Open Call For TOS Film Trims and Restoring Them

Hello, and welcome.

The Mission
The goal for this web page is to create a repository of restored images showing the production aspects of the original Star Trek series. This would include out takes, deleted scenes, close-ups of props, effects scenes and publicity photos.

Why?
The original Star Trek series is 40 years old. It's hard to believe. The television series that has gone where no television series has gone before.

The original negatives of the series are safe and sound in a climate controlled environment deep within a salt mine to insure their longevity. There is however a part of Trek history that is being lost as you read this – a visual record of the behind the scenes aspect of the series.

The Trek Film Clips
Years ago after Star Trek went into syndication a company sold the film clips that the editors had trimmed from the work prints of the episodes. These trims were packaged in categories such as FX, planets, ship shots and the like. Other clips included scenes with studio personnel and special effects shots. My interest is in the production, special effects and behind the scenes clips. From a historical perspective these clips are an excellent source in showing how TOS (The Original Series) was produced. These behind the scenes aspects of the series should be preserved for posterity before they disappear.

Nothing Lasts Forever
To the best of my knowledge there are no negatives kept for these clips. Remember, these were literally considered garbage when cut from the work prints. Unfortunately, the dyes which provide the color for these clips have begun to fade. As the yellow and cyan dyes degrade a magenta cast is left behind. Kodak/Eastman film manufactured prior to 1982 has or will fade. Numerous attempts to restore faded film have failed. Once the film has faded it cannot be reversed. HOWEVER ... Through the use of digital photo manipulation it is possible to regain much of the original color fidelity – if done in a timely manner.

Before & After
The best way to illustrate this is to show you some of my restoration efforts. Below is a typical example of the afore mentioned magenta cast.

Do you know what episode this is from? Probably not, it was a scene filmed but never shown from the 3rd season episode, Elaan of Troyius.

Another example. This clip hasn't succumbed to the magenta tint yet, but it has plenty of has stains and scratches.

This is a behind the scenes special effects shot. The gray circle has the duel purpose of providing an exposure for a spot meter and is also used in color timing. Notice also that the back wall and the interior lights of the model are not lit. The slate, also known as a clapper, with the scene & take information is being photographed before principle photography begins.

This next clip literally had the scene number scratched into the film.

Some of you may own black & White film clips. In the process of shooting films on a day to day basis reviews are done of the previous days' work. These snippets of film which are prepared in such a sequence of events are referred to as dailies or rushes. They are very rough cuts of film without sound tracks or effects of any kind. They are printed in b/w to save costs on color printing and also the process of creating a b/w print is faster than that of color. Dailies are viewed early in the morning by the producer, director, cameraman and crew for the realization of what has thus far been accomplished and what else needs to be done for the completion of a particular scene. Dailies are often referred to as rushes because of the haste with which they are assembled for viewing. In the trek blooper reel there is a shot of Shatner addressing the camera saying, " I want you to know in the rushes that I am doing this shot under protest". (Obviously this scene is in color and with sound because it was saved specifically for the blooper reel.)

More pictures later, but for now some
Frequently Asked Questions

Site Visitor: Who are you?

Curt: My name is Curt McAloney. I'm a film history buff and a Star Trek fan. I was a cinematographer for over 20 years and I am currently a freelance graphic artist.

SV: How did you come to restoring photographs?

Curt: It came with the job, so to speak. I had several clients that were interested in preserving photographs, and I found that I had a knack for restoring them.

SV: Has any of your work been published?

Curt: Yes, recently and coincidentally some of it is Trek related. I had several of my special effects restorations published in Titan's publication of Star Trek Magazine UK. Here is one of them:

And here is a page from the publication:

SV: What got you interested in this Trek restoration project?

SV: That above link looks like it was from a still photo, not a clip.

Curt: You're right. I restore those, too!

SV: Are the TOS negatives in danger of fading?

Curt: No. The negatives are in a vault designed for film storage, deep within a salt mine in the central United States.

According to Kodak a negative will last 100 years or more, if stored properly.

SV: Let's say I'm interested in sending you some clips for restoration. What's the process?

