5.11.1 Nitrate Base/Triacetate (Safety) Base (Motion Picture Presentation - theatrical projection)
Description
This article is from the rec.arts.movies.tech FAQ, by Scott E. Norwood snorwood@nyx.nyx.net with numerous contributions by others.
5.11.1 Nitrate Base/Triacetate (Safety) Base (Motion Picture Presentation - theatrical projection)
Early motion pictures were all shot and printed on nitrate-base film.
This became extremely flammable as it aged, and thus unsuitable for
use in non-fireproofed environments (such as homes and schools). Thus,
`safety film' was invented, which had a biacetate (later, triacetate),
or similar, base. This was initially used for 16mm films (which were
never manufactured on nitrate [except in Russia, for a short time],
due to concerns about home use), and eventually came into use for 35mm
presentation as well. The last nitrate film manufactured by Eastman
Kodak (tm) was delivered in 1953. With the introduction of safety
film, the projection and storage of nitrate films was outlawed or
severely restricted by many communities. As film librarians have
found, nitrate, being an unstable base by nature, tends to decompose
easily, and many old nitrate films which have not been re-printed onto
safety film have deteriorated beyond the point of recovery. When
nitrate prints are shown today, it is common to remove a small piece
of head or tail, and light it. The speed at which the film burns can
be used to determine whether or not the film can be run in relative
safety. Kodak (tm) distributes a booklet on "Safe Handling and Storage
of Nitrate Motion Picture Films."
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