by D. W. Griffith and produced by the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company. The short was filmed in one day in the Coytesville borough of Fort Lee, New Jersey, which at the time was a popular filming location for many early motion-picture studios in the northeastern United States. Due to the brief running time of this comedy, it was originally distributed in April 1909 on a split reel with another Biograph release, a longer dramatic film titled The Winning Coat.

References

  1. Motion Picture News, 11 October 1930, p. 31. Accessed via mediahistoryproject.org.
  2. SMPTE 301M-1999. SMPTE STANDARD for Motion-Picture Film: Theater Projection Leader, Trailer and Cue Marks. Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. White Plains, NY.
  3. ASA/SMPTE PH22.55-1966, "Leaders and Cue Marks for 35mm and 16mm Sound Motion-Picture Release Prints," ACL Handbook—Recommended Standards and Procedures for Motion Picture Laboratory Services, (Alexandria, VA, March 1972, revised third edition), pp. 54–59.
  4. Tomlinson Holman, Sound for Film and Television, (Boston, Focal Press, 1997), p. 165.
  5. SMPTE 55–2000. SMPTE STANDARD for Motion Picture Film: 35- and 16-mm Television Release Prints – Leaders and Cue Marks. Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. White Plains, NY.
  6. "Home". smpte.org.
  7. SMPTE Digital Leader Demonstration. YouTube. Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (smpteconnect). 8 February 2012. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  8. C.L. Townsend, "New All-Purpose Film Leader," Journal of the SMPTE, vol. 56, May 1951, pp. 562–567. Accessed via mediahistoryproject.org.
  9. Howard M. Tremaine, The Audio Cyclopedia, (Indianapolis, Howard W. Sams & Co.,1959, first edition April), pg 712.
  10. ACL Handbook, op. cit., pp. 54–59.