Film Handling and Processing: Lab Workflow

This page documents the handling, processing, and scanning workflow used by Liquid Light Lab. It sets out how film is identified, controlled, developed, inspected, and rendered once it enters the lab. The purpose of this document is to define the operational sequence and decision points that govern film custody from intake through return.

1. Order creation and identification

All orders are placed in advance through the ordering system and enter the CRM before film arrives. Each order generates a unique order number.

When film is received, the delivery is matched to the corresponding order in the CRM. This establishes a fixed relationship between:

  • the customer

  • the film

  • the requested services

  • the process requirements

No film enters the workflow without an existing order reference.

2. Intake, labelling, and physical control

Each roll is individually identified and physically labelled using the order number. Where an order form is included in the parcel, it is cross-checked against the CRM record.

At this stage:

  • film type is verified

  • requested process is confirmed

  • push/pull instructions are checked

  • scanning requirements are logged

Film and paperwork remain paired throughout the workflow. At no point is film separated from its identifying reference.

3. Pre-processing assessment

Before chemistry is introduced, each roll is assessed for:

  • process compatibility (C-41, ECN-2, black & white)

  • exposure instructions (including push or pull)

  • any visible handling or transport issues

This stage determines how the film will be developed, not just which chemistry is used.

Film that requires holding—for example, to batch with similar processes or to align with Pyro development schedules—is placed into controlled storage until processing begins.

4. Process separation and chemistry control

Film is never processed generically.

Each roll enters a process-specific workflow:

  • C-41 film is developed strictly to colour negative standards

  • ECN-2 film is processed with full rem-jet removal and cinema-spec development control

  • Black & white film is developed according to film type and exposure intent

Black & white development includes Pyro-based developers where appropriate. 510 Pyro is selected for its staining behaviour, edge separation, and density characteristics, and is used deliberately rather than as a default.

Different films, developers, and exposure intents are never mixed in a single workflow.

5. Development execution

Development is carried out with controlled:

  • time

  • temperature

  • agitation

  • chemistry condition

Push and pull instructions are resolved at this stage, not compensated for later in scanning. Density is managed chemically, not digitally.

This is where the negative is authored.

6. Washing, stabilisation, and drying

After development, film is:

  • thoroughly washed to remove residual chemistry

  • stabilised where required

  • dried under controlled conditions

This stage is critical for long-term negative stability and scan cleanliness. Drying is not treated as an afterthought.

7. Post-development inspection

Once dry, negatives are inspected for:

  • development consistency

  • density behaviour

  • physical issues originating from the film itself

At this point, the lab distinguishes between:

  • processing-related issues

  • film-origin characteristics

  • handling marks present before arrival

This inspection informs scanning intent and handling, not cosmetic alteration.

8. Scan preparation

Before scanning, negatives are:

  • prepared to minimise particulate transfer

  • aligned with the intended output resolution and bit depth

Scanning intent is defined here. This includes whether the scan is intended as:

  • a density-accurate reference

  • a working negative for grading

  • a high-resolution archival file

Nothing is “fixed later” without intent.

9. Scanning

Scanning is performed to preserve the information in the negative, not to impose a look.

This includes:

  • full tonal capture

  • density-accurate colour or monochrome rendering

  • avoidance of destructive corrections

For Pyro-developed black & white negatives, scanning accounts for stain density and edge behaviour rather than treating the negative as a conventional silver image.

10. File preparation and delivery

Delivered files match the order specification in:

  • resolution

  • format

  • colour space or monochrome output

Files are supplied clean, consistent, and ready for use, without baked-in stylistic decisions that override the negative.

11. Negative handling and return

Negatives are sleeved, packed, and returned according to the selected service.

Throughout the process:

  • negatives remain physically controlled

  • identification is never removed

12. Exception handling

If an issue is identified that prevents the film from proceeding safely or correctly through the workflow, the process is paused.

This includes, but is not limited to:

  • incorrect process selection

  • missing or contradictory push/pull instructions

  • film type incompatible with the ordered service

  • physical damage identified prior to development

Film does not enter chemistry under unresolved conditions.

13. Client contact triggers

The lab contacts the client if clarification or authorisation is required before proceeding.

This occurs when:

  • process or exposure instructions are unclear or conflicting

  • the selected service does not match the film supplied

  • film condition raises questions that affect development or scanning intent

No assumptions are made on behalf of the client where the outcome would materially affect the negative.

14. What this workflow is designed to prevent

This workflow exists to prevent:

  • film being treated interchangeably

  • exposure mistakes being hidden in scanning

  • chemical decisions being deferred to software

  • loss of accountability between order and negative

The negative is the primary artefact. Everything else follows from that. This process exists to ensure that each roll of film is handled as a discrete photographic artefact, with decisions made at the point they matter. Development, inspection, and scanning are treated as linked stages, not interchangeable steps. The workflow is designed to preserve authorship in the negative and maintain clear accountability from intake to return.