A re-can is a roll of
film stock which was originally opened up from a factory-sealed
can and loaded into a
camera magazine A camera magazine is a light-tight chamber or pair of chambers designed to hold film and move motion picture film stock before and after it has been exposed in the camera. In most movie cameras, the magazine is a removable piece of equipment.
Many s ...
by a
clapper loader
A clapper loader or second assistant camera (2nd AC) is part of a film crew whose main functions are that of loading the raw film stock into camera magazines, operating the clapperboard (slate) at the beginning of each take, marking the actors a ...
, but remained unshot and thus was unloaded back into a
film can unused. A re-can will be placed in a black bag in a film can which is then sealed and identified as a re-can, as well as including the film type, emulsion number, and when it was unloaded. Identification is critical, as there may be no other way to know what exactly is inside the can. Re-cans should be sealed in either white or colored
gaffer tape
Gaffer tape (also known as gaffer's tape, gaff tape or gaffa tape as well as spike tape for narrow, colored gaffer tape) is a heavy cotton cloth pressure-sensitive tape with strong adhesive and tensile properties. It is widely used in theatre, p ...
, depending on what (if any) color scheme is being used to identify film types; in any case, black gaffer tape should not be used, as it is considered the standard tape color used to seal exposed cans. If any of the roll has been shot, it is not considered a re-can, but rather a
short end.
Re-cans are considered distinct from new rolls because they may have been subject to environmental conditions since leaving their originally sealed can and are no longer under factory warranty, and are generally identified distinctly to avoid any confusion in the matter. Assuming proper storage and fast
turnaround time
Turnaround time (TAT) is the amount of time taken to complete a process or fulfill a request. The concept thus overlaps with lead time and can be contrasted with cycle time.
Meaning in computing
In computing, turnaround time is the total time t ...
, they are considered perfectly usable. Older re-cans or ones of uncertain provenance should be
clip tested first to check their condition. Re-cans and short ends are often sold at discounts to lower budget productions by labs, larger production companies, or businesses which specialize in their sale.
Cinematography
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