Bleach Bypass

[ZaKl]

<p style=”text-align: left;”>Hiya folks, writing a paper on colour in post, anyone know which episodes the bleach bypass performed in 1984 is discussed, or where else to find Roger discussing it?</p>
 

Thanks and all the best!

Topic

[ZaKl]

And does anyone know if it’s only the criterion release that has the full bleach bypassed version of 1984

[Roger Deakins]

The bleach bypass was originally done on all the prints rather than the camera negative. Consequently, as neither Mike nor I were involved in the transfers, none of the previous digital versions of 1984 truly reflected the original. I did oversee the Criterion version so I would say it is more faithful to our original intent.

[ZaKl]

Thanks so much for letting me know, I will check out the Criterion copy! Really appreciate it, made my day 🙂

[dmullenasc]

Usually when a movie used a silver retention process for the release prints, the transfers for home video use the camera negative (or a timed color interpositive made off of the negative) that is “normal” and the look of the silver retention print process is created digitally in the color-correction — mainly by increasing contrast in the shadows, making the blacks deeper, and lowering saturation.

If the skip bleach process had been done to the camera negative, then it would be baked in but some of the effect is a little different than when done to the release print. The silver grains in camera negative are larger than in print stock (since print stock has a very low ISO), and the increase in density from leaving silver in the negative causes the highlights to get hotter rather than the shadows to get darker.

[Stip]

Great insight, thanks!

[DPereira]

Hi Roger,

In the early 80’s, there were 2 movies that blew my 16-17 year old mind in terms of cinematography.  Your work on “1984” and Stephen Goldblatt’s on Tony Scott’s “The Hunger”.

I have been a 16mm film collector for 25 years and recently managed to acquire a 16mm print of “The Hunger” and a 35mm bleach bypass print of “1984”.

I am currently out of the US, but once I return in May, I am going to be in pure bliss watching both these 2 gems projected on film again.  As I only own 16mm projectors, I am going to have to track down a 35mm projector to watch 1984.

Thank you for all the wonderful work you have done and will continue to do.

Best,

Dominic Pereira

[DPereira]

Hi Roger,

Since I am not in the States yet, I might be jumping the gun with thinking the print of 1984 that I acquired is actually from the initial run.

There is a distinct possibility it could be a later reprint struck from the original negative without the bleach-bypass process. Because you applied the “Silver Tint” effect individually to the original 1984 release prints and not the negative, any prints made for later non-original runs lacked this signature look (school rentals, military and hospitals, etc).

With the help of Google AI – this is what has been brought to light –

To determine if I have a “Holy Grail” original or a standard later print, I will have to check these diagnostic markers:

1. Visual Density (D-Max)
Original Silver Tint: The black areas should be “bottomless” and almost metallic or shining when viewed at an angle under light. This is due to the physical silver retained in the emulsion.
Later Prints: If the blacks look like a standard, slightly translucent “film grey” when held up to a bright light, it is a standard print.

2. Color Saturation
Original Silver Tint: The film should look like a “50% black-and-white” image. Colors will be extremely muted and “grubby,” especially the blues and skin tones.
Later Prints: These appear in “natural” or “truer” color, which Deakins has noted looks incorrect compared to the intended dystopian tone.

3. Edge Code Inspection
Look at the rebate area (outside the sprocket holes) for Kodak edge codes:
Year Symbols: For an original 1984 print, look for symbols like a circle and a square (● ■) or a plus and a circle (+ ●).
Stock Type: Original prints often used Eastman LPP (5384)
stock. If the edge code indicates a year significantly later (e.g., the 1990s), it is a reprint from the “natural color” negative.

4. Soundtrack Type
Original 1984 Print: Will almost certainly have a silver (grey/black) analog optical track.
Modern Reprints: Prints made after the late 1990s often transitioned to cyan soundtracks (which look blue/green), which would be a dead giveaway of a later striking.
If your print has “shining” metallic blacks and 1984 edge codes, you have the original chemical vision. If it looks like a standard color film, it was likely struck for a later revival or international distribution after the specialized lab work at Kays Laboratory was no longer being commissioned.

[DPereira]

Some interesting info from google.

It sounds like a tall tale, but the physics of silver retention made it a terrifying reality for projectionists in 1984.
When Roger Deakins and the lab at Kays decided to skip the bleach step for the release prints, they effectively turned every frame of film into a heat-absorbing sponge. Here is exactly how those fires happened:
1. The “Black Mirror” Effect
In a standard color print, the metallic silver is bleached away, leaving only transparent cyan, magenta, and yellow dyes. Light and Infrared (IR) heat from the projector’s lamp pass through these dyes easily.
The 1984 Print: Because the metallic silver was left in the emulsion, the dark areas of the frame (which are most of the movie) were opaque and metallic.
The Physics: Instead of the heat passing through the film and out the lens, the silver particles absorbed the IR energy. The film would heat up from room temperature to its melting point in a fraction of a second.
2. The “Oil-Canning” Flashpoint
Before the film actually bursts into flames, it undergoes “oil-canning” or buckling.
The silver-heavy emulsion expands faster than the triacetate base due to the heat.
The frame “pops” toward the lamp, moving out of the cooling airflow and closer to the concentrated focal point of the Xenon bulb.
In 1984, many projectors used 5kW to 7kW lamps for large screens. If the film jammed for even a half-second, the concentrated heat on that silver would hit the ignition temperature of the acetate base (approx. 600°F / 315°C) almost instantly.
3. The “Chimney” Effect in the Booth
Deakins famously recalled that during the first trial screenings, they actually set fire to the projectors.
Because the film was so dense, projectionists naturally tried to crank up the lamp current to make the image visible on screen.
This created a deadly cycle: more light = more heat = more silver absorption.
If the cooling fan wasn’t perfectly aligned, the film would blister, stick to the gate, and the resulting fire would travel up the film strip into the magazine like a fuse.
4. Why it doesn’t happen to B&W film
You might wonder why Black & White film (which also has silver) doesn’t catch fire as often.
B&W Stock: Built on a thicker, often more heat-resistant base, and the silver grain structure is different.
The 1984 Hybrid: This was a color multilayer stock forced to behave like B&W. The combination of dense color dyes plus the metallic silver created a “double-density” barrier that standard cooling systems weren’t designed to handle.

[Roger Deakins]

We only had one ‘flame out’ and that was in testing for projection. As far as I know there were no problems on release. The recent Criterion copy of 1984 is the only one that reflects our intent.

[Author]

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