What is your most basic minimum grade acceptable print condition in order for you to buy or keep a film in your collection ?
I don't keep or buy badly scratched or badly faded or V.S prints in my collection.
It would have to be an extremely rare print" for me to do so.

Any below par prints are extremely rare copies David, stuff that hardly ever turns up anywhere, Euro horror being a speciality, a lot of
faded prints can be rectified by a light blue & light yellow gel, this ensures flesh tones, green foliage and gives shadow back the blacks.
Light loss is not noticeable. I have seen some advertised where they are really faded light pink, no contrast at all, I would have to really
want a title to put up with that.When I recently had a look, I don't have as many "off colour" as I first thought, but the ones I have were hard won and definitely "keepers".

I agree With you David. I dont buy badly scratched, splicy, VS or badly faded prints. If I get one by mistake, I can always sell it cheap to Vidar.

Obviously we all prefer LPP or equivalent films but I wouldn't part with my Viacom Elvis features or say Marathon Man or Grease just because they are Marketing Prints and contain a degree of fade. I like the films too much.

Also I have some Optical sound prints that have a little fade that equally i wouldn't part with easily as they are titles that cannot be had on 8 in any other way.
Crocodile Dundee, Educating Rita etc etc.

There are many Black and White films I have that aren't brilliant by any means for contrast etc. Films like Way Out West Walton print or A Christmas Carol or Its A Wonderful Life.

These are no better to view in my eyes than say the slightly faded Viacom prints I mention but for different reasons they can be criticized.

The stunning prints such as the Disney Derann type are exceptional rather than the norm I find.
Even the LPP or low fade prints can have bluish hues.

My 600ft print of 'It's In The Air' has a bluish tint, but not all over, this is a Derann print on colour stock.

For me there is a difference between Super 8 and 16mm; all but one of my Super 8 were purchased new, so if I was to add anything I would want it in as new condition; with 16mm features, which were not intended for purchase, then I am happy to settle for copies described as Very Good, which means a few splices or the odd scratch. I wouldn't but a film that was on Eastmancolour, nor would I buy one that has the titles missing. Why anyone would buy a feature with the main title missing I don't know, but they do.

Robert I second you on that. Eastman Stock or No Titles are no go areas for me too.

Ian Partridge films, on his 'Sold' page, had a copy of the 1951 film 'Tom Brown's Schooldays' with main titles missing, yet someone bought it. It's not a great rarity, as Paul Foster currently has a copy. Why someone would buy this in this condition is beyond me.

For me it depends on how much is missing. I have The Hunter, Steve McQueen on 16mm and I assume some minute or so is missing, but still some credits are shown. I can live with it, but do not like it to be incomplete. If the price is right, I'd consider them. Then again, I am a bit nutty and thinks film is great :-) Red prints is also okay, which you all know, it all comes down to price.

It always amazes me how titles etc can be damaged in the first place, its usually down to laziness in not replacing the leader
on the film. I was amazed by a seller on German ebay, he was selling a Bruce Lee film, provided shots of the item described
as "good", the pictures told a different tale, the film started on pictures and had numerous creases, not even an attempt to
splice on a new leader, how it turned out, I have no idea. Auto thread projectors have a lot to answer for, as do some "projectionists".

I wonder how the tails get damaged , sometimes leading to the end titles being cut short. The only time I broke a film was using a manual threader, so I am happy to use an auto threader. No doubt some makes have a better reputation than others.

had delivered this evening, inspected and filmguarded, a 16mm print struck in 1942 of 'land without music' from 1936. print is missing title card, which i knew, but so pleased with condition. no warping, most likely a 35mm reduction. just imagine that ,a print made during the middle of ww2. anyway just viewed it and really happy great contrast.

robert, unprofessionals like us would let the film keep turning and break endtails, saw it at working mens clubs and legions back the 70.s they let the take up keep revolving and revolving until the ultimate happened.

