Explanation : 'Reel Reviews' document the information and features found in 35mm movie prints. team negative1 focuses on the 'Star Wars' films.

Purpose : To better understand film history through the documentation and investigation of the codes and other aspects of a film print contained outside the projection image. To better understand the work which went into the creation of the 'Star Wars' films. To document the variations between Reels to better understand the development of these films. To learn what changes occurred to specific shots and when those changes occurred as home video versions may not have fully documented the evolution of the 'Star Wars' films. To get to know film better.

Current Output : Reel Review 0001 thru 0006 videos document the codes and features found in a 1983 35mm LPP Dolby Stereo Spanish Language print of the movie 'Star Wars'. The film print has been spliced to replace the opening crawl with an earlier print and the Han Solo/Greedo sequence has been replaced with an earlier English language audio piece of film. Reel Reviews 0001 thru 0006 provide an initial baseline for the codes and features of the entire movie which will then be compared to future Reel Reviews or pieces of film you might have access to, to document and understand where and why the film changed.

Process : The :F:D: visually inspected the reel using a hand crank set up. The observed data was inputted into a spreadsheet, which permitted the data to be overlaid onto a re-filmed version of the print. An example frame can be seen to the right. (additional explanation of the coding will be explained in detail below) We hope that interested people will help us verify and interpret the data, which we'll then include in future updates.

Thank You : A list of the entities or people involved in the original Reel creation and later preservation generations.

• The Star Wars Corporation, Inc. : A company set up by Lucasfilm Ltd, LLC to expand the influence of the 'Star Wars' film beyond the movies. (In future versions of the Reel Review process this company name might be revised as this corporation was more involved the non-film side. Still they are very important for at least my appreciation of the film as i'm definitely a sucker for 3 3/4"s.)
• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation : The film company which helped fund the creation and distribute the 'Star Wars' movie.
• Eastman Kodak Company : The company which produced the film which the movie was developed on.
• Lucasfilm Ltd, LLC : The company started by George Lucas which created the 'Star Wars' movie.
• Movie Theaters and Projectionists : To those individuals who projected these film reels in the theaters.
• Film Archivists and Preservationists : To those individuals who saved and kept these reels over the years.
• team negative1 : To the individuals who make up this group of film people who feel it is now their prerogative to help save film as they have witnessed the loss of real film or the understanding of the production of film works.
• :F:L:I:M:S:I:P:L:A:S:T: :D:A:T:A:B:A:S:E: : To those individuals who take part in expanding out understanding of the previous generations content.

Note : This document is produced by an amateur lucky enough to be haphazardly educated by others who took the time to make me better informed. I’m learning as I go along and do not have any training in the field. I've enjoyed a film and was curious how it was put together and why it was put together in the manner I saw it evolve over time. Corrections welcomed. Upon receiving the prints, I dived in writing down whatever features I saw; without taking the time better understand the process and what I should expect to observe. So this a little scatterbrained, apologies.

Inspirational Quote : "That's what really scared me, the day George told me that in twenty years or so they won't be able to make movies like these. Rather than advancing, people are dying off and not telling their secrets. Well I was depressed for the rest of the day."
- Mark Hamill at "MidAmeriCon (1976) Worldcon - Star Wars Q&A"
Watch Quote at https://youtu.be/gmhjvkj8_aw?t=805 (Clip includes run up to quote: ~2 min.)

Reel Review Naming Convention : Below is the naming convention used in the Reel Review process.
At the right is a list of Reel Reviews which have been completed.

