WO1990015361A1

WO1990015361A1 - Control code for cinematic films

Info

Publication number: WO1990015361A1
Application number: PCT/DK1990/000139
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ole Sparkjaer
Original assignee: Ole Sparkjaer
Priority date: 1989-06-06
Filing date: 1990-06-06
Publication date: 1990-12-13
Also published as: EP0477255A1; DK274789A; DK274789D0; DK164611C; DK164611B; AU5849690A

Abstract

By means of a control code for a cinematic film or a similar medium suitable for reproduction where by optical, magnetic, mechanical or a similar marking the control code is present in digital, analogue or similar form it is proposed to locate the control code associated with the film sequentially between the perforations, and to allow the code for an individual event to spread across several perforations at an arbitrary interspacing.

Description

CONTROL CODE FOR CINEMATIC FILMS.

The invention refers to a control code for cinematic films or a medium suitable for a similar reproduction with at least two rows of perforations and one sound track to control a subtitling machine with the associated texts where in the form of optical, magnetic, mechanical, or similar marking the code is present in a digital, analogue or similar form.

From US Letters Patent No. 4,385,814 it is a known fea¬ ture to furnish cinematic films with a control code facilita¬ ting the control of various items of equipment and accesso- ries available in a cinema, such as volume control of various sound channels.

In order to show cinematic films within the Danish and similar small language areas the dialogue has to be transla¬ ted and the film subtitled. This is implemented by importing a copy of the foreign language film after which the transla¬ tion is produced. After editing as needed these subtitles ha¬ ve to be transferred to the film. This is done by producing the subtitles in a matrix in a form similar to typesetting, which is subsequently embossed into the film itself in the actual frames, the emulsion of the film thus being removed where the letters are. This complicated procedure is of cour¬ se cost-intensive and slow and has as a result that after the showing in the small language area involved the film cannot be used in other language areas. Furthermore, in the event of poor-quality films the letters near the edges of the film of¬ ten get blurred, because low-quality films are often arched in the longitudinal direction of the film. These drawbacks have, in addition to the financial aspects also cultural as¬ pects inasmuch as films of a high artistic quality but, ex- pectedly, with a small audience are kept out of e.g. the Da¬ nish market due to the high costs foreseen.

It is a well-known thing in connection with for instance a television reproduction to display a subtitle sequentially on a television screen simultaneously with the showing of a telecast programme. Such sequential displaying of the subtit- les is possible only at the moment of showing where of course the cuttings of the film or telecast programme may be taken into consideration. This is impossible in the case of films being distributed via letting out, because now and again cer- tain sections of the film have to be cut away due to wear or other damage. In a sequential representation of the subtitles this would cause an accumulated error in the representation and soon make any subtitles either meaningless or at best unintentionally funny. From US Letters Patent No. 1,205,427 which was filed in 1915 in the days of the silent films a device is known for the synchronization of a text reproduction device with a ci¬ nematic film in which means for the control of the text re¬ production device are applied to the cinematic film. These means are applied to the centre of the film in the form of contact points between the individual frames where the func¬ tion of the contact points is to create electrical contact between two metal rollers which are part of an electrical drive circuit of a solenoid. However, this device does not afford the possibility of a showing of the subtitles indepen¬ dently of the cutting as the contact points only provide a control corresponding to the above-mentioned sequential sho¬ wing of subtitles in telecast programmes.

From US Letters Patent No. 4,673,266 it is also known to synchronize a text reproduction device with a cinematic film which also has a code applied for the control of the text re¬ production device. The code used is a bar code which is posi¬ tioned exactly where the sound track is normally located in a standard cinematic film. This would entail that the film could not be shown in normal projection equipment, and this would mean that a film coded in this manner could not get the distribution aimed for. In another design it is shown that the bar code is located between the perforations of a 16 mm film with only one row of perforations. Here the distance between the perforation is sufficient to provide space for a short bar code between them. Such a distance does not exist in 35 mm or 70 mm films where the perforation distance is too small to accommodate an actual bar code in such a position. However, in both 35 mm and 70 mm films two rows of perfora- tions are always used.

The inventor has therefore with a view to making it eco¬ nomically feasible to show ordinary cinematic films, within small language areas set himself the task to create a low- cost and quick control type of a high quality for the control of text reproduction devices for ordinary cinematic films in the ordinary existing formats without loss of sound track and in such a manner that the subtitles will be reproduced cor¬ rectly even if parts of the film have been cut away and, furthermore, enabling the film with the control code to be used within other language areas.

According to the invention this task is solved by pla¬ cing the code associated with the film sequentially between the perforations, and by allowing the code for each individu¬ al event to go across several perforations at a random inter- spacing within the same picture area.

With the control code according to the invention a reli¬ able coding of cinematic films is attainable without deterio¬ ration of the sound track. At the same time it is assured that the film is not damaged by an abnormally high mechanical load. With the control code according to the invention an unambiguous connection is provided between the speech in the sound track of ordinary cinematic films and the subtitles re¬ produced as the control code automatically assures that the subtitles matching the control code and the sound picture is always being reproduced at the correct control point in rela¬ tion to the picture shown. Even in cases when a cutting may take place straight through the code corresponding to an event, the cut-away code can be easily reestablished across the cut. It follows that the subtitles are always reproduced correctly even if one or more frames have been cut away. It is an added advantage of the control code that one and the same code may be used everywhere within many language areas and, consequently, films may be reused several times without deterioration of the quality of the pictures. This implies that the control code has to be applied once only, meaning that only translation of subtitles and typesetting have to be done within other language areas.

