View “The Detectives’ Lab”

Photography by Barbara Tannenbaum
Written by Barbara Tannenbaum

The Steenbeck machine is situated on a rewind bench in the Preservationist Workroom. The staff uses this flatbed console to view and compare two different versions of the same film, searching for whichever footage contains the best visual quality to become source elements.

Blank pieces of leader were attached to each film, to help the original projectionist thread the celluloid. Brown patches indicate nitrate damage.

Since nitrate celluloid is highly flammable, federal safety regulations require workrooms to be built with two exit doors, air filters, sprinkler system, and eye wash stations.

In the Film Inspection Room, Sharol Olson winds a take-up reel by hand, threading a negative reel of celluloid into the Hazeltine. This machine lets her view a positive version of the footage on a small video monitor.

As the color timer, Sharol Olson performs a final check on the film negative, addressing tonal values and finding the sweet spot for the optimal exposure settings when the film segment goes through the printer.

Before moving on to either the optical or contract printer, every reel of celluloid is subjected to a warm, chemical bath to remove dust and debris. This is to make sure that no marks or spots are reintroduced when making a fresh, new print.

Barbara Tannenbaum is a freelance writer based in San Rafael, CA. Her pieces on arts and culture have appeared in the New York Times, San Francisco magazine, the Los Angeles Times, Daily Beast, and Salon.

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