Reel Review : 0000 (Identification Number)

Print Identification Number : Film Title

Reel Review 0001 leader codes: First Set

• DEL 180615 : Believe this number is the Lucasfilm conformed negative which EASTMAN would have used to produce this reel duplication for theaters. As leaders have splices, cannot confirm this is the original leader which went with this reel. Have seen some leaders where this value is crossed out and a later number written next to it, signifying that a change was made to the reel. Not certain what 'DEL' means.
• CRI 1 : This may stand for "Color Reversal Intermediate" (Refer to Paul Ivester's Filmstock Guide).
• DOMESTIC CRI #1 : Domestic would mean that this was the leader for a print for U.S. audiences and since this is a Spanish Language print this is probably not the original leader. Per Paul Ivester's Filmstock Guide, the Color Reversal Intermediate is Quote: "a special film stock used for making internegatives. The purpose of this was to avoid the extra step of making an interpositive, so that an internegative could be made directly from the camera negative." But since only two sections of the movie would need to be replaced maybe it was easiest to use the Domestic and replace the Crawl and later Greedo subtitled shots/segments. Per Kodak.com In 1968 Quote: "EASTMAN Color Reversal Intermediate film, 7/5249. For a one step color duplicate of the original. Process CRI-1. -- Awarded Oscar® -- (41st Academy Year) Class I. Scientific or Technical Award"
• STAR WARS R-1 : The film title and Reel Number.

• "A" ROLL (crossed out) :
• R-1A ('A' is crossed out) : Would make if this stands for Reel '1A'. In the production process the full theater projected reels were known to be divided into smaller reels. These smaller reels can be seen in the documentation of the John Williams scores. Each theater reel would be in two halves.
• STAR WARS : Film title
• ILM : Industrial Light and Magic the company behind the special effects of the Star Wars films but might also be the company responsible or the contact name for the conformed negative.
• DEL 180437 (crossed out) : This might be the Print Identification Number for the original Star Wars negative for the original theatrical run of May 25th 1977. How were these 'DEL numbers' distributed? Were they coded internally at the film development companies?

Note : These exact codes can be found on 16mm prints of 'Star Wars'. Star Wars 16mm English (PuggoGrande) Leader More on the Leaders of the 'Star Wars' films can be found at the following OriginalTrilogy.com thread Credits & Leaders Thread Additional information on Leaders https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=7264029

Reel Review 0003 & 0004 Leader codes

• DOM CRI #2 Reel 3 of the Spanish LPP has the leader for a Domestic CRI #2. This brings into the picture if the CRI had a shelf life, would after a certain number of duplications would the CRI loose quality? Or was the negative changed which required a different CRI to be produced?
• DEL 180615 & (crossed out) DEL 180437 : The Reel 4 also shows the two sets of DEL values which match the earlier reel's values.
• STAR WARS DOM. CRI #2 : Reel 4 also had the leader for a Domestic 'Star Wars' CRI #2.
• R-4A ('A' crossed out) STAR WARS TCF DEL 180615 (crossed out) : Interesting that this R-4A (half reel associated with soundtrack production) has the DEL 180615 value assocaited with it. 'TCF' might stand for 'Twentieth Century Fox'.

Year Produced : Film Type : Sound Type : Language

Spreadsheet Document

Miscellaneous

Characteristics of the Reviewed Film Reels

1. Projected Visible Frame / Visible Frame
2. Frame Border Types
3. Soundtrack
4. Sprocket Rows (Perfs or Perforations)
5. Edge (Beyond) Sprocket Areas
6. Edit Types
7. Other Markers, Elements, Codes or Features
8. Handwritten Elements

1. Projected Visible Frame / Visible Frame

1B. Visible Frame : The complete extents of the Original Camera Negative which captured an image when shot on set or as the plate for a special effects shot.

2. Frame Border Types

1. Frame Border - Consistent Three Sides
2. Frame Border - Unique Top/Bottom of Frame
3. Frame Border - Unique Right of Frame (Top)
4. Frame Border - Unique Left of Frame (Bottom)
5. Frame Curve Type
6. Other Atypicals

2A.1. Frame Border - Consistent Three Sides : Black : A thin black edge separates the visible frame from the sprocket row. [Refer to Shot RR-0001 0021]

2A.2. Frame Border - Consistent Three Sides : Clear : The frame border between frames matches the clear between sprockets. [Refer to Shot RR-0001 0018]

2B. Frame Border - Unique Top/Bottom of Frame : Description and variations forthcoming

2B.1. Frame Border - Unique Top/Bottom of Frame : Registration Black : Shot 0179 is a special effects shot which has a black registration shift at the bottom of each frame. The special effect was the inclusion of the small Sand Crawler in the distance as C-3po waves to it.

