Appendix 1

Appendix 8: Conforming Negative
If you are pulling work print, you can simply hang each shot on a hook in an editing bin. When all
the shots are pulled, make up head and tail leaders and tape splice the roll together.
Always cut negative emulsion up. The splicer works this way, and the small marks you need to make
between the sprocket holes need to be scratched into the emulsion. Work with emulsion down on the
work print; the image should read backwards on both negative and work print. The key code numbers
should be on the same side on both work print and negative.
The leaders used in conforming are actual fi lm with emulsion. Plastic leaders are never used.
The white leader is called “light struck,” and is a clear base with a black-and-white emulsion
that appears white. As the fi lm is light sensitive, it turns dark over time. It is kept in a black
plastic bag before use and the completed negative rolls must be kept out of bright sunlight. It is
normal, however, for the head leader to become rather dark. The black leader is simply camera fi lm
that has been exposed to its maximum density (d-max) and processed to form a very opaque black
leader.
Leaders
To prevent problems later, build proper head and tail leaders for your rolls before assembling the
shots into rolls.
For work print, the proper head leaders can be built by following this workfl ow:
Splice 18 feet of white leader to the head of a positive SMPTE Universal head leader.
Place the Picture Start frame (frame before the fi rst 8 frame) in the synchronizer and zero the
counter.
Back out to exactly 12 feet, 0 frames.
Mark an X through this frame and label it Edit Sync. Punch a hole though the center of this
frame.
Roll back 6 more feet to the beginning of the leader. Label the leader with the title of the project
and the production company. Indicate that this is the work print and head.
Wind into the Edit Sync mark and reset the counter to 0 feet, 0 frames.
Wind forward to 47 frames past the 2 on the countdown leader. This should be 16 feet, 31 frames.
The fi rst frame of picture will be 16 feet 32 frames. Mark and cut this frame line.
You can now start building the work print roll by tape splicing each shot in proper order into the
roll.
At the end of work print roll, splice on the tail portion of the SMPTE leader. There should be 87
blank frames between the last frame of your fi lm and the frame marked “Finish” in the SMPTE
leader. To build the tail leader,
Splice 16 feet of white leader to the SMPTE leader.
Put the “Finish” frame in your synchronizer at 0. Roll forward 12 feet and mark this frame with
an X. Label this frame “Tail Edit Sync.”
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