35/32mm Film

35/32mm film is basically a “first stage” 16mm optical sound track negative format meant to be slit and trimmed at the time of printing for distribution as 16mm film. The negative film stock is 35mm wide but has sprocket holes sized for 16mm film. The sound track on 35/32mm film is slightly offset down its center; when the film is slit and trimmed, one side of perfs is removed and the remaining perf edge is trimmed to create a standard 16mm OSTN. The un-slit 35/32mm format achieves better transport stability in an optical recorder than 16mm film.

16mm optical sound tracks have relatively poor frequency response, (approximately 100Hz to 6kHz) and a rather limited dynamic range (approximately +3vu before distorting). This is due to the slower speed at which it runs: 36 feet per minute with only one perf per frame. Wow and flutter can also be an issue with this format.

16mm dual rank and 35/16mm film are two 16mm optical formats often confused with 35/32.