2C. Frame Border - Unique Right of Frame (Top) : Description and variations forthcoming

2D. Frame Border - Unique Left of Frame (Bottom) : Description and variations forthcoming

2E.1. Frame Curve Type - Two Right of Frame (Top) : Only the Right of Frame (Top) corners of the visible frame have curved edges. The Left of Frame (Bottom) set are overwritten by the soundtrack. [Refer to Shot 15]

2E.2. Frame Curve Type - Four (All Corners) : All four corners of the visible frame have curved edges. [Refer to RR-0001 Shot 0020]

2F. Other Atypicals : Description and variations forthcoming

2F.1. Frame Border - Wipes (Wide-Black) : All the wipes have a wide frame border. Possibly because each wipe required multiple passes exposing the same frame for a different element, the borders might allow for less bleeding of the film exposing light.

Note: This category is not fully documented in this initial release. The Right of Frame (Top) is a place which has a greater variation and might be a section which gets broken out as we evaluate these types in future work. For example Shot 0015 has Three Sides Black but then there is a white line with a thin black border. This is a byproduct of the special effects work. Identifying which shots have this common feature could help us understand which ILM team did the work and what type of machine it was accomplished on.

3. Soundtrack

3B. Soundtrack - Dolby Stereo : Description Forthcoming

3C. Soundtrack - Other : Description Forthcoming

3C.1. Soundtrack - Audio Marker Triangle : At several points in the soundtrack after a section of silence, a triangle can be seen over the soundtrack. [Refer to RR-0001 Shot 0001]
If anyone ever heard one channel fade out earlier than the other, here's the reason.

• Start of Soundtrack for the 20th Century Fox Logo
• Start of 'A Long Time Ago' silence
• Start of John Williams score and the Opening Crawl
• Silence after Tusken Raider attacks Luke before Ben shows up

4. Sprocket Rows (Perfs or Perforations)

4B. Sprocket Row shows Negative Sprocket Edge : The sprocket hole of the final print (KS Shape) differs from the negative (BH shape). In some shots when the film is developed the sprocket hole difference leaves a black mark at the Right of Frame (Top) set of sprocket holes. [Refer to RR-0001 Shot 0033]

For more information and a full explanation of 'KS' and 'BH' perforations types visit:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_perforations

5. Edge (Beyond) Sprocket Areas

1. Background Color : Typically a shade of cyan or clear. Refer to examples 4A and 4B.
2. Print Type : Code identifying the type of film stock the film was printed onto.
3. Print Stock : Code identifying the company which produced the film stock.
4. Stock Value : Code identifying the value of the strip of film. Film stock was made in large sheets and cut down, each of those strips would have an identification number, what i'm temporarily calling the Stock Value.
5. Stock Code (Slit Markings) : A Code set only seen on 'EASTMAN' U.S.A. created stock. They might identify the strip of film from the overall sheet similar to the above Stock Value.
6. Manufacturing Location : Code identifying the location in which the film stock was produced, by changing the location of a superscripted dot in the word "S^oAFETY FILM". [Also known as 'Factory ID Code']
7. Edge (Date) Code : Code identifying the year in which the film stock was produced. A series of two or three symbols made up of Circles, Squares, Triangles, 'X's and the Plus sign.
8. Edge Numbers / Frame Identification Codes / KeyKode : Numerical Values which are used to identify any frame in a strip of film.

5A.1. Print Type - LPP : The LPP code is printed every 16 frames and for RR-0001 thru RR-0006 is seen only once as the earlier generations were produced prior to this film stocks creation date. It stands for Lowfade Positive Print and was a film stock created by the Eastman Film Company. This stock was used from 1983 to circa 1993. Also known as 5384/7384. [Refer to RR-0001 Shot 0016]

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_motion_picture_film_stocks
• https://paulivester.com/films/filmstock/guide.htm

5A.2. Print Type - ? : Work on identifying/understanding the earlier generations of print stock used on the 'Star Wars' films.
Per http://web.archive.org/web/20070907134704/http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/support/h1/typesNamesNo.shtml should probably divide this category into A. Camera Film, B. Laboratory Film & C. Print Film. Also learn if special effects work gets divided between one or multiple of the previous three categories.

