Which film stock?

[Mark A. Rapp]

I plan on shooting with an Arri 16BL -- interiors and exteriors. So I think I've limited my choice of filmstocks down to something in a 250T. The reason being, I have daylight filters, so I should be fine when I need to shoot the few exteriors, and I didn't want the nighttime interiors (lit with candles, oil lamps, and probably Chinese lanterns) to grain out too much. Am I on the right track here? Any recommendations for which filmstocks to go with for camera tests? Fire away!

Edited February 14, 2007 by Mark Rapp

[Chance Shirley]

With a 16BL, be sure you get DOUBLE-perf film. The "default" for 16mm is usually single-perf, and, as far as I know, all the 16BL cameras require double-perf 16mm film.

[John Holland]

I would go for Fuji eterna 400, expose it at 320 , or Kodak 7218 , same rating , will keep any grain down , not that there is much to worry about on the grain side ,

[Mark A. Rapp]

"...all the 16BL cameras require double-perf 16mm film."

 

Not so. Just b-wind if single perf.

 

 

John, when you say expose the film at 320, you mean set the light meter at 320 and expose the film as if the ASA is 320. Correct?

Edited February 14, 2007 by Mark Rapp

[Tim Carroll]

With a 16BL, be sure you get DOUBLE-perf film. The "default" for 16mm is usually single-perf, and, as far as I know, all the 16BL cameras require double-perf 16mm film.

 

All the Arriflex 16mm motion picture cameras take B-wind single perf film. The Arriflex 16S, S/B, M, BL, SR, SRII, SR3, SR3 Advance and 416. They can certainly shoot double perf, but double perf is not required in any of their cameras.

 

-Tim

[Mark A. Rapp]

John, when you say expose the film at 320, you mean set the light meter at 320 and expose the film as if the ASA is 320. Correct?

[Frank Barrera]

lit with candles, oil lamps, and probably Chinese lanterns

if this is the case then you'll be happier with 7218. As mentioned above, over exposing by some is good practice. As for your EXT stock choice you could go right ahead and shoot 7218 outside as well. Shoot a test and you'll see that the grain is not really an issue and as you lose the daylight you will be thankful for the extra stop. Not to mention if it gets too cloudy or starts to rain and gets dark. Though you will need to ride with a full selection of ND filters and an 85 ND.3 and 85 ND.6 will be very useful. Focusing through the dark eye piece is certainly a drawback but...

 

The main reason I wind up doing the single stock strategy is when the budget is so tight that to calculate how much day light stock versus tungsten down to the minute is just too much of a head ache for me.

[David Mullen ASC]

I usually prefer slower speed stocks outdoors; one solution when the breakdown is not clear and you want to use two stocks is to use 200T (with the 85B filter) outdoors, 500T indoors, figuring that if you end up with too much of the 200T, it shouldn't be hard to shoot some of the smaller tungsten-lit interior scenes on it in a pinch, and if you end up with too much of the 500T, you can use that outside in daylight.

 

The 500T stocks have gotten so good these days that at least in 35mm, the grain is not so much of a problem.

 

However, just the other day I was shooting on 100T stock (rated at 80 ASA) with an 85B (so 50 ASA) combo filter with an ND6 (so 12 ASA) with a Pola (so now 4 ASA) and I was still shooting at nearly an f/5.6 because it was so bright outdoors! Good thing I could use an 85ND6 behind the lens on the Panaflex because I can't imagine looking through that much filtration. So imagine using 500T stock in that situation and wanting to shoot at a wider aperture.