Dory Breaux DP Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 It seems the search function has been unable to locate any threads of this nature so... Go ahead and post up your first experance with 16mm :) ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Javor Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 I'm getting ready for mine... well... actualy I'm getting ready for my first paid video gig ...but AFTER THAT... I stumbled upon an Arri 16S kit for $70 at a flea market two weeks ago (5 lenses, 2 ext mags,2 cases, and 'stuff') ... I'm even relativly sure it's not stolen! :) So I'm going to be doing a short and then I've been essentially 'told' to do a crapload of G rated family movies. ...actually my dad found the camera in a "pile-o-tools." The vendor was so focused on tools he must have origionally bought it as an unopened toolbox... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stoop Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 http://www.cinematography.com/forum2004/in...st+time+on+16mm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Schneider Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 My first time was on a K3 shooting focus tests, high speed tests and filter tests. A week later I shot a Batman short on 16mm, a jokey one, not at all serious. It was great, the look and feel of the film was spectacular, that's almost 6 years ago. Dang. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Cooper Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 My first time exposing 16mm film was with a K3 in the ski fields of Australia in winter. I shot 100 feet of Ektachrome 7240 which is now discontinued. I brought along my Canon T70 slr to use as a light meter. I mainly filmed skiing and snowboarding and I am pleased at how the camera performed. Footage was very smooth and steady and my exposures were spot on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory Breaux DP Posted March 19, 2007 Author Share Posted March 19, 2007 Patrick you wouldnt happen to have that footy on your computer would you? :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member David Mullen ASC Posted March 19, 2007 Premium Member Share Posted March 19, 2007 I had been shooting Super-8 reversal for about a decade when I got asked to shoot a karaoke music video in Super-8 b&w reversal by someone who had seen one of my Super-8 b&w short films. That turned out well but when they asked me to shoot and direct another one, I asked if I could shoot it in 16mm instead (which was usually the format that the other karaoke videos that this young producer was using at the time, in 1996.) They agreed, so I ran over to Birns & Sawyer and asked them to show me how to load the Arri-S we were renting. I shot the video on 16mm Plus-X b&w reversal because I was used to lighting for that stock in Super-8. It turned out great -- in fact, it almost looked like I had shot it in 35mm, it was so sharp and fine-grained. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan Weis Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 Interesting David, it seems like not long ago you were an amateur filmmaker. If you ever find the time (with your busy schedual and all) it would be neat if you could post a few stills or even better footage from your early work. /Jan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory Breaux DP Posted March 19, 2007 Author Share Posted March 19, 2007 Interesting David, it seems like not long ago you were an amateur filmmaker. If you ever find the time (with your busy schedual and all) it would be neat if you could post a few stills or even better footage from your early work. /Jan indded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan Weis Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 I forgot to tell about my first experiance with 16mm film. Well here's my story. It was about 8 months. I shot some tests using 7231 Plus-x film on a Arri S, It was a horrible experiance to tell you the truth; the arri kept och jamming the film (if I did not finish shooting the same roll on the same day). I kept on worrying about the exposure to the point that I became so paranoid that my footage would turn out unusable. But most of it turn out fine. It was an experiance that caused a lot of sleepless nights but in the end it was definately worth it; infact it even improved my temper. So dont be afraid of bad experiances, you'll learn from them. /Jan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Dinger Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 My first experience with 16mm was with my filmo. I didn't know how much light I could expose the daylight reels to so I went into my bathroom which was quite dark. Well I'd never loaded anything but a super 8 before so I was in a little over my head, I fought with getting the loops right, but it all ended fine. Then I went out at night to film some neon signs. It was nice because I didn't have to worry about exposure. Just open it up and I'd get what I'd get. It all came out fine, I was thrilled to see it projected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny N Suleimanagich Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 I stumbled upon an Arri 16S kit for $70 at a flea market two weeks ago (5 lenses, 2 ext mags,2 cases, and 'stuff') ... I'm even relativly sure it's not stolen! :) So I'm going to be doing a short and then I've been essentially 'told' to do a crapload of G rated family movies. ...actually my dad found the camera in a "pile-o-tools." The vendor was so focused on tools he must have origionally bought it as an unopened toolbox... WOW, does it work? even if not, the parts alone cost more than $70! congrats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Collier Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 Ok, I posted this about a month ago, and didn't want to retype everything, but its a detailed account of my first experience. Also there are some frame grabs. If you check out the post, leave some feedback on it if you can, either on this thread or that one. My first 16mm experience Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nathan snyder Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 In