Hi,
For better or worse, most of you will find this introduction belated at best, just plain tardy in the worst...
With the announcement that Sean was going full-time on APUG, I was shamed into getting off my duff and sending in my subscription -- something I kept meaning to do but never did. Now I am legit and living proof of your low standards of admission.
My name is Frank Wylie, I am 45 years old and am returning to a home darkroom after a 20 year break and enjoying it immensely.
After leaving the Universty of Oklahoma in 1985 with a BA in Radio/TV/Film Journalism, I packed my darkroom into boxes and proceeded to haul it around Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Ohio pursuing a career as a EFP Videographer, Director, Producer, Studio Manager, Mo Pic Sound Engineer, MoPic Inspector/Printer, Timer (grader) and finally as the Lab Supervisor for the Library of Congress Motion Picture Conservation Center in Dayton, Ohio where one of the few remaining strictly b&w cine film labs operate.
We are a full service lab that copies anywhere between 2 to 3 million feet of nitrate film each year that varies in age from 1894 to about 1951 (and all b&w safety film) and hold approximately 160 million feet of vintage nitrate in our vaults from such studios and personalities as Sony/Columbia, Disney, Paramount, Warner Brothers, Universal, RKO, The Marion Davies Collection, The Mary Pickford Collection and many "orphaned" works that document the breadth and width US filmic heritage.
Some of our more well known restorations include, "The Maltese Falcon", "Cat People", "All Quiet on the Western Front" (sound and silent versions), "The Man From Planet X", "Emperor Jones", and many, many more.
My personal favorite is my work as timer/grader on "All Quiet on the Western Front" (1930), the seminal anti-war film that we restored to within 3 minutes of original premier length and will be available on DVD from Universal Studios this Fall. The restoration took over 12 years to complete and required 7 answer prints to adjust timing for the myriad sources to match in contrast and luminance. Hard work.
I have a wonderful family that consists of a loving wife, 2 daughters, a dog, a cat and a mouse named paintbrush.
I enjoy the expertise I find on APUG and hope to tap into it on a regular basis. Should anyone have questions in my field, please feel free to ask and I will reciprocate.
Thank you for your already warm welcome.
Frank Wylie