A & B ROLL
[Film Technology]
[FILM Media] While making optical effects like dissolve, wipe, and superimposition using more than one roll like A, B, C etc. When showing titles above an optical effect a roll C roll is using. Any number of rolls can be used for more effects. This technique is more suitable when using reversal master material. A duplicate negative will be used along with negative. If scene-7 is dissolving in scene-8 scene -7 will be in A roll and scene -8 will be in B roll. Depending on the footage number the frame, from which the effect is starting, is marking in each roll and taking optical print in sync. There will be black spacing in the B roll till the end of the scene in A roll. Using two rolls to avoid overlaps of scenes each other. To get dissolve effect, one picture is fade in while another one is fade out and getting a dissolving effect. Two pictures will not be in the same negative. So to take print using different rolls as the picture of fade out in A roll and the fade in picture in B roll. But optical can be made in the single roll also. (See single negative optical effect). Quality will be maintained because using the original. For superimposing of title, fine grain print of background will be made and titles will be made in the high contrast negative. Making a negative by using the high contrast and the fine grain print of background to get the superimpose effect. When dissolves are required the Master is assembled in two rolls. This is known as A & B roll cutting. Occasionally or even D rolls are involved, if multiple dissolves or over printed caption are combined with the other effects. For a dissolve one shot is inserted in roll A and joined to black spacer film where the shot into which it is to dissolve is placed in the B roll preceded by black specer. The two shots must overlap by the length of dissolve required. For fade out and fade in, the shots are joined together. If the original is negative superimposing a fade out of picture and fade in to black, using a length of clear processed unexposed film inserting in the B roll, produces fades. Clear film should always match the camera shot. E.g. orange base clear for colour negative. This system enables optical effects to be printed from original master material in one stage thus ensuring optimum quality copies.
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