Yet another airport x-ray horror story

[chachi]

"HONOLULU (AP) - Film from ABC's hit show "Lost" was ruined when airport security screeners accidentally X-rayed film canister containers.


The TV crew had to reshoot, at a cost the producers would not mention. "



Just thought It was worth posting since their film was Actually wrecked where as our kodachrome usually is'nt. :lol:



Anyhoo, full short story linked below below.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/0702 ... uined_film

[aj]

It is very unlikely that this damage was solely caused by the single accidental passenger luggage scan on the film. Or is Honolulu a destination with X-ray machines from the sixties and was the film over ISO 1600.

[low grade moron]

To reduce extra staff cost and inconvenience, X-ray and metal detector walk-throughs have been increased in sensitivity by several fold in North America in the past year.

During recent first class flights across North America both south and west, trips through the metal detector required extensive removals from my person not required since immediate post 9/11 sensitivity increases in the devices. After inquiry to airport staff and aviation authorities, this was confirmed.

The astonishing Bush administration 100% success rate of complete domestic security from terrorist attacks post 9/11 comes with many prices. This is the least of them.

[christoph]

It is very unlikely that this damage was solely caused by the single accidental passenger luggage scan on the film.

of course not, they reshot because it was so much fun :P

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/t ... ilm09.html

[mattias]

must have been very severe. a post house in the same building where my wife works, and where i've done a few onlines of my films, are often busy painting out light and x-ray damage frame by frame from films and commercials. even if it's like half the frame and several minutes of final footage it's much cheaper than a reshoot.

/matt

[onsuper8]

I do find this a bit odd - I took a load of Super 8 film into an out of Havana in Cuba a few years ago - all of which was x-rayed with what look like ex Eastern Bloc equipment and had no problems at all. Saying that I wasnt going to argue as the security had a fine line in guns!!

[christoph]

I do find this a bit odd - I took a load of Super 8 film into an out of Havana in Cuba a few years ago - all of which was x-rayed with what look like ex Eastern Bloc equipment and had no problems at all.

my understanding is that the check-in luggage goes through machines with much higher x-ray levels than if those used for carry on bagage.

so if you had your film in your suitcase then consider yourself lucky, if you had it in your pockets then no big surprise.
++ christoph

[Angus]

Yep, they have upped the x-ray dosage in north America....they also use machines somewhat older than those used in Europe (at least three US airports bought their "latest" x-ray machines from London Heathrow second hand....)

I've not heard of professionals or amateurs having trouble with MP or still film sent through cabin baggage x-ray systems...and even if you are daft enough to put your film in checked bags it might get zapped...but is usually still good enough to use (as Mattias describes).

So one is left wondering if there are other reasons...like they decided the takes weren't good enough...

I've put Vision 2 200T and tri-x through American airports...and still film upto 3200ASA....without significant damage (ie I couldn't see any damage).