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Changing magazine mid shoot? - 16mm


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I'm used to shooting with 400ft magazines on smaller student productions and never having to change the magazine mid-shoot. However, I may be using the Krasnagorsk-3 soon, which only accepts 100ft reels. Is there a safe and reliable way to swap out the film reels reels, store them, and replace them with new rolls mid-shoot? 

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A "film tent" or large changing bag with several oversized film cans can be used on location to change out film.  The changing tent or bag will have to be large enough to hold the camera, the film and the storage cans all at once.

It won't be easy and you'll have to practice with dummy loads, but you can do it.  It won't be "frame accurate, but you should be able to pull and restart a roll within a foot or two of the extraction point.  The hard part will be threading the camera sight-unseen, but if you practice with your eyes closed, it you can make it happen.

Organize and think it through;  you'll have to find a way to identify (by touch) which daylight spool is the feed and which is the take up in the cans you use in which to store the film that is not in the camera.  I would also be a good idea to find a way to immobilize the reels to keep them from unspooling in the cans...

Once you start practicing with dummy loads, a host of problems will present themselves, but you should be able to find a solution before you load your valuable raw stock.

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3 hours ago, Frank Wylie said:

It won't be "frame accurate, but you should be able to pull and restart a roll within a foot or two of the extraction point.  The hard part will be threading the camera sight-unseen, but if you practice with your eyes closed, it you can make it happen.

 

Just thinking about all the times I've done this in 35mm still cameras, I don't think this part is as hard as you're thinking.  The leader was light-struck the first time you loaded it, you can just go ahead and light-strike it some more the second time you load it.  Well, with 35mm still film you can because of the light tight felt lip the film feeds out of.  As you say, if the daylight spool unwinds significantly while out of camera, that could be an issue.  You should probably tape the leading edge down again like it was from the factory.

It's going to be significantly harder than with a still camera to get to the same spot in the film the subsequent time(s), so of course you have to overdo it just to be sure and waste a foot or three of film in the process.

(on edit) - OH, I see, you are both talking about pulling BOTH reels out of the camera mid-shoot.  Yuck.  I am talking about rewinding the film and putting it back in the can, then threading  it and (with the lens cap on!) running the camera to the same point in the film again.  Which would require a camera that can run in reverse of course.

Duncan

Edited by Duncan Brown
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I am wondering if you Might just try to get a few extra take up spools, (and cans)  and see if you lab would be willing to do the extra splices needed to have for example two 50 ft shots count as one roll of 100ft.  after your first shot, just cut off the film, and use a fresh take up spool to use the rest of the roll.

be aware that for very good reasons MOST labs will charge each spool as 100Ft for developing, even if you only have 20ft on the spool.  (for more effort to splice and keep track of each lenth of film than the actual cost of running it through the processor.  then of course splice it again before scanning ot even printing.)

 

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TBH don't do this. 100ft is short enough, you will drive yourself mad trying to download & reload the K3. Either short end the film or roll out on the daylight spool. Another option if you are just trying to maximize your time in different shooting environments is to have two camera bodies so while one is reloaded you have another ready to go OR another loaded with a different stock. 

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