Techniscope

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A Techniscope camera film frame.
A Techniscope camera film frame.

Techniscope or 2-Perf is a 35mm motion picture camera film format introduced by Technicolor Italia in 1963.[1] The Techniscope format uses a two film-perforation negative pulldown per frame, instead of the standard four-perforation frame usually exposed in 35mm film photography. Techniscope's 2.33:1 aspect ratio is easily cropped to the 2.35:1 widescreen ratio,[2] because it uses half the amount of 35mm film stock and standard spherical lenses. Thus, Techniscope release prints are made by anamorphosizing and enlarging each frame by a factor of two.

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[edit] Techniscope vs. anamorphic: advantages and disadvantages

Techniscope's advantages over anamorphic CinemaScope are:

  • More economical: half the film stock used in 4-perforation frame cinematography; half the stock, same running time, less negative to develop.
  • Cinematography requires simpler, but technically superior, spherical lenses.
  • Film stock loads last twice as long; 2-perf stock shoots at 45fpm (24fps), while 4-perf stock shoots at 90fpm.

Techniscope's disadvantages against CinemaScope:

  • The narrower film's enlarged-frame, 35mm print image is grainier; although, some cineastes sought this visual feel for the story; e.g. westerns so photographed appear unpolished, older, thereby enhancing the period setting's verisimilitude. (Note: As of 2007 it is common to digitally scan the 2 perf film negative in an 2 perf-enabled telecine suite in 2k , 4k and soon in 6k resolutions. This process -called Digital Intermediate (DI) and available since 2004 for most film formats, although still expensive- when used with 2 perf 35 mm film prevents the optical blow-up artifacts (grain, loss of resolution) listed above and below. So technically, this is no longer a 2 perf film disadvantage if the material is DI'd properly. Output to film is done with a film laser printer, such as the Arrilaser printer, after color correction, editing and special efx are added digitally. Read below.
  • Two-perforation cameras and telecine installations are rare. (Note: As of early 2008 Aaton is coming out with their newly-designed 2 perf-native (3 perf user-switchable) Penelope camera. Konvas cameras have been available in 2 perf for a while, and Arri is making 2 perf gates for their Arricams soon, available only through the rental dealers though. And more and more telecine suites have 2 perf gates for their film scanners.
  • The narrower frame line (between frames) emphasises imperfections (i.e. hairs in the gate, lens flares).
  • Enlarging and anamorphosizing the image to 35mm release print size requires an extra optical development step, reduces the image's sharpness, and is an additional production cost. (read above and below)

Note: When transferring a Techniscope film to a digital video format, the 2-perf negative or 2-perf interpositive A/B rolls can be used, bypassing any blown-up 4-perf element. Many DVD editions have been transferred this way and the results have frequently been stunning, ie. Blue Underground's, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage and MGM's special editions of Sergio Leone's Westerns.

[edit] Specifications

  • Film: 35mm film running vertically using two perforations per frame, running at 24 frames per second.
  • Film area: .868" (22 mm) x .373" (9.47 mm)
  • Film aspect ratio: 2.33:1
  • Print aspect ratio 2.35:1 (2.39:1 after 1970 SMPTE revision)

[edit] Techniscope's commercial revival

In 1999, in Australia, MovieLab film laboratory owner Kelvin Crumplin revived the Techniscope format renamed as MultiVision 235, attempting to commercialise it as a cinematography format alternative to the Super 16mm format. His proposition was that it yielded a 35mm-quality image (from which could be derived natural 2.35:1 and 1.85:1 aspect ratio images) for the same cost as Super 16mm cinematography.

Mr Crumplin established MovieLab to provide telecine and film processing and printing services, and, with engineer Bruce McNaughton of The Aranda Group, Victoria, Australia, engineered and produced Arriflex BL1 and Arriflex IIC 35mm cameras for the Techniscope 2-perf format.[3]

Aaton, Panavision, and Arriflex have modern 2-perf cameras either available now or soon to be released (12/2007). Aranda in Australia is also currently converting older cameras like Arriflex 2A/B/C's.

[edit] Techniscope-photographed films: a partial list

During its primary reign, 1960–1980, more than 350 films were photographed in Techniscope;[3] The Pharoah's Woman (released 10 December 1960) was the first.[4] Given its considerable production cost economy, but lesser image quality, Techniscope was primarily an alternative format used by low-budget cineastes, mainly in the horror and western genres. Since it originated in Italy, most Techniscope format films were Italian, generally European. In the U.S., Techniscope, again, was mainly the format of low-budget studios, e.g. New World Pictures, yet Universal Studios briefly used it in the mid- to late 1960s.

Apropos diminished image quality, film reviewer Roger Ebert wrote about the film Counterpoint (1968): "The movie is shot in Techniscope, a process designed to give a wide-screen picture while saving film and avoiding payment of royalties to the patented processes like Panavision. In this film, as in The Secret War of Harry Frigg, Techniscope causes washed-out color and a loss of detail. Universal shouldn't be so cheap."[5]

Some Techniscope films:

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Konigsberg, Ira (1987). The Complete Film Dictionary Meridian / NAL Books p.372. ISBN 0-452-00980-4
  2. ^ NOTE: In 1970, the SMPTE revised the 2.35:1 aspect ratio to 2.39:1 (now known as 2.40:1), however, before standardization, most Techniscope films were photographed and released in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio
  3. ^ a b Holben, Jay & Bankston, Douglas (February 2000). "Inventive New Options for Film" American Cinematographer Magazine Vol. 81, No. 2, pp.96-107.
  4. ^ The Pharoah's Woman at the Internet Movie Database—retrieved 2007-03-19
  5. ^ Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times review for Counterpoint

[edit] External links

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