Peter Anderson

Thanks Freya! I always appreciate your input :)

Its super16. I was more interested in knowing whether i could get a better quality image (in terms of grain) out of 500T or whether i should switch to a slower stock.

My initial ambition was to achieve the richest and most crip images possible but now I feel i should really re-asses my approach to the project considering my limitations. I expect it would be too difficult for someone with as little experience as me to really achieve the kind of images id like - Not to say i won't give my best shot...

Wow thats really nice! what kit did you film on? I tested some fuji eterna 500T and the grain in shadow areas was appaling - Very reasonable in highlights though. So would it be better to choose 500T rated at 320 or 200T rated at 160 to get better quality images? I shouldnt have a problem re-planning my lighting setups but i would be shooting at fairly low f-stops on the 200T

I think they are easily over a year old at the least - Kept refrigerated at my local lab. Its reassuring to see that I can get much better out of 500T. Ive ordered a powerfull pressure lamp (125W) to substitute the current paraffin lantern im using in a dominant scene. This should give me enough light to switch to 200T for all but one nightime exterior scene where firelight is present in an oil drum at the bottom of an alley. I would love to go as low as 100T wherever possible but I think that would be pushing it - im terrified of risking under exposure...

It was old short ends and a Spirit Telecine. Could someone post images of an optimum quliaty 500T image. it would be a great help to see the potential of this stock on 16mm. Thanks

Unfourtunately I only have an Arriflex SR2 at my disposal so i cant switch to 35mm - Also there is no more budget for film test so my stock descision will be final. For these stills i was shooting at f2.4 but for some of the firelit scenes im shooting as wide as f1.4. I shoot in 21 days and this unexpected issue of grain is bugging me something rotten. All the test shoots Ive had have been with a iso of 500 in mind but i would really like to get a much tighter grain, especially in the shadows and highlights where it seems to be most prominent. Id like it to be as simple as switching to more powerfull lamps but Im sure ill have to compromise using a lantern - Something i really dont want to do. Im considering getting my gaffer to wire up a dummy lantern and sub in a 40w bulb but im worried it will look fake in the wider shots. Is there anywhere I can get information on making convinciny dummy lanterns along with compulsory flicker?

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I haven't been through an xray and i need to expose firelight which is why I am commited to a high asa stock. Here are some stills - Does it look like typical grain for kodak 500T?

I just got the rushes from a test shoot i shot on Vision2 500T and it came out a lot grainier than I expected. Is this something to normally expect frot this rating of 16mm film or could there be other reasons for the very obvious grain? The fuji Eterna 500T i got back was even grainier - Unbearably so in fact. I would like to choose a faster stock but the low lighting situations im shooting in means it cant be avoided. Is the new Vision3 500T any less grainier?

I need a more powerfull lantern than im currently using for an indoor shoot and have been looking at pressure lanterns. they come in the wattage I need but im worried about the health and safety issues that could arise from using these types of lanterns. has anyone had any experience with these?

Just a quick thanks to everyone would helped me out with this post. Loaded and unloaded my first 100' daylight spool into an SR2 without a hitch because of all the great replies. Im in pre-production DoPing my frist 16mm shoot and these forums have been invaluable. Cheers! Prokopi

Just a quick thanks to everyone would helped me out with this post. Loaded and unloaded my first 100' daylight spool into an SR2 without a hitch because of all the great replies. Im in pre-production DoPing my frist 16mm shoot and these forums have been invaluable. Cheers! Prokopi

How can i recreate that yellowish orange sodium vapour look with tungsten or HMIs? A visual reference would be the street shoot out in No Country For Old Men. Advice, photos or direction to an existing thread would be great. Thanks

Er, sorry not yesterday (duh). Had it today. Biggest error that was made was we didnt realise when the roll was finished as the counter doesnt work with daylight spools and theres no noticable change in sound. Well, thats what test shoots are for i suppose.

I have a test shoot yesterday to try out some fuji stock. Its on a 100' spool so im having to use my schools Arriflex SR2 instead of the Aaton XTR. Is there any advice or tips anyone can offer. Id like to prevent any stupid mistakes on my part. Thanks

Thanks a lot thats cleared a lot up. How easy is it to slide the coreless stock onto a 2" core in a changing bag? I expect it will unravel and be a pain to do. Can i not leave it coreless or will the lab give me grief?

Ive been trawling the forums for info on loading dalight spools into Super16 cameras - Is it as simple as removing the small spool in the arriflex mag and dropping in the metal 100' spool? Afterwards can i then just feed the protective leader through or does it need tearing off? I have never loaded a 100' spool and am mostly speculating as to what to expect.

Has anyone had experience with these fuji stocks? Id appreciate any information that will help me in making an educated choice between them. Stills & footage would be extremely uselfull.

Graded digital stills from a test shoot i had today. THe director wanted a crips sterile, over exposed look. Advice and constructive critisicm appreciated. 2K Fresnel gelled with full CTB Bounced off the ceiling for fill with an 800 through a 4x4 frame of 216 as a soft key. The location is a classroom and i used the same 2k/800 combo at the back and a high kinoflo in between. Once the lights where setup i didnt have to touch them for the duration of the test shoot. Shot on some Vision2 500T Short ends, ill post some frame grabs once its comes back from the lab.

I think you're right :)

Ok so let me get this completely straight... a 50mm lens on 35mm format ISN'T the same as a 25mm lens on 16mm format because the shorter lens still suffers from increased distortion in perspective caused from having a shorter focal length? So if i wanted a similar sense of distance between formats I would have to sacrifice field of view? Is that a correct assumption. Desipte the hammering of posts its still a little confusing. If i like the look of a 50mm lens on a 35mm camera it seems that essentially I cannot replicate it exactly on 16mm, not without sacrificing some element of composition at least.

I'll be testing Fuji Eterna 250T and 160T for the scene but im interested in what other people would choose. I want the practicals to be effective whilst having very short light falloff. In the bar there is a dark corner from which a sinister patron emerges no more than 5ft away from where our protagonist needs to be lit.

One of the sets for a 16mm short im shooting has limited 'manuverability' in terms of setting up light rigs. I want to light the set with a mixture of incandescents, fluorescents and kerosene lanterns. Additional motivated lighting will be provided by discreetly mounted, small fresnels. The scene is a dark and dingy bar so working with low light levels isnt the main problem, im more concerned with underexposure and low contrast that can result from choosing the wrong stock. If you can imagine, the scene is a cross between John Doe's apartment in Seven and the dilapidated apartment in Bexhill detention centre from Children of Men. Im interested in the approach people would have to lighting a scene of this kind. Any examples and ideas would be much appreciated.