Australian
Screen

an NFSA website

Commonwealth Film Laboratories (c.1928)

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Film processing and printing

This clip chosen to be G

Clip description

A man places a rack of 35mm film on a stand to be sprayed in the developing process. It is then removed and immersed in a tank to be washed. The man removes the film from the rack by winding it onto a reel. The reel is taken to a winding bench where it is cut together by a negative cutter. He ticks off the segment instructions. The edited negative is handed over to another man who threads the roll of film through a step printer.

Curator’s notes

by Poppy De Souza

The intertitle ‘reel speed for a real cause’ could be a reference either to the timely processing of newsreel items, or a more general reference to the quality of the laboratory’s services. By the early 1930s, Commonwealth Film Laboratories had installed a continuous processor to print Paramount, Fox and MGM features from imported negatives. A well-placed dissolve and a tightly-edited sequence which shows each step of the process conveys the speed and efficiency with which the Laboratories carry out their work. Commonwealth Film Laboratories, as well as processing feature films, also produced many local documentaries and features throughout the 1930s and 1940s. This footage is the only moving image record held in the National Film and Sound Archive collection which shows the inner workings and technical capacity of the company.

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australianscreen is produced by the National Film and Sound Archive. By using the website you agree to comply with the terms and conditions described elsewhere on this site. The NFSA may amend the 'Conditions of Use’ from time to time without notice.

All materials on the site, including but not limited to text, video clips, audio clips, designs, logos, illustrations and still images, are protected by the Copyright Laws of Australia and international conventions.

When you access australianscreen you agree that:

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  • You may embed the clip for non-commercial educational purposes including for use on a school intranet site or a school resource catalogue.
  • The National Film and Sound Archive’s permission must be sought to amend any information in the materials, unless otherwise stated in notices throughout the Site.

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ANY UNAUTHORISED USE OF MATERIAL ON THIS SITE MAY RESULT IN CIVIL AND CRIMINAL LIABILITY.

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