That's another mystery solved, well done Clyde, hadn't thought of that. I used to have a nice print of "Ulysses" with Kirk Douglas minus
all titles, sold it on and replaced it with an IB and LPP combo print that was complete. Also had a nice 'scope print of "Big Jake", that had
the scene of Richard Boone being shot at the climax of the film, missing, how the hell that happened, God alone knows. Scratched prints
could sometimes be salvaged by a wind through 2.22, but the deep gouges like a green scratch are there for good, I think Clyde recommended a chinagraph pencil on the other forum, which shows as a dark mark instead of a bright green scratch. A useful hint indeed.

I have one print dated 1942 and another 1943, I wondered how they had managed to survive all these years.. Clyde, are you interested in trying to restore your print of 'Land without Music'?, I have an oddments reel with the first 15 minutes or so of this film, with titles and the Capital Films logo. I think it was probably made near to yours, I think it has a variable density soundtrack. First time I heard it I was amazed how good optical sound could be.

robert, pm sent

There's a piece of good fortune for Clyde, well done Robert, Clyde can enjoy his film as it was meant to be, sometimes it pays to hang
onto those "oddments", as Robert has shown to our members benefit, don't you just love a happy ending.

I don't think anything should be thrown away, you never know when it might come in useful. Not just that, but I don't like the idea of film being destroyed.

I'll second that Robert, although to be honest, I thought I'd chucked my old GS1200, but it was tucked away in a cardboard box, as when
building was going on, there was a lot of stuff being discarded. On the other forum, a chap wanted advice on how to destroy 8mm film while being projected, you know the type, the pseudo artist wanna be, I had a bloody good row then, but was surprised at how many took his side, I thought anuses only came singly, on that subject I was proved wrong.

I remember that post Hugh; some strange people about. Bloody menaces, like that bloke who turns projectors into table lamps, or wants to buy a 400ft reel as a wall decoration or turn it into a clock, and discard the film that was on the reel. This guy is in his 60s or more. No sense at all; just an eye on money.

I drive my other half mad, why because I'm me, and I say I won't throw that out I might need it someday, only problem is with my memory I can never remember where I put it for that day, so then she has to go through everywhere I may have put it, and then where I might not have put it, then she will turn to me and 8 times out of 10 say 'Oh that, I threw it out ages ago, I didn't think you wanted it', all by this time the drawers are out the cupboards are out in fact everything's out, the air is blue, and so it goes on. Now she has me writing everything down, to remember, the thing is I then lose the note pad and we end up looking for that.

I get more senior moments these days. I put a key to a bookcase in a safe place, then couldn't remember where it was; I couldn't access any of the books for more than a year, I sorted through my drawers several times. The last thing I wanted to do was destroy the oak bookcase my father purchased after the war. Something came into my head telling me to look in a certain place, I did, and there was the key, was I relieved, now I leave it in the bookcase door, no more lost keys.

I have little time for vandals, which is what it is. On the table lamp venture, they are ugly things, who but someone with no taste
would want one of those dust traps as a light source. Better as a projector or even a shelf decoration, my other half puts up with my
stuff more or less permanently in the other room, so she would say she has those "decorations" now. There's another one now selling lengths of 35mm film for decoration, who buys this stuff? Anyway, my view is, we are custodians, whatever we might think otherwise,
of film, after our day, it is someone else's responsibility. I hope it is given the same care that I have tried to give, and not abused or
used as décor. On German ebay about a year ago, someone was selling a couple of black bin bags of s/8 film that had been used as
Christmas decorations!! Strange ideas some folk get. That little film that Mats put up in a different post exemplifies our responsibilities
to film care as a whole.

Yes, I need to look at the rest of that film. I got half way through and the computer shut down, so now I will go and watch the second half.

As for our senior moments boys, we all have 'em, how many times have you went in a room and forgot what it was you went in for,
the answer is very simple, as we are, we are going senile. So as a precaution, send me all your bank details plus passwords etc,
and I'll take care of them for you in case anyone forgets, you will be able to contact me in case of any difficulty, somewhere abroad.