This subheading includes:
1. original film negatives;
2. intermediate positive films printed from the original negatives; in the black-and-white process they are known as ‘duplicating positives’, ‘maroon positives’, ‘lavender mauve positives’, ‘master positives’, ‘masterprints’, ‘fine-grain masterprints’, or ‘lavender positives’, or ‘duplicating positives’, whereas in the colour process they are called ‘duplicating positives’, ‘interpositives’ or ‘intermediate positives’; these are put up on a base which is lightly tinted in mauve or maroon, or on a non-tinted base; these films are not normally used for projection but are intended for making duplicates of original negatives. Nevertheless, they can be used exceptionally for viewing, for editing work or post-synchronisation of a film.
Also classified as intermediate positives are the three positive black and white separations produced by means of filters (blue, green and red) from the original coloured negatives and used to obtain, by means of similar filters, a coloured internegative intended for printing positive copies;
3. duplicates of negatives printed from intermediate positive films and intended for printing positive copies; they are known as ‘duplicating negatives’ in black-and-white processing and ‘internegatives’ in colour processing (1);
4. reversible internegatives which, in colour processing, are obtained directly by inversion from the original negative and from which will be printed copies intended for exhibition;
5. ‘matrix films’ (red, green, blue) which, in colour processing, are obtained from negatives and from which copies will be printed.
Where they are of a width of 35 mm or more, all these films — with the exception of ‘matrix films’ — usually have the typical perforations for negatives (barrel-shaped).
This makes it possible to distinguish intermediate positive films with an untinted backing from positive films intended for projection which have perforations typical of positives.
Nevertheless, it should be noted that films from certain countries (the former USSR, in particular) show a unique type of perforation (Dubray-Howell) that is very similar to normal positive perforations and is also found in original negative films, in intermediate positives and negatives and also in positive copies intended for showing or projection.
‘Matrix films’ have perforations typical of positives but can be recognised by their thickness (almost double that of positives), by their dominant maroon colour and the slight relief of the images.
(1) Corresponding terms: — Dupe negative: contretype négatif (French) — Dup Negativ (German) — controtipi negativi (Italian) — duplicaat-negatief (Dutch); — Intermediate negative, internegative: internégatif (French) — Zwischennegativ (German) — internegativi (Italian) — internegatief (Dutch).