5B.1. Print Stock - KODAK : Film stock produced by Kodak. [Note : Categorize the font variations.]

5B.2. Print Stock - EASTMAN : Film stock produced by Eastman.

• 5B.2.a. Generation 0 Print Stock Code : Clear easily readable code for the final projection print stock.
• 5B.2.b. Generation -1 Print Stock Code : White fonted print stock code probably part of the interneg/interpos generation.
• 5B.2.c. Generation -2 Print Stock Code : Faded print stock code.
• 5B.2.d. Generation 0 Print Stock Code : Another Generation 0 code but on a different film stock.

5C. Stock Value : Values between 1 and 36 were observed in Reel Reviews 0001 thru 0006. [Refer to 5B. examples]

5D. Stock Code (Slit Markings) : When film is produced it is made in large sheets which are cut down to the different specifications of the end films type: 35mm, 16mm, 8mm, etc. Each strip in that sheet is identified with a code, the Slit Marking. Below is a chart made by Thomas Robinson who worked at the Oregon Historical Society as a volunteer negative cataloger. The codes found in Reel Review 0001 thru 0006 use similar symbols but the combinations differ. [Included with 5B. examples]

Thomas Robinson Slit Markings Chart

• http://web.archive.org/web/20070809163228/http://historicphotoarchive.com/f1/ekcode.html
• http://www.film-tech.com/ubb/f1/t011524.html

5E. Manufacturing Location : Location where Eastman/Kodak film stock was manufactured. In Reel Reviews 0001 thru 0006 codes for the Rochester (U.S.A.) and England locations were observed. Also referred to as "Plant of Origin".

• S^•AFETY : Rochester
• SA^•FETY : Canada
• SAF^•ETY : England
• SAFE^•TY : France
• SAFET^•Y : Australia

Example of multiple stacked codes :

To help determine which sets of edge codes occurred before others looking at stacked/overlapping codes can help. In this case the white codes are over printed with the purple and the black/brown seem to be printed over both. So this probably represents three of the generations which went into this shot. The direct and orientation are clues to the process these codes were printed in. The white and purple being mirrorred might signify they are specific to the interneg/pos step. The white has the ^• between the 'F' and 'E' showing an origin of England and probably means they are the original negative shot on set, while the purple and black/brown codes origin from Rochester, U.S.A. and were done in post production and/or final duplication.

5F. Edge (Date) Code : The year the film stock was manufactured is identified through a series of symbols made up of: Circles, Squares, Triangles, 'X's and Pluses.

FilmForever.org Edge Code Chart

This set of symbols will work ok for the Edge (Date) Codes.
black square for stop (U+23F9) HTML Entity (Decimal) ⏹	black circle for record (U+23FA) HTML Entity (Decimal) ⏺	black up-pointing triangle (U+25B2) HTML Entity (Decimal) ▲
Bold Plus Symbol +	Bold Capital X

These other symbols could be used for the Slit Markings or replacements for Edge (Date) Codes.
black medium square (U+25FC) HTML Entity (Decimal) ◼	black square centred (U+2BC0) HTML Entity (Decimal) ⯀	black medium up-pointing triangle centred (U+2BC5) HTML Entity (Decimal) ⯅
bullet (U+2022) HTML Entity (Named) • HTML Entity (Decimal) •	superscript zero (U+2070) HTML Entity (Decimal) ⁰	subscript zero (U+2080) HTML Entity (Decimal) ₀
HTML Entity (Named) ⊥ HTML Entity (Decimal) ⊥	dentistry symbol light down and horizontal (U+23C9) HTML Entity (Decimal) ⏉	down tack (U+22A4) HTML Entity (Decimal) ⊤
	dentistry symbol light up and horizontal (U+23CA) HTML Entity (Decimal) ⏊	up tack (U+22A5) HTML Entity (Named) ⊥ HTML Entity (Decimal) ⊥
vertical ellipsis (U+22EE) HTML Entity (Decimal) ⋮	braille pattern dots-12 (U+2803) HTML Entity (Decimal) ⠃	braille pattern dots-1 (U+2801) HTML Entity (Decimal) ⠁
braille pattern dots-123 (U+2807) HTML Entity (Decimal) ⠇	braille pattern dots-23 (U+2806) HTML Entity (Decimal) ⠆	braille pattern dots-2 (U+2802) HTML Entity (Decimal) ⠂
vertical line extension (U+23D0) HTML Entity (Decimal) ⏐	vertical line (U+007C) HTML Entity (Decimal) |

