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Editors vs. Splicers

Film Editing Equipment
I'm looking to buy some 16mm editing equipment as it seems mush cheaper than renting time at an editing house. But, being rather new to this, I'm not sure exactly what I need. I'm assuming I need a splicer, a viewer, a sync block and a rewind. Is this all? You seem to have a wide range of splicers available; what are the differences? I see you also have a Zeiss Moviscope for sale. Is this just a viewer, or does it an all-in-one type thing? Thanks a lot for your help,
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ECN-II skip bleach
I'm shooting a feature and my DP wants to skip bleach in the negative processing. du art, cfi and the giants don't do it.

Know of a reliable one that does?
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Contributed by Glen Berry

I'm just getting started and I want to know more about editors. What is the difference between film editors and splicers? Can I edit with just a splicer? I need help!

Yes, you can edit with just a splicer. Usually all a splicer does is aligns the sprocket holes on two separate pieces of film and gives you a guillotine to cut the film with. Then you take a piece of clear tape and splice the two pieces of film across the cut, aligned by the sprocket holes in the film. You can make straight cuts this way. Most splicers allow you to do both 8mm, Super8 and 16mm.

You will need to be able to see the film you are working with. Some people look at it against a smoked white glass with a light behind it. An easier way is to have a viewer that displays the film on a small screen. These sometimes come with a pin that is used to mark the film at splice points so you know where you want to cut later.

You will also need a way to move through your film. An editing bench often will have film winds, a hand crank that holds a split reel (a film reel that can be twisted apart). You don't need this but it is highly recommended if you have very much footage.

When we refer to editors, is is usually a device that combines some or all of these features. They generally are not of high of caliber as the individual editing equipment.

If you have sound for your film and want to cut sound and pix at the same time whilst keeping sync, you will need what is called a gang sync and a squawk box. The gang sync has sets of rollers and footage counters that you align for film and mag stock (magnetic sound tape that is sprocketed just like your film) so that they do not lose their association with each other. The squawk box is a small speaker with a magnetic head that you drag the mag stock across so you can hear the sound of the clapper and what take you have.

Berry is the founder of the Northwest Film School and the creator of Film Underground, a popular and successful network of Moviemaking web sites that includes Cyber Film School.

A former member of the Whatcom Film Association Board of Directors, he also has twice served as the director of the Northwest Projections Film Festival. An award-winning filmmaker, Berry specializes in post production and is currently employed as an editor and post production supervisor on professional independent productions. Berry has written for “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Filmmaking,” “MovieMaker Magazine,” Cyberfilmschool.com and Filmfestivals.com. He also has served as an expert source for international newspaper and radio media outlets.

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