reversal film

noun

Photography.

1. film developed by the reversal process.

reversal film

noun

1. photographic film that can be processed to produce a positive transparent image for direct projection, rather than a negative for printing

Word History and Origins

Origin of reversal film¹

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

Filmmaker Jon Jost, who was the project’s cinematographer, loaned the production his 16mm camera and donated a stash of high-contrast reversal film stock he had bought on sale at a steep discount, helping give the film its distinctively unreal look.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

But he and his cinematographer, Matthew Libatique, soon realized that 16 millimeter — especially the high-contrast stock they used called reversal film — emphasized the hallucinatory style of “Pi,” a black-and-white psychological thriller that delves into the obsessions of a paranoid number theorist.

Read more on New York Times

News crews of that era used photographic processes designed for speed and convenience: 16mm film, which used smaller and more portable cameras, and reversal film stocks, which don’t require a positive print be made from the negative, and could thus be developed and prepped for TV use quickly and cheaply.

Read more on Slate

Reversal film produces a positive rather than negative image: when you look at a piece of footage, you see what is projected.

Read more on The New Yorker

She turned to Rymsza and asked, “Did you ever find out why Orson used reversal film?”

Read more on The New Yorker