Understanding Blow Ups and Blow Downs
(sample budget below)

What are Blow Ups and Blow Downs?

Blowing Up refers to the process of optically re-photographing film shot on 16mm or super 16 to 35mm stock.

Blowing Down refers to the process of optically re-photographing film shot on super 16 to 16mm, restoring the space for an optical sound track.

Why would I want to change the format of my film?

Blowing Up: Until very recently, 35mm was the exclusive industry standard. All filmmakers who expected a serious commercial audience would have no choice but to shoot on the expensive and oftentimes constricting 35mm format. In the last ten years, however, another viable choice has emerged for serious filmmakers who do not have Hollywood budgets. Thanks to rapidly developing technologies, the much cheaper and easier to manage S-16 format delivers a comparable image at less than half the price.

Despite the merits of this format, however, there is virtually no major venue where S-16 films can be shown. There are two reasons for this bias against projecting S-16 films. First, 35mm is still so widely used and accepted that most major theaters only have 35mm projectors. Second, S-16 stock does not have a soundtrack, so a separate audio reproducing device is needed to show S-16 films.

For the reasons explained above, all S-16 films looking for wide distribution must be blown up to the 35mm format. If the Blow Up process is done with skill and care, S-16 films can be shown and compete with their much more expensive 35mm counterparts.

Several years ago, Leaving Las Vegas, which was shot on S16, went a long way to challenging the absolute dominance of 35mm. Today, many documentary makers actually prefer S16 to 35mm not just because of cost but because of the fact that S-16 equipment is so much easier to handle and manage than bulky 35mm equipment.

Blowing Down: Filmmakers shooting on S-16 usually expect (or hope) that their final piece will be blown up and shown on 35mm. Oftentimes, however, in order to get funding to make final 35mm prints, a filmmaker will need to showcase the product at festivals or other venues where films find funding. Although these venues invariably showcase 16mm prints, they are almost never receptive to S-16 prints (where's the sound?!). Therefore, the filmmaker will blow-down. In doing so, two important steps are covered. First, a S-16 answer print is created to lock color timing. Second, a S-16 interpositive print is created from which a Blow Down dupe negative can be made and subsequently 16mm sound prints with a 1.66:1 widescreen look. Thus, in blowing down, a major part of the Blow Up process, the S-16 interpositive, is taken care of as well.

How does the process work?

The process is quite simple. We make a S-16 interpositive of your sync cut S-16(or 16mm)A&B rolls(or a direct blow up to 35mm interpositive), and then expose it to dupe neg stock of the format you are blowing up to or down to. From these dupe negatives, we then create a new positive print, either 16mm sound or 35mm sound.

This process of "re-photography" means that the film goes through an extra generation before its final viewing. In years past, quality deterioration from generation to generation was so great that a discerning eye could spot it every time, and less attentive viewers would be at least vaguely aware of something amiss. In the past 10 years, however, Kodak has so improved the quality of the stock used in the intermediate stage and also improved the resolution of the camera stocks and the print stocks, that images lose almost nothing from generation to generation.

Do I lose any image quality when I blow up?

That depends. If you're careful and aware of the fact that you plan to blow up, you won't lose a thing. The process does not cause any significant image deterioration though it does tend to magnify errors or inconsistencies on the part of the camera operator. If you are shooting on film for release on NTSC television, less than perfect focus or exposure might be acceptable. If you plan to blow up from S-16 to 35mm, however, you must shoot with much greater care. If you are beginning a S-16 or 16mm project that you plan (or hope)to blow up in the future, please talk to us before you begin shooting. We'll go over exactly what you need to watch for and save you much heartache in the future. Below is a short list of tips for those who want a flawless Blow Up print:

• Shoot with "prime lenses" and go out of your way to get those of the highest quality.
• Pay extra attention to the sharpness of your focus.
• Make sure your exposure is as dead on as possible.
• Maximize your lighting to minimize grain.

What's it gonna cost me?

BLOW UPS USING SUPER 16 INTERPOSITIVES

The lab post costs for S-16 answer prints through one Blow Up print are as follows, based on a finished show length of 90 minutes with sync cut A&B rolls submitted to us. We've taken this budget through a S-16mm interpositive, which would be the best element for your telecine session. From here, you would make a Blow Up 35mm 5244 dupe neg and 35mm release prints. This budget reflects customer supplying 35mm optical sound tracks. All prices include liquid gate printing at every step.

Subsequent 35mm sound Blow Up prints can now be ordered with the cost being approximately $4,212 each ($3,969 if you order more than one at a time). You now have one composite 35mm print, necessary S-16 intermediate for telecine, and a 5244 35mm dupe neg to make multiple 35mm release prints. Performing the Blow Up between the S-16mm interpositive and the 35mm dupe negative saves money with no compromise in picture quality. The sync A&B S-16 interpositive is the perfect element from which to do the telecine session and create your video master, be it a letterbox or full screen 4:3, or HDCAM 16:9 for hi-def broadcast uplink. Ideally, at this point, after making the S-16 I/P, you can stop spending money and let a distributor pick up the cost of the Blow Up.

BLOW UPS FROM CAMERA NEGATIVE DIRECTLY TO 35MM I/P's

The lab post costs for S-16 answer prints through one Blow Up print are as follows, based on a finished show length of 90 minutes with sync cut A&B rolls submitted to us. We've taken this budget through a 35mm interpositive, which would be a more expensive element for your telecine session than the S-16 interpositive. From here, you would make a contact 35mm 5244 dupe neg and 35mm release prints. This budget reflects customer supplying 35mm optical sound tracks. All prices include liquid gate printing at every step.

Subsequent 35mm sound Blow Up prints can now be ordered with the cost being approximately $4,212 each ($3,969 if you order more than one at a time). You now have one composite 35mm print, necessary 35mm intermediate for telecine, and a 5244 35mm contact dupe neg to make multiple 35mm release prints. The sync A&B 35mm interpositive is the perfect element from which to do the telecine session and create your video master, be it a letterbox or full screen 4:3, or HDCAM 16:9 for hi-def broadcast uplink.

If you come up against a need for one film print with sound for a festival or distributor screening, etc., consider our new product, the Super 16 sound print, or Blow Down. This is described on page two of our price book. Here is a budget for a Blow Down. Note that the line items common to both methods(Blow Up and Blow Down), such as set up, answer prints, and A&B S-16 interpositive, are included in both samples.

Subsequent 16mm sound Blow Down prints can now be ordered with the cost being approximately $1,458 each ($1,425.60 if you order more than one at a time). We strongly urge you to shoot S-16 instead of 16mm because of the flexibility you are afforded in post areas. Primarily, you're getting 21% more real estate for no extra cost. This makes for better Blow Ups and an exact aspect ratio fit for 16:9 television. These budget figures are the same for S-16 or 16mm origination. Note that reels and cases are not included in this budget. Also, please note that this is an estimate. Dissolves and fades, for instance, will alter these final costs, but for budgeting purposes, these numbers are close.

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