Environmentally Friendly Pure-Dye Format
All Buena Vista Soundtracks
Switch To Cyan In February
BURBANK, Calif. – Beginning with the Feb. 11 release of ”Pooh’s Heffalump Movie,” Buena Vista Pictures Distribution will make the switch to environmentally friendly pure-dye cyan soundtracks for all future titles released in 35mm.

The Oct. 25 announcement, made by feature distribution president Chuck Viane and worldwide post-production/operations president Jeff Miller, makes Buena Vista the second major distributor to switch to cyan for all releases. MGM launched a similar policy last May with the rollout of ”Soul Plane.”

Buena Vista tested the process last September with 2,800 pure-dye cyan soundtrack prints of the Bernie Mac baseball comedy ”Mr. 3000.”

The cyan-only soundtracks are produced without the caustic chemicals and silver used in the usual print manufacturing process and significantly reduce water usage. Silver-replicated tracks collectively use approximately 20 million gallons of water a year – enough drinking water for a town of 75,000. Distributors further reduce waste by eliminating the need to replace prints due to redevelopment problems in silver soundtracks.

Conversion to cyan requires the installation of red light-emitting diode (LED) readers in projectors, as a pure cyan soundtrack played on a white light or infra-red reader will cause distortion, sound reduction or possible inaudibility. It is estimated that the vast majority of the projectors in the United States are now equipped with the red LED readers, according to an MGM press release.

The release of these prints marks a significant breakthrough in making the conversion to pure cyan a reality for NATO, which has worked closely with the Dye Track Committee, a group of motion picture executives formed in 1998, in the fight to replace silver tracks with pure cyan dye tracks.

LEDs also last about five times longer than tungsten lights, and slowly fade over time, giving operators warning that replacement is due.

“Our test engagement of pure-dye cyan soundtrack prints for ‘Mr. 3000’ was an overwhelming success and proved that the exhibition community is indeed ready for this new technology,” said Viane. “This latest innovation has been made possible by an unprecedented collaboration between Disney, NATO, and our manufacturing partners, and we salute them in helping to make the world a cleaner and safer place.”

“This new soundtrack technology represents one of the most significant advances in film manufacturing in the past 70 years, and all of us at Disney believe very strongly in the benefits it presents for both our product and the environment,” said Miller.