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Barrandov Laboratories Breaks Record

BARRANDOV'S FILM LABORATORIES TO PROCESS MOST COLOR NEGATIVES IN THE DIVISION'S HISTORY

The quantity of color negatives processed by the Barrandov Studios Film Laboratories Division this year is breaking records. Thanks to investments made during the recent few years, the film laboratories are processing more color negatives than ever processed before over the course of the seventy-five years that Barrandov has been providing this service. There will be approximately 2.7 million meters of color negatives processed this year, which reflects an increase of more than one-fifth (21.6%) as compared to last year. During preceding years, an average of 2.1 million meters of color negatives was processed at Barrandov on a yearly basis.

“This year, record results were achieved numerous times, thus exceeding the amount of film processed by Barrandov’s laboratories over the course of this division’s entire existence since 1932. The first record was achieved in May, when 364 thousand meters of color negatives were processed. Even this record was broken in August, at which time 392 thousand meters of color negative film were processed,” according to Ales Bosticka, the Film Laboratories Division Director.

The Film Laboratories’ record results were influenced primarily by investments made in new equipment, which, going back to 2002, exceed the 60 million crown mark. “These investments have allowed us to significantly increase our capacity, thus, on September 5, we even attained a daily record when we processed 28 thousand meters of negatives. For the sake of comparison, the average Czech feature film uses approximately 25 to 30 thousand meters of negatives for shooting,” adds the division’s director.

In addition to these investments in technical equipment, Barrandov Studios opened a modernized screening room this March. With its equipment and the technology it uses, it is one of the best in the Czech Republic. The total investment in the updates and construction modifications made to the Barrandov Studios Film Laboratories Division screening room amounted to almost eight million crowns. “We are the only ones in the Czech Republic who are able to objectively control the quality of both image and sound. This screening room provides true sample referential projection in the Czech Republic, as it allows for color and image density to be evaluated, including synchronization and sound quality. It is equipped with leading-edge world technology and, with its representative areas, corresponds to the requirements for controlling film quality that the world has at the start of the twenty-first century,” specifies Ales Bosticka. He adds that, in August, world-renowned American director Wes Anderson took advantage of the screening room to check his new film – “The Darjeeling Limited”.

Barrandov Studios Film Laboratories offer a wide range of services to their customers – ranging from developing and processing both black and white as well as color dailies in 16 and 35 millimeter formats; through film transfers to different formats and on different media, optical and copy effects, and editing negatives; and ending with the production of distribution copies. Additional activities tie onto these services, such as creating subtitles using laser technology, ensuring logistics services for film distributors, and numerous others – such as the regeneration of archival footage and damaged films.