Film perforations, also known as perfs, are the holes placed in the film stock during manufacturing and used for transporting (by sprockets and claws) and steadying (by pin registration) the film. Films may have different types of perforations depending on film gauge, film format, and the intended usage. Perforations are also used as a standard measuring reference within certain camera systems to refer to the size of the frame.
Some formats are in fact referred to in terms of the ratio "perforations per frame/gauge size" to provide an easy way of denoting size. For instance, VistaVision is also known as (8/35); standard 70 mm film is (5/70); IMAX is (15/70). This system does not indicate whether the film transport is horizontal or vertical, but uncertainity is precluded because there are currently no horizontal systems using the same number of perforations on the same gauge as a vertical one.
Read more about Film Perforations: Pitch, Shapes, 17.5 Mm, 16 Mm, 8 Mm, Placement, Damage and Inspection
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—Sean O’Casey (1884–1964)