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April 9

Spots, lines and marks in films.

Hi guys, I have some questions about film, or more specifically old film.

Firstly, what are those spots and dots that tend to appear on old films? I do not mean Cue marks, but I mean those specky little dots that appear randomly.
Secondly, why is it that footage using real film these days has very few spots and dots compared to footage in the 1950s,60's,70's etc?
Thirdly, when I watch old news reports from the 1970s and 80's, why is it that some footage is free of speckles and marks, while other footage is not?

Thank you. --Bottye Thommer (talk) 11:23, 9 April 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The Cellulose acetate film article talks extensively about the degradation of film stock. -- Finlay McWalterᚠTalk 12:08, 9 April 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The "spots and dots" are probably just dust and dirt that have stuck to the film. The older the print of the film being projected, the more chance it has picked up dirt by handling. The answer to your second question is also age. A feature film print "in the 1950's" has probably been run through a projector hundreds of times and picked up scratches and tears as well as dust and dirt. Lastly, "old news reports" that don't have "speckles and marks" were probably recorded on video tape rather than film. Although tape can also be subject to various distortions when played back, it is a magnetic medium rather than a plastic strip. Wear and tear on the tape itself is usually minimal and does not show up as spots, dots, speckles or marks. Our article on Film preservation #Digital restoration steps may be helpful.--Thomprod (talk) 13:31, 9 April 2015 (UTC)[reply]

You might also be interested in film grain - not the same as the specks, scratches and dust, but it does give real film a different feel from digital recording and video tape. SemanticMantis (talk) 15:21, 9 April 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Also there can be mold on film. A series of dots close together is one way this can appear. StuRat (talk) 16:52, 9 April 2015 (UTC)[reply]