With a view to avoiding wear and tear of the perfora¬ tions the control code, in an appropriate design, has been placed at the side edge or the trailing edge of a perforation hole when seen in the direction of_^ the travel of the film as the bits of the control code may exist as recesses in the si¬ de or trailing edges of the perforations, e.g. by having semi-circular recesses with a diameter matching the width of the perforation. The reason for this placement is that the film transport devices, grip the film at the leading edges of the perforations to move the film forward. It is only the fi¬ nal sprocket wheel which pulls the film at the trailing edge as in order to assure a suitably tight rewinding the rewin- ding spool must necessarily exert a certain pull on the film. To counteract an excessively high wear on the trailing edges of the per orations, recesses have not been made in every perforation, but are interspaced by intact perforations. In an especially appropriate design the recesses are made in every fourth perforation corresponding to one recess per fra¬ me of a 35 mm film. 70 mm films have five perforations per frame and, consequently, a bit may be placed in every fifth perforation hole. Even if the control code is extended to include several frames there will be no problem of inputting the time code quickly as, e.g. twelve, thirteen or fourteen bits will be input within 60 c/s at normal film transport ti¬ me which is fast enough for the subtitling of even very fast speech. To assure control code reliability the code may be pla¬ ced in either row of perforation or in both. Thereby suffici¬ ent redundancy is obtained to assure against drop-out, or the control code might be placed with bits alternating in each row of perforation.

In an especially appropriate design of the control code, which later can be edited, if a cut has been made through the control code belonging to a defined event, it is suggested that the control code is made by blacking/not-blacking of the film strip between and on the exterior side around the per¬ forations. In that way it is ensured that the control code in no way can interfere with the transport of the film. Simulta¬ neously, the possibility is provided for, that the code be- longing to a single event can be arranged between each perforation, which will reduce the possibility for cutting through a control code.

The control code according to the invention is explained in the following by means of an example of performance with is shown in the drawing. The drawing shows:

A section of an ordinary 35 mm cinematic film.

The drawing shows a section of an ordinary 35 mm cinema- tic film 1 provided with two rows of perforations 2a and 2b and picture areas 3. Between the picture areas and one of the perforations 2a space has been reserved for one or more sound tracks 4 where the sound is present in either stereo or doub¬ led mono reproduction. In the performance example shown here every fourth perforation hole 2a has a die-cut semi-circular recess 5 indicating that the bit in question has been set.

In an especially appropriate design of the control code according to the invention the control code is made by black¬ ing/not-blacking of the film strip between and on the exteri- or side around the perforations 2a, 2b. This allows for, that the control code is arranged between each single hole 2a, 2b in the perforation, so as to be able to read the control code in the course of very few picture frames, ie less than 16 cS. Furthermore, the individual bits of the control code may be located alteraatingly in both rows of perforation 2a, 2b.

It is a common feature of the designs that the control code according to the invention may be scanned without major modification of conventional cinema machinery. This will en¬ tail that the control code will very soon be able to win ac- ceptance as its exploitation does not depend upon the repla¬ cement rate of old cinema machines. Furthermore, the control code according to the invention will in no way influence the showing of coded films in ordinary cinema machines as the areas between the perforations are not used by the conventio- nal cinema machines.

As compared with the known technology which cannot be used in connection with ordinary cinematic films, the control code according to the invention has the further cultural as¬ pect that films of a high artistic value will more easily, sooner and with less costs be made available to small langua¬ ge areas - and thus to a wider audience which as a consequen¬ ce may enjoy films of a high artistic value.

The control code according to the invention is also sui¬ table for the showing of cinema films on giant screens via tele projection where the subtitle reproduction device con¬ trolled by the control code is then superimposing the text into the output signal.

By central showing of cinematic films this makes it pos¬ sible to make do with one subtitle reproduction device which further reduces the costs of showing films.

Claims

P A T E N T C L A I M S

1. Control code, on a cinematic film or a similar medium suitable for reproduction with at least two rows of perfora¬ tions and a sound track, controlling a subtitling machine with associated texts where the code by optical, magnetic, analogue or similar marking is present in digital, analogue or similar form c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n t h a t the code associated with the film is placed sequentially between the perforations, and in that the code for an individual event may spread across several perforations at an arbitrary interspacing within the same picture area.

2. Control code according to Claim 1 c h a r a c t e r i ¬ z e d i n t h a t a bit associated with the control code is placed at the side or trailing edge of a perforation hole as seen in the direction of the travel of the film.

3. Control code according to Claims l and 2 c h a r a c ¬ t e r! z e d i n t h a t the bits of the control code ap¬ pear as recesses at the edge of the perforations.

4. Control code according to each and every of the forego¬ ing claims c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n t h a t the re- cess has a semi-circular shape with a diameter matching the width of the perforation.

5. Control code according to each and every of the forego¬ ing claims c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n t h a t the re¬ cess is located corresponding to one recess per frame.

6. Control code according to each and every of the forego¬ ing claims c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n t h a t the con¬ trol code is located in the film in an arbitrary row of per¬ forations or in both.

7. Control code according to Claims l or 2 c h a r a c - t e r i z e d i n t h a t the control code is made by blacking/not__blacking of the film strip between and on the exterior side around the perforations.

8. Control code according to Claims 1 and/or 7 c h a r a c- t e ri z e d i n t h a t the code belonging to a single event is arranged between each perforation.

9. Control code according to Claims 1, 7 and 8 c h a r a c- t e ri z e d i n t h a t the control code is located in the film in an arbitrary row of perforations or in both.