early 2001 I purchased a Bell and Howell projector for $5 at a thrift store. I check out a few 16mm movies from my state library and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. I knew how to take pictures and had an understanding of photography so in 2002 I purchased a K-3. It was a scew thread mount and I specified a bayonet mount, also the main sproket was missing a tooth so I sent it back and the seller sent me another. I purchased a 100' roll from Forde labs (with prepaid processing) and I talked my wife, Kim, and our friend, Leyla, to drive out to one of our favorite target shooting spots to shoot a some moving pictures. On our drive to the location we came up with a basic idea of a fictional story. Here is that first attempt at shooting 16mm as a real media file: http://owyheesound.com/web_hosted_cinema/k...restle%20dsl.rm I know it is bad but it was my first time. The image registration and chattering problem was due, I have learned since, to the missing film guide so tension on the sproket side of the film pulled too hard so the loop length was lost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Cooper Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 "Patrick you wouldnt happen to have that footy on your computer would you?" Unfortunately not. It only exists on celluloid. Plus there wouldn't really be enough footage from that 100 feet of film to make a proper edit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Javor Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 WOW, does it work? even if not, the parts alone cost more than $70! congrats I hooked a 12V motor cycle battery to it because 8V batteries are hard to come by here (apparently golf carts use them though) but yeah, the motor spins, the external mag motor spins ...theres some dings on the edges of the lenses but the glass is still good, it holds its RPMs well (didn't run it very long because of the extra voltage) and I'm really looking forward to running some film though it once I get this video project out of the way this weekend. All in all it was actually fairly clean. Buying it was sort of funny, my dad just said "Hey sam did you look at this?" I walked over and saw the case marked "Antique Camera $40" saw "Arri" and about died... then I noticed the other box marked "Camera Parts $30" which was the external mags and a 100mm lens and I calmly checked my wallet and found $20...where I asked my dad if I could borrow $50. He pulls out a $100 ...and I as calmly as I could told the vendor I'd take both... I could bairly wait through him giving me the change... I quickly stuff the change in my pocket and beeline to the door... I get back to the car and my dad asks what I 'haggled him down to' I laughed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galen Carter-Jeffrey Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 Mine was a disaster. I used a K3 and made the loops too tight. The whole movie was like a giant blur, it was terrible :( Nobody ever told me about creating loops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member David Mullen ASC Posted March 21, 2007 Premium Member Share Posted March 21, 2007 Nobody ever told me about creating loops. At least you won't make that mistake again. Hey, nobody told me I had to keep my eye against the eyepiece while rolling -- I learned that the hard way as well... luckily my first two 16mm projects were indoors at night, wasn't until I did some day exterior work that I noticed a problem with not keeping my eye to the viewfinder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galen Carter-Jeffrey Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 At least you won't make that mistake again. Hey, nobody told me I had to keep my eye against the eyepiece while rolling -- I learned that the hard way as well... luckily my first two 16mm projects were indoors at night, wasn't until I did some day exterior work that I noticed a problem with not keeping my eye to the viewfinder. How bad does it ruin the film? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Tim Carroll Posted March 21, 2007 Premium Member Share Posted March 21, 2007 A few of you have probably heard this before, but what the heck. A number of years ago I picked up a Bolex EBM from a guy who was the camera tech at a large university in Illinois. He assured me the camera was in great shape. It looked good, but being the anal guy that I am, I wanted to be sure. Sent it to a camera house on the east coast (who will remain nameless) who CLA'd the camera and sent it back. Did a short test with a 100 ft roll, things looked great. Thought I was all set. Wanted to shoot sync sound((with a Bolex, I know, what an idiot), and this was against the wise advice of Mitch Gross and others) so I got a brand new crystal sync from Clive Tobin, and five 400 ft rolls of new Kodak stock. Cast a wonderful group of actors, and had a really great crew, and we shot all 2000 ft of a short romantic drama. Sent the film off to be processed and on to another house for telecine. Got the reels and the tape back and was horrified. There was something wrong with the camera (so much for the CLA) and the shutter was bouncing intermittently when the sync was hooked up (later found the cause was severely worn shutter drive gears). All the footage was unusable as it was flickering (going bright and dark) through the whole 2000 feet. A very expensive lesson. But even though what I imagined was not what came out, it was truly thrilling shooting film, probably 'cause I'm an old romantic guy and it just feels right, it feels like the way movies should be made. And reminded me of making regular 8mm movies back in the early 1970's with a wind up Kodak dual eight movie camera. There is nothing that feels as good. Just my 2¢ worth, -Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member David Mullen ASC Posted March 21, 2007 Premium Member Share Posted March 21, 2007 How bad does it ruin the film? Just depends on how much light gets into the viewfinder -- I just got some sort of occasional light fogging in the center of the frame, depending on how close my head was to the viewfinder. Luckily it didn't ruin much of the footage and I learned what