5G. Edge Numbers / Frame Identification Codes / KeyKode : Numerical Values which are used to identify any frame in a strip of film. I'm not certain of the appropriate term for these codes, in Reel Reviews 0001 thru 0006 they are identified as 'Correction Code' and 'Footage Tracking'. The codes are a two set grouping which has a two to four digit prefix followed by a numerical value. Making the assumption these are the codes which can be used to track down every specific frame. These would be the codes used by the editor and negative cutter to piece together the Original Camera Negative. Believe these codes are printed onto the film at the Manufacturing plant. With the introduction of computers, KeyKode was developed which used 'Key Number' and 'Footage Number' to speed up the processes of finding clips.
In the Reel Review process we'll document the different code sets for each film manufacturer. The font changes are probably specific to a certain year of manufacturering by a specific company.
Also we will see if we can find archive documents from Lucasfilm or ILM which show any of these specific codes in relation to a specific shot or scene. Special Effects processing 'Log Sheets' have been known to show similar codes.

• ##X ##### : two digits - 'X' - space - five digits
  Values Observed : 14X, 15X, 17X, 19X, 22X, 24X, 29X, 30X, 31X, 33X, 41X, 42X, 43X, 44X, 50X, 51X, 52X, 53X, 54X, 56X
• D##X ##### : 'D' - one or two digits - 'X' - space - five digits
  Values Observed : D2X, D3X, D6X, D25X, D27X, D28X, D29X, D40X, D52X
• F##X ##### : 'F' - one or two digits - 'X' - space - five digits
  Values Observed : F8X, F19X
• H##X ####### : 'H' - one or two digits - 'X' - space - seven digits
  Values Observed : H1X, H2X, H3X, H4X, H5X, H6X, H7X, H8X, H10X, H11X, H55X, H59X, H62X, H63X
• ## S##### : two digits - space - 'S' - five digits
  

6. Edit Types

6A. Edit Type - Clean : An Edit which does not disturb the visible frames fo the shots before and after the edit.

6B. Edit Type - Clean-Clear : Description Forthcoming

6C. Edit Type - Clean-Cut : Description Forthcoming

6D. Edit Type - Clean-Dot : Description Forthcoming

6E. Edit Type - Clean-Wide : Description Forthcoming

6F. Edit Type - Clean-Wide-Black : Description Forthcoming

6G. Edit Type - Cut : An edit which cuts into the bottom of the visible frame.

