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B&W Films List


Erika Silverstein

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Hey All,

 

I'm trying to compile a list of films that were shot (and theatrically released -- or at least available on video/DVD) in 16mm B&W.

 

So far, my sadly limited list includes:

Clerks, Following, She's Gotta Have It, Pi, Go Fish

(Were any of Jim Jarmusch or Woody Allen's B&W films shot on 16mm?)

 

Thanks!

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"Coffee and Cigarettes":

 

http://www.calgodot.com/cine/

 

But the real star of this show is the filmmaking. Four cinematographers, all of them masters of the art. There are differences, subtle and obvious, between the scenes, owing to lighting and differences in film stock (Plus-X 16mm & Double-X negative 35mm), but no more so than you might find in a film with a single DP.
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A Chronicle of Corpses - dir. Andrew Repasky McElhinney

- Haven't seen but heard mixed reviews. Subject of NY Times article. Victorian thriller made on an ultra-shoestring budget by a young filmmaker.

 

Begotten - dir. E. Elias Merhige

- Outre, 1960s style "symbolic cinema" reminiscent of James Broughton's Dreamwood. Difficult to watch but very interesting. Inspired many people. Praised by Susan Sontag. Merhige went on to make Shadow of the Vampire.

 

Archangel - dir. Guy Maddin

- Slightly boring (for some) but nonetheless a marvelous and amusing fantasia on early cinema, lost memories, and unrequited love. Mixes the style of silent films and early talkies to great effect -- and who doesn't like tinted sequences!

 

Criminal - dir. David Jacobsen & Sepideh Farsi

- One of those "First Rites" movies distributed exclusively by Hollywood Video. Great movie.

 

Man Bites Dog

- Was this B&W 16mm or 35mm? Comic & disturbing French "mockumentary" about a charismatic and philosophical serial killer.

 

Tetsuo: the Iron Man

- Powerfully made, somewhat annoying Japanese comic-book style sci-fi horror film about a guy who becomes a robot monster.

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A Chronicle of Corpses - dir. Andrew Repasky McElhinney

- Haven't seen but heard mixed reviews. Subject of NY Times article. Victorian thriller made on an ultra-shoestring budget by a young filmmaker.

But it was in color....

 

I made a 16mm B&W feature (WIRED ANGEL) but was not released theatrically,

and is not on DVD yet (I'm waiting for HD DVD)

 

-sam

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Was it really? All of the screenshots I've seen have been black & white -- including those posted on the director's own Web site for the film:

http://www.armcinema25.com/corpes429.html

 

Best of luck with your own film, which sounds terrific to me, after reading this review:

http://www.filmthreat.com/Reviews.asp?Id=1809

 

Oh heavens -- I forgot:

 

The Flew - dir. Clifton Childree

- Odd and whimsical turn-of-the-century feature made by a one-man-band. Childree photographed the film by himself -- literally by himself on sets he built by himslef -- and is largely the film's only subject, which means most of the time he had to start the camera rolling & walk onto frame to start acting. A bit long but fun and remarkable.

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  • 1 year later...
Tetsuo: the Iron Man

- Powerfully made, somewhat annoying Japanese comic-book style sci-fi horror film about a guy who becomes a robot monster.

 

The credit list for this film is quite humourous. It lists Shinya Tsukamoto as:

 

director, writer, producer, dop (along with Kei Fujiwara), editor, and art director. He also acts in the film :blink:

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The credit list for this film is quite humourous. It lists Shinya Tsukamoto as:

 

director, writer, producer, dop (along with Kei Fujiwara), editor, and art director. He also acts in the film :blink:

 

Well those are pretty much my credits for my film WIRED ANGEL as mentioned in this thread. OK I had some collaboration in the art dept & my acting role was pretty minor (I only did it because I'd run out of crew members to sacrifice <_< )

 

I sometimes felt like a robot monster making that film :D

 

-Sam

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Well those are pretty much my credits for my film WIRED ANGEL as mentioned in this thread. OK I had some collaboration in the art dept & my acting role was pretty minor (I only did it because I'd run out of crew members to sacrifice <_< )

 

I sometimes felt like a robot monster making that film :D

 

-Sam

 

Heh it just reminded me of picking up the Tetsuo dvd in a store and doing a double take when I looked at the credits :P

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NOTLD was 35mm. On the 30th anniversary edition it talks about the bad prints that were made, causing everyone to think it was 16mm.

 

---It was the bad, contrasty lighting & the probably forced Tri-X negative rather than the prints.

And the jumpy, mis aligned splices.

 

Also the original processing was done at some small lab in Ohio. WRS did the answer print.

When Elite Video brought out a laser disc, they had a new FGM made which was flashed to bring down the contrast.

 

---LV

Edited by Leo A Vale
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---Cassavette's 'Faces' 1968. Mostly neg and some rev with an NPR.

The scrippt was published in paper back. It also listed which stocks were used fror which scenes.

The final scene was Plus-X reversal.

 

'Chan is Missing' 1982. Reversal. Looks good. TXR is the best stock for black leather jackets.

 

'It happened here' 1962 started in 16mm. At some point Woodfall got invlved & the switched to 35mm with Peter Schusitzky.

 

---LV

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  • 3 months later...
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But it was in color....

 

I made a 16mm B&W feature (WIRED ANGEL) but was not released theatrically,

and is not on DVD yet (I'm waiting for HD DVD)

 

-sam

 

Hey Sam,

Im shooting a 6min drama on 7222 in 6 weeks, do you have any tips for B+W cinematography? Things you might have done differently?

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Hey Sam,

Im shooting a 6min drama on 7222 in 6 weeks, do you have any tips for B+W cinematography? Things you might have done differently?

 

Differnt from what I did - or different from what everyone else does ?

 

I don't know, I like to think of myself as a radical filmmaker but I guess I respect the classical virtues of B&W :)

 

When I first shot B&W seriously it was really a big relief, you don't have to micro manage color cause they're aint any !

 

Think tonal planes, volumes. Sculpt the light.

 

-Sam

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