the cause was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Charles MacDonald Posted March 21, 2007 Premium Member Share Posted March 21, 2007 First experience? Way back... I was ten, (I am 53 now) my dad borrowed a Victor Animatograph projector and about 5 reels of film from a relative. Mixed bag, a cartoon, "In on the beam", part of a new zeland traveloge (in colour) and somthing about fixing dustbowls in teh states. I got to thread it and run films in the basement, Over and over. the same 5 films. Next time the teacher showed a movie in class my hind was up to help. an AV Geek is Born. The school even arranged a private tour for me to see the AV center downtown, where I got to run the power rewinds. By high school, I could do a fiar manual changeover with two RCA 400 Projectors in teh auditorium spaced ten feet apart. After high school, I did not see any 16mm film equiment, but did sell Super 8 cameras in a department store. Few years alter I find a pagent 126-TR for sale in toronto when the re on a business trip, and bring it home as my carry on lugaage. buy a few random used films from Blackhawk films. few years pass Get a copy of "hardware wars" on loan from the library to try and imprss a friend, and when I set up the projector the exciter lamp power supply goes south. we watch the film as a silent. IN the middle some folks start selling eastman colour for slides and prints, try it and like playing, end up getting 100 ft from Kodak to bulk load. Quality of the slides is inverly proportional to the price of the service. Idea fades as Kodak persuades them to stop. Start reading american Cinematorgraher to find out more about the film. few more years, Find a RCA 416 at the world famous and now defunct Stittsville Flea market. Almost works, but could use an overhaul, discover it uses 6973 tubes. (RCA in High school used 6V6GT which is much more common) Fast forward 15 more years, and I discover e-bay, when I realise that to be able to fix some old electonic equipment I had I better find a place to buy radio tubes. LOw and behold, their are some 16mm Cameras, and projectors. also listed. Pick up a Keystone A-3, and some film. MY Kodak is still dead for sound, but runs silent well. splurge on a Filmo. Try colour Neg, Like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Hal Smith Posted March 21, 2007 Premium Member Share Posted March 21, 2007 I quickly stuff the change in my pocket and beeline to the door...I get back to the car and my dad asks what I 'haggled him down to' I laughed. Boy, and here I thought I was the king of the bargain camera deals with the clean Bolex Supreme with 3 Switar lenses, original case, and a batch of accessories I got at an upscale neighborhood yard sale for $15. Everything else the guy had was overpriced. I figure he asked someone what an old movie camera was worth and was told $15 by that someone who didn't know there's a slight difference between an old 8mm windup camera and a 16mm Bolex. :) My first 16mm was a Beaulieu R16B with a 12-120 Angenieux that an ex-wife and I shot a bunch of ethnographic film with. It all looked reasonably decent, it's all probably in some file cabinet at the University of Chicago. Those were my crazy sports car racing days, she shot 200' of Kodacolor of me racing my Lotus Elan at Road Atlanta in 1975 or so - I've still got the film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory Breaux DP Posted March 21, 2007 Author Share Posted March 21, 2007 I hooked a 12V motor cycle battery to it because 8V batteries are hard to come by here (apparently golf carts use them though) but yeah, the motor spins, the external mag motor spins ...theres some dings on the edges of the lenses but the glass is still good, it holds its RPMs well (didn't run it very long because of the extra voltage) and I'm really looking forward to running some film though it once I get this video project out of the way this weekend. All in all it was actually fairly clean. Buying it was sort of funny, my dad just said "Hey sam did you look at this?" I walked over and saw the case marked "Antique Camera $40" saw "Arri" and about died... then I noticed the other box marked "Camera Parts $30" which was the external mags and a 100mm lens and I calmly checked my wallet and found $20...where I asked my dad if I could borrow $50. He pulls out a $100 ...and I as calmly as I could told the vendor I'd take both... I could bairly wait through him giving me the change... I quickly stuff the change in my pocket and beeline to the door... I get back to the car and my dad asks what I 'haggled him down to' I laughed. :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o Wholey damn thats pretty frickin lucky! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Cooper Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 (edited) I love it when good bargains like come along. Actually, once at a stall at a flea market, I came across a pile of out of date B&W 16mm 100ft films selling for $3 each. I was a bit hesitant because they were probably extremely old, judging by the old / vintage style of lettering on the boxes! So I bought three of the films. However, later that evening at home, I regretted my decision to just buy three. I may not come across another opportunity to buy 16mm film so cheaply again - and there could be a decent chance that the film could turn out okay. So the following Sunday, I returned to the flea market but the seller was not there. Several weeks later, the seller was back at the market and this time he was selling the 16mm films for $2 each. I bought the whole lot without hesitation and placed them in my fridge. At that point, I had no 16mm camera, though I was shooting on super 8 at the time. The purchase of the film stock allowed me to buy a 16mm camera, a K3, from a camera fair. Since then Ive exposed two of these old B&W films (both Tri-X) and they?ve turned out fine. I was speaking with a guy from a lab on the phone and judging by the metal cans that the films came in, he estimates that they are at least 15 years out of date! Edited March 21, 2007 by Patrick Cooper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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