Perf

On the film stock, these are the small holes on the sides — the perforations. On set, people talk about "perf" when it concerns their condition and the film transport guaranteed by them. Clean, undamaged perfs mean that the film transport sprockets pull the strip exactly and evenly through the camera. Every dented or torn hole leads to jump cuts, blurriness, or in the worst case, scratches and film damage that cannot be fixed in editing.

The cinematographer checks the perf quality with every new roll — a visual inspection with the naked eye, sometimes also with a magnifying glass. Dirty or damaged perfs are a reason to immediately sort out the roll before it goes into the camera. The transport must run flawlessly, especially during longer takes or with shots requiring deep focus, where the slightest image shake becomes immediately visible. Old archival materials can also have perf problems — aging, storage, and wear make them brittle and susceptible. When digitizing such archives, perfs must be repaired beforehand, otherwise the transport will be jerky.

In jargon, you also hear "bad perfs" when the film transport as a whole isn't working cleanly — then it's often due to worn-out sprockets in the camera itself, not the film roll. This is a service issue: the camera needs maintenance. Conversely, even perfect perfs can't save anything if the transport mechanism in the camera is worn out. Therefore, regular camera maintenance and running new test shots after extended storage are standard.

When choosing film stock — Kodak, Fujifilm, Fotokem — there are hardly any differences in perf quality for new rolls. The problem arises from storage, transport, and handling. A roll that has been dropped or stored in heat can have perf damage without it being visible at first glance. The safest approach: run the rolls through before shooting, observe the transport, and check the rushes in the first minute. Small perf problems will then be immediately visible in the footage.