Curt: Here's how it works. First, your clips need to qualify as behind the scenes, special effects, a missing scene or anything else that you would not find in a broadcast episode. If your clips qualify you need to contact me via email. Click Email Curt's Media to do so. After you have contacted me I will email you with an address to send the clips to. You may send your clips insured, but be aware of the post office's regulations for insuring. You package of clips will be picked up at the local post office, not my home address. This is for security and to keep the clips from being exposed to the outside environment. Once I receive the clips they are handled with lint-free gloves and are inspected. I then clean them with PEC-12, an archival emulsion cleaner. The prints are gently wiped to remove dust and embedded dirt, stains, grease pencil marks, and the like. The clips are then scanned on a high resolution scanner and imported into my computer. After the scanning process the prints are re-packed and sent back to you. When you will see the restored clips depends on several variables such as my work load, the volume of clips provided and how much restoration is needed on the scanned clips. When the clips have been restored you will be contacted via email. Depending on your needs, I can send low or high resolution images to you via email, or if the file(s) size is too large a CD-Rom can be mailed to you.

SV: Your examples on this web site are small. How big would my restored clips be?

Curt: Yes, the pictures are small on this web page in order to allow faster loading for those not fortunate to have a high speed connection. Also remember that these images are further compromised by a subtle watermark to discourage pilfering.

SV: I have a lot of clips, but most of them are not special effects clips or behind the scenes clips. Are they worth restoring?

Curt: As stated above, your clips must qualify. I can determine what's worth restoring if you email me a list of what you have. For my restoration project I prefer the behind the scenes pictures. That means anything that you wouldn't see in an episode. If you send in your clips and some do not get restored it is most likely because it is an ordinary scene that already exists in an episode and does not qualify as being rare or behind the scenes.

SV: Will you print my clips for me?

Curt: Sorry, I don't offer printing services. You can print pictures from the high quality scans I provide you or bring them in to a professional photo finisher to have them printed. This would actually be to your benefit as this would give you control in determining print size, accuracy of color, etc. You can print up to 8.5x11 (inches) with the high resolution images.

SV: What are you going to do with the restored clips?

Curt: I hope to have enough hi-resolution picts to publish a behind the scenes book along the lines of The Making of Star Trek, but more picture intensive and with an accompanying interactive CD-rom. If the book idea comes to fruition, a list of contributors will be included. But for now my immediate concern is restoration before there's nothing to restore.

SV: What's all this going to cost me?

Curt: Other then postage and insurance, nothing. I receive no payment for restoring your clips. The work I do would cost hundreds of dollars if I charged for this service. If you send me your clips for restoration you agree that I am allowed to use the restored digital images as I see fit, such as posting on the Internet, or used for publishing or any other venture without compensation to you.

SV: How can I prolong the life of the clips I already have?

Curt: For home storage, one rule is 50-50, which means a constant 50 degrees Fahrenheit temperature and 50% relative humidity. Darker is better. The worst storage location would be next to the furnace, in an attic, or in the bathroom cabinet. Download this informative Film Preservation pdf for more information.

SV: How do I know this is not some sort of scam?

Curt: You don't, but consider this - what would be the point of stealing the clips? After scanning the clips there would be no incentive to keep them. Also, the clips are going to eventually fade to a condition of not being restorable. So again, what would be the point?

If you still feel uneasy but would really like to have your clips restored you have the option of sending them piecemeal.

Feel free to ask any additional questions when you email me.

You may be wondering, "What is this slate/clapper board thing, and why is there so much extraneous footage?"

Footage such as bloopers are mistakes caught on film and were saved by the editors for the studios Christmas party. Other footage such as studio personnel within the scene would be filmed unintentionally at the end of a take or roll out. A roll out is when there is not enough film left in the camera for an additional take, so the camera is left running to let the film "roll out" The beginning of a new roll of film will also film unintentional footage when several feet are run through the film gate to insure that the film is loaded properly.

The slate or clapper board as it is both known as provides the editor with the necessary information for what scenes and takes have been shot. It also shows the studio and series name, days date, the episodes work number and the director and cameraman's name. Other information such as "day" or "night" are sometimes written for the color timer to adjust the prints exposure. In addition, the slate may also include the cameras speed, the exposure rating and if optical effects are to be used. If more than one camera is being used it is also noted, such as A camera, B camera, etc.

The raised bar with the alternating black and white stripes are used when sound is being recorded. Unlike videotape, film and audio for motion picture production are recorded separately. When the film camera starts the slate is held in front of the camera and the top bar "claps" with the bottom portion of the slate. This visual is matched in post production with the sound of the clap, thus providing synchronicity between sound and picture. When there is no sound involved the slate is held in front of the camera without being clapped and a few feet of film are exposed to record the information on the slate regarding the upcoming take.

Most of today's slates do not require the "clap" as the camera is slaved to the sound recording equipment which generates time code. The code is represented with illuminated digital numbers on the slate and in post production its simply a matter of matching the numbers.