Separation masters

Separation masters are a method of long-term preservation for most modern color motion picture film. Since monopack color film - used in such processes as ECN, ECP and their successive revisions - contains photographically active color couplers which remain in the film after development, the emulsion will continue to produce chemical reactions in the image which cumulatively create a color fading, usually heavily biased towards the pink spectrum. In order to protect against this occurrence, the technique of separation masters was created.