7279 from september 2005 for B/W musicvideo

Hans Engstrom · February 13, 2009

I got some 7279 that I myself unloaded back in september 2005 and since then stored in a fridge. The film is not getting any fresher so I´m thinking why not use it for a B/W project I have this weekend. I was originally planning to shoot on some fresher shortends (7219) that I also have, but why? I´m going for a hard contrast look and grain is not a big issue. What can I expect from a high speed stock thats 3 1/2 years old? I´m planning on rating it at 250.

Mike Lary · February 13, 2009

Fridges are only good for short term storage. I would get a snip test at a local lab so you'll know how much to compensate when setting exposure. Otherwise there's no way to know what you'll get. In the future you should store film in the freezer. It won't do any harm as long as the seal is tight on the cans, and it will drastically slow the breakdown of the film.

Satsuki Murashige · February 13, 2009

What can I expect from a high speed stock thats 3 1/2 years old? I´m planning on rating it at 250.

It's risky. I operated on a short recently where we used refrigerated 7218 stock from 1 1/2 years earlier. I haven't seen the footage yet but apparently the difference was quite noticeable in telecine, coarser grain, milky blacks. We overexposed by a stop as well. With 3 1/2 year old stock (unless it was actually frozen, not just refrigerated), I'd say your chances of getting usable footage are not good.

Do you have time to do a clip test at a lab before you shoot?

Serge Teulon · February 13, 2009

My experience with some s/e that I had stored in the fridge for 3 years was positive.

The film held out perfectly.

I did over exp by 2/3.

I would definitely do a clip test.

Edited February 13, 2009 by Serge Teulon

Hans Engstrom · February 16, 2009

My experience with some s/e that I had stored in the fridge for 3 years was positive.
The film held out perfectly.

I did over exp by 2/3.

I would definitely do a clip test.

Thanks all for the replies. Decided not to go with the 7279 or the 7219, instead I used some short ends that was from 2008. A mixture of 7201, 7205 and some 7218. Will do a clip test on the 7279 to see if it´s usable or not. I´ll post some frame grabs when I get to see the footage.

regrds

/Hans