6H. Edit Type - Cut-Clean-Wide-Black : Description Forthcoming

6I. Edit Type - Cut-Dot : Description Forthcoming

6J. Edit Type - Cut-Dot-Clear : Description Forthcoming

6K. Edit Type - Cut-Dot-Wide : Description Forthcoming

6L. Edit Type - Cut-Dot-Wide-Black : Description Forthcoming

6M. Edit Type - Cut-Dot-Yellow : Description Forthcoming

6N. Edit Type - Cut-Dot-Yellow : Description Forthcoming

6O. Edit Type - Cut-Wide : Description Forthcoming

6P. Edit Type - Cut-Wide-Dot : Description Forthcoming

6Q. Edit Type - Cut-Yellow : Description Forthcoming

6R. Edit Type - Dots : Description Forthcoming

6S. Edit Type - Overlap : Description Forthcoming

6T. Edit Type - Wide : Description Forthcoming

6U. Edit Type - Wide-Black : Description Forthcoming

6V. Edit Type - Wide-Black-Dot : Description Forthcoming

6W. Edit Type - Wide-Dot : Description Forthcoming

6X. Edit Type - Wide-Orange : Description Forthcoming

• Does the edit interrupt the visible frame of either the shot before or after.
• Does the edit change the between frame border type.
• How does the frame border type change: Color, Width, etc.
• The Dot are a linear line near the edit point, my guess is they are a by-product of the splicing equipment. When you push down to cut the film, maybe there was a raised edge on the metal blade which left these marks and depending on how much pressure the negative cut pushed down with the more the dots appear. Will need to cross compare multiple from a reel to see if the pattern stays consistant.
• Who created the Edit. Making the assumption that the original negative of most films is done by one person using one set of equipment. But as 'Star Wars' changed over time, can visible inspection of the edit types inform us if multiple people working in different locations at different times worked on the negative.

Note :

7. Other Markers, Elements, Codes and Features

7A. Reel Cue Marker : At the end of each reel are two sets of four frames with cue marks in the corner to alert the projectionist when to start the motor of the other projector and when to start that next reel to play. The first set is known as the 'motor cue' the second the 'changeover cue'. The example at the right is from the motor cue of Reel 1.

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cue_mark
• http://fd.noneinc.com/Reel_Changes/Reel_Changes.html for pictures of the reel cue markers from the Star Wars films.

7B. 16 Frame Marker : Below the soundtrack every sixteen (16) frames is a marker between the sprockets.

7C. Specialty Marker : In the Left/Bottom beyond sprocket area this marker can be found, an edge print about one frame in length. My guess is they might be a marker used during the negative cutting or editing to assist in the work. For some sections of the film, the markers were found a certain number of frames before the last frame of that shot. Each shot in a sequence would be the same, then a different sequence would have the marker at a different number of frame before the end of the shot. I think I remember a set where they were a certain number of frames after the start of the shot.

7D. "3M" : Found in the leader but only once. Do not know it's significance.

7E. "POS" : This might stand for positive as in interpositive, one of the stages of film duplication.

8. Handwritten Elements

Film Control : The People and Equipment which helped make Star Wars.

American Cinematographer : July 1977 Quote : The department called "Control" has the responsibility of vaulting and routing each piece of film generated for this project. Control catalogues each piece of negative, and print, and their relationship to the 2 to 12 other pieces with which they will be combined in composite. Control has the responsibility of keeping infinitely accurate records and making film elements and information available on a moment's notice, a tremendous task considering the some 3,838 elements required for the 365 projected individual shots.
On the right are pictures from "Film Control" during the production of 'Star Wars'.

The People behind Film Control

Images from J. W. Rinzler's "The Making of Star Wars" book.

https://universostarwars.mforos.com/667501/8912377-anecdotas-the-making-of-sobre-star-wars/?pag=2
Quote : They performed 273,369 optical effects. As soon as the tremendous success of the film was known, several props used in the film disappeared. "When a film becomes successful, any piece of props becomes very valuable and disappears," stresses Mary Lind. "At this point, we all begin to lock each department," he adds. As responsible for "Film Control" Lind had the last mission to find a safe place with the right technology to keep the now incredibly valuable negatives of the film safe and secure. The place chosen by her was the Hollywood Film Company, on Seward Street, with black and white elements stored in chests 203 and 204 and the negatives of the film in 336, when her last mission was completed Mary fled on vacation to Hawaii, went to a taxi that took her straight to the airport, wearing only a bathing suit and sandals.

Editors

This section might be interesting to find stories from the editors about their contribution. For example, remember reading about how the sequencing of the dialog between Ben and Luke in Ben's Hutt was resequenced from the screen play to add urgency to the scene. The scene might have had a few cameras and the Edge Codes might corroborate where the edits moved footage around.

One story corroborated is from Paul Hirsch's book A Long Time Ago in a Cutting Room Far, Far Away he describes (page 113-115) how an error in the reading of the Edge Code led to a missing frame in the final film. Refer to the last example in the Features-001 about the Death Star Explosion.

Equipment

Reel Review - Working Process

Visual Inspection Notes

Spreadsheet Issues

Film Scanning

Spreadsheet Data Overlay