MARCO AND ALBERTO: TO THE RESCUE... OF FILM- COLLECTORS!

Several times before, on this blog, I had the opportunity to refer to Marco Emiliani and Alberto Vangelisti. Marco is the brain behind the development of the ORS chemical substractive system (as profusely described here: CLICK FOR DESCRIPTION    ), which manages to make projectable again film prints that had faded to red. Additionally, Marco offers a service to print in 16 mm small lenghts for completing incomplete sequences in features owned by collectors, for private use at home.

Alberto, in charge of Movie Magnetic, is the laboratory technician applying the ORS system. In addition, Alberto is the person who made possible again, about five years ago, the magnetic coating system (in paste, "slurry" type, as used in the past by Kodak and, until 2013, by Fuji),  in any type of film stock, even polyester !!! This allows, in prints in another language, to synchronize the audio in the desired language and even, in 16 mm,  to listen to same film print in two languages, one in magnetic and the other in optical! I was the first customer of Movie Magnetic,  from the same inception, 5 years ago or so. 

Last month, Alberto did the O.R.S. to my 16mm "Pinocchio" film print, which, sadly,  had faded to red; then, coated it with magnetic paste and, finally, recording the audio from the old 1940 dub (retaining the original optical track in English).  

In the video (recorded with the mobile) above these lines, you can see the 16 mm print of "Pinocchio"  in projection with faded colors, and in the video below the same 16 mm print after chemical treatment ORS (and with magnetic sound too, in Spanish).

Last week Alberto and Marco did something for which I will be eternally grateful. My favorite Walt Disney film is the masterpiece "Snow White", which I am very fortunate to own in all ciné formats: 35mm (LPP), in  a positive made in 1993 from the negatives that Kodak cleaned with the defunct Cineon system to remove scratches and dirty particles that had accumulated over the years. I also have it in Super-8, the extraordinary edition of Derann Films, from the same Cineon negatives. And even an 9,5 mm film print!, in French.

All in all, my favorite print struck of "Snow White"  is the 16 mm one, dubbed by Edmundo Santos with Disney still alive in 1964, dubbing done with the approval of the genius of Marceline. 

Twin track magnetic, and optical track too, thanks to Movie Magnetic, in 16 mm

But my 16 mm film print had a flaw: the credit titles, in Fuji pre LPP, the color had faded. Marco came up with the solution: he made a brand new film struck of the titles for me, with Kodak Low Fade film! 

Now my 16mm positive is perfect from start to the end. In addition, Alberto added a double magnetic track, the main one being half the normal width: this technique, developed under my instructions, allows you to listen to optical sound as well. Now, my film print, uncensored, and with beautiful colours from the start to the end, allows me to listen to the dubbing of Edmundo Santos and, at same time,  the original sound as conceived by Disney. Magnificent. Grazie, Alberto! 

Grazie, Marco! 

Bravo, bravísimo. Grande, Italia!