![Flammable, project with care! -[ HMM ]- | by Carbon Arc](http://live.staticflickr.com/8470/29899202186_c70ce451cd.jpg)
Flammable, project with care! -[ HMM ]-
A 35mm snipe on nitrate film. (The complete snipe, intended to be placed between trailers, announces, "And We Will Also Present On The Same Program...a SECOND HIT PICTURE to Complete a Grand Double Bill...")
Nitrate film, though more translucent than safety film and prized for its crisp, sparkling look, easily burst into flame when ignited and generated its own oxygen in the process of combustion, aiding the spread of flames and making a nitrate fire all but impossible to extinguish; fumes from burning nitrate was also very toxic. Because of the hazard of ignition in the event of a film break or jam, projectors were built with reel magazines, fire trap rollers, enclosed film paths, automatic fire shutters; film reels were stored individually in special cabinets; film was rewound in enclosed rewinders; and projection booths were bunker-like rooms with emergency fire shutters over port windows. Projectionists were highly trained back in the day and knew to immediately shut everything down, release the emergency shutters, and leave the projection booth in the event of a fire, closing the door behind them.
Slow-burning safety film on cellulose triacetate replaced dangerous nitrate in the 1950s, helping pave the way for open long-play film transports which, along with xenon-arc lamps and automation, was a crucial element in the 1970s rise of the multiplex theatre.
A select few institutions — such as the George Eastman Museum in the USA — have the capability to safely screen archival 35mm nitrate prints of pre-1950s movies, following strict protocols to minimize risk. As long as nitrate prints are still in projectable condition, entire film festivals can still be built around this volatile medium.
One last thing: 16mm film, originally considered an amateur format, has always been made of safety stock from day one.
This six-second snipe, nine feet (2.7m) in length, is the only scrap of nitrate film in my possession. It will not be run through a projector.
Flammable, project with care! -[ HMM ]-
A 35mm snipe on nitrate film. (The complete snipe, intended to be placed between trailers, announces, "And We Will Also Present On The Same Program...a SECOND HIT PICTURE to Complete a Grand Double Bill...")
Nitrate film, though more translucent than safety film and prized for its crisp, sparkling look, easily burst into flame when ignited and generated its own oxygen in the process of combustion, aiding the spread of flames and making a nitrate fire all but impossible to extinguish; fumes from burning nitrate was also very toxic. Because of the hazard of ignition in the event of a film break or jam, projectors were built with reel magazines, fire trap rollers, enclosed film paths, automatic fire shutters; film reels were stored individually in special cabinets; film was rewound in enclosed rewinders; and projection booths were bunker-like rooms with emergency fire shutters over port windows. Projectionists were highly trained back in the day and knew to immediately shut everything down, release the emergency shutters, and leave the projection booth in the event of a fire, closing the door behind them.
Slow-burning safety film on cellulose triacetate replaced dangerous nitrate in the 1950s, helping pave the way for open long-play film transports which, along with xenon-arc lamps and automation, was a crucial element in the 1970s rise of the multiplex theatre.
A select few institutions — such as the George Eastman Museum in the USA — have the capability to safely screen archival 35mm nitrate prints of pre-1950s movies, following strict protocols to minimize risk. As long as nitrate prints are still in projectable condition, entire film festivals can still be built around this volatile medium.
One last thing: 16mm film, originally considered an amateur format, has always been made of safety stock from day one.
This six-second snipe, nine feet (2.7m) in length, is the only scrap of nitrate film in my possession. It will not be run through a projector.