A film splicer (also called a film joiner, usually in Europe) is a device which can be used to physically join lengths of
photographic film. It is mostly used in
film motion pictures. The units are made in various types depending on the usage:
Single-8
Single-8 is a motion picture film format introduced by Fujifilm of Japan in 1965 as an alternative to the Kodak Super 8 format. The company Konan (that developed the Konan-16 subminiature camera) claims in its history page to have developed the ...
,
Super 8 film
Super 8 mm film is a motion-picture film format released in 1965 by Eastman Kodak as an improvement over the older "Double" or "Regular" 8 mm home movie format.
The film is nominally 8 mm wide, the same as older formatted ...
,
16mm
16 mm film is a historically popular and economical gauge of film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film (about inch); other common film gauges include 8 and 35 mm. It is generally used for non-theatrical (e.g., industrial, ed ...
, 9,5 mm,
35mm and
70mm
70 mm film (or 65 mm film) is a wide high-resolution film gauge for motion picture photography, with a negative area nearly 3.5 times as large as the standard 35 mm motion picture film format. As used in cameras, the film is wi ...
. Used in
film editing to make a
cut (transition)
In the post-production process of film editing and video editing, a cut is an abrupt, but usually trivial film transition from one sequence to another. It is synonymous with the term ''edit'', though "edit" can imply any number of transitions or ...
.
Cement splicers
Cement splicers join films together by using a chemical called
film cement Film cement is a special glue designed to join motion picture film. It is made of film base dissolved in a solvent. Two cut sections of film are spliced together in a film splicer using film cement.
Splices can be made either with a "hot" splicer, ...
which is made of film base dissolved in a solvent. The
photographic emulsion
Photographic emulsion is a light-sensitive colloid used in film-based photography. Most commonly, in silver-gelatin photography, it consists of silver halide crystals dispersed in gelatin. The emulsion is usually coated onto a substrate of glas ...
is removed from the area to be joined and the base of the other end is brought into contact with it.
Film editors use a version with a very small overlaps at the top and bottom of the picture frame to edit film
negatives, although units with a longer overlap are preferred for projection
release print
A release print is a copy of a film that is provided to a movie theater for exhibition.
Definitions
Release prints are not to be confused with other types of prints used in the photochemical post-production process:
* Rush prints, or dailies, ...
s.
These can only be used with
acetate,
triacetate
Cellulose triacetate, (triacetate, CTA or TAC) is a chemical compound produced from cellulose and a source of acetate esters, typically acetic anhydride. Triacetate is commonly used for the creation of fibres and film base. It is chemically si ...
and
nitrate films. Polyester film, such as that used for currently produced prints, will not bond with standard film cement.
Tape splicers
Here a piece of thin transparent adhesive tape is used to join the two ends. The tape may be pre-perforated for the
film perforations
Film perforations, also known as perfs and sprocket holes, are the holes placed in the film stock during manufacturing and used for transporting (by sprockets and claws) and steadying (by pin registration) the film. Films may have different types ...
, or the splicer may make perforations as the splice is made (this type of splicer is sometimes referred to as guillotine splicer).
The Roxy Theater, Film Splicer
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Tape splicers can be used on most types of film. This is the most popular way to join polyester prints in theaters.
Ultrasonic splicers
These splicers use an ultrasonic signal to melt the film together. They are generally used with polyester film, and are used in splicing microfilm
Microforms are scaled-down reproductions of documents, typically either photographic film, films or paper, made for the purposes of transmission, storage, reading, and printing. Microform images are commonly reduced to about 4% or of the origin ...
as the splice will not break down over time as a tape splice might.
Thermal paper splicers
Used in film processing labs to join film into large rolls before processing. These use a plastic coated tab to make the splice. The tab is heated and the plastic melts slightly, bonding to the film. The tabs are often printed with a number or bar code to identify the film after processing.
See also
''Splicing'' is sometimes used to describe the technique of compositing
Compositing is the process or technique of combining visual elements from separate sources into single images, often to create the illusion that all those elements are parts of the same scene. Live action, Live-action shooting for compositing is ...
used in digital film-making which is used to combine visual elements such as actors onto a virtual background.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Film Splicer
Splicer
Film and video technology
Film production