Jim Carlile

Have they actually announced it yet, or is this just inferred from their Super 8 page, where they announced E100D today and left out any mention of Plus-X and 64T? Wonder if Double-X neg will survive? That's a 70-year-old film.

Both Kodak VISION stocks in S8 are set up for one-stop overexposure. So, 7219 would rate at ASA 250. If you cut a filter notch then it will rate at ASA 400. The speed indice is cut for 400, and depressing the camera's filter pin with a notchless cartridge will set the SMPTE 'daylight' speed for that particular speed indice, which would end up being ASA 250. That's how they get it. Same with V100T-- speed indice is ASA 160T/100D, notchless cartridge pushes in the camera's filter pin, which then sets the meter at the ASA 100 (the daylight 'D' ASA). Cut a notch and you'll get an ASA 160 setting instead. A notchless cartridge also disables the internal 85 filter-- so basically Kodak sets up their S8 VISION tungsten stocks to read as daylight films with the lower ASAs. Why do they do that? Because they think a one-stop overexposure is best, and not to use a worn out internal 85. By the way, Kodak's 2002 information on that web page is wrong about 7217. The notches all set the V200T cartridge to ASA 100 in most cameras, not 160. This has caused an immense amount of confusion over the years. But it's really not much to worry about-- these films work well in most auto modes no matter how they rate, that's how much latitude they have.

If it's indoors you can control your setups and make sure they are high contrast. Outdoors it's harder, but a red, green, or orange filter will get darker and more dramatic results. For that classic Hollywood B/W look, the best place for advice is the John Alton book, called something like 'Painting with Light.' First came out in late 40s but was reprinted a few years ago. There's no way you can alter the inherent curve of the film stock, except maybe through processing techniques, so what you have to do is control the subject lighting.

Alessandro's right, the transfer house can remove the color cast that's created when you use tungsten film outdoors. If you want a filter then it's a 67mm, which should be easy to find, but brand new it will be expensive-- and remember, used externally it will also dim the viewfinder a bit with an amber cast. Film speeds as set by Kodak will be ASA 250 for V500T and 100 for V200T- that's one stop overexposed on each, but perfectly OK, as it will transfer better and Kodak sets it this way on purpose. For outdoor use on the 1014XLS, set the shutter to the 'sun' selection-- the 150 degrees setting, not the XL one. It will cut down the light a little.

Find the Norman Hollyn book on film editing, the earlier edition. If you're in L.A., then Christy's Editorial Film Supply will have everything you need. You've definitely got to A and B roll it, and edge number everything as well. Do that one thing first before you cut the workprint-- it has to correspond exactly to the negative. If you've already cut apart the workprint and haven't edge numbered it all first or have some kind of reliable keycode, then I don't know how you can ever cut the negative without losing your mind.

The best thing to do on that camera with V200 is just set the ASA for 100 and don't worry about an 85 filter. Any daylight color cast can be removed in post. If you really want to use an external filter, then ASA 100 will provide the right amount of slight overexposure. Kodak even recommends a full one-stop over, which is why they set up the cartridge to rate V200T at ASA 100 with no filter. There's lots of latitude with that film.

Is there any truth to the story that the original Technicolor monopack was just modified Kodachrome?

No, it sounds more like Altman's Quintet. It would have been one man, Paul Newman, walking into a blizzard, going "North." Last shot-- he alone at the end, advancing away. A very good movie, BTW-- seriously underrated and maligned.

In those days the conventional DPs only used wide-angle lenses for effect, too, and rarely. Most of the time it was well above 35mm focal length for all the shots, unless space got in the way. Focus pulling was a practiced art as well. BTW, the classic text for attaining that old-fashioned look is '5Cs' .

Was Technicolor reversal?

Super 8, for Kodachrome: 1975 = $2.50, 1980= $4.50, 1985= $ 8.50; 1990 about $10, add $2 to $3 for sound, $6 more by 1990; 1995 = $13.00, leveling off to about $15 at the end. Tri-X and Plus- X; 1975, virtually unavailable unless you bought 100 rolls, about $6 by 1980 if you could find it, $8 bucks until about 1995, now $11, because Kodak practically subsidizes it. It's a bargain, really-- probably more than ever. 1975-- 16mm all over the place, recans, about 4 cents a foot for both color and B/W, fresh factory stock about $6 for 100 feet-- by 1990 16mm 100 feet was about $18 for B/W, $25 for color, not much less than now. Ilford and Dupont was considerably cheaper in the 70s than Kodak.

If your camera can read 160T, just cut a filter notch in the cartridge so that the camera's filter pin will stay out Without the notch, Tri-X will push in the filter pin, causing the camera to set the meter at ASA 100, which is one stop overexposed. With the filter pin out the meter will rate it at ASA 160 -- much better. The same is true of VISION 200. On some cameras the notch will make no difference, because they don't do the automatic 2/3 stop kickdown-- newer ones, especially. But just to be sure, cut a notch. With Tri-X you don't need an 85 filter, so keep the filter switch set to bulb. It'll give you more sensitivity in low light situations.

VISION 200 works really well in the M-4. Cut a filter notch in the cartridge and it will read at ASA 100-- which Kodak recommends. And it will keep the internal 85 filter in place for daylight filming, unless you insert the top filter key-- but don't in this camera, it only complicates things.. If you don't cut a notch it will be rated at ASA 64. Then if you tape an 85 over the lens that will cut-out 2/3 stop worth of light, which makes it like ASA 100 again. That's more than acceptable for negative film. This is probably the best way to go. Use a 625 battery for the meter-- it can only go in one way. The holder slides out of the back of the battery compartment, on the left. That camera can also be lubed easily or even repaired, just by taking out the large screws that hold it together. So the M-4 will run: Plus-X spot-on if you cut a filter notch in the cartridge, 2/3 stop overexposed if you don't V200 spot-on either way, for outdoor use 64T with a bit of overexposure-- about 2/3 stop, which if you project will give a nice, bright picture on the screen and muted, pastel-ly colors.

The M-4 will run ASA 40/25 and ASA 100/64 at the high end of its ASA scale. So you can easily run Plus-X if you cut a filter notch in its cartridge-- otherwise it will rate it at ASA 64. For 64T, you might need to experiment. If you can make sure that both pins stay out when the cartridge is installed and the filter pin pushed in, you can run it by placing an 85 filter over the lens for the color correction-- it will be metered at ASA 100 but the filter will cut down the light by 2/3 of a stop, getting the exact ASA 64. The extrenal meter won't know the difference. The best bet is to use 64T on the M-2. It's easier. The M-4 has two ASA pins but not sure what the second one is for. Two pins = four different possible ASA ratings (all out, all in, top in, bottom in) but not sure what all the ratings are. It may very well be able to run 64T perfectly without modification, which was an official Kodak S8 speed-indice, though rarely used. My favorite S8 cameras. Great results, easy to use. The originals.

Well technically it doesn't engage it, it lets you use the filter but only if you slide the switch to 'sun.' That cartridge has a filter notch. The VISION stocks don't, so they will disengage the internal 85 automatically, with no way of overriding it. That camera will also rate 64T at the correct exposure, too.

Two or three successfully. When Kodak discontinued 4X they recommended pushing Tri-X as a replacement.

Bolex 18-5

I think this is the 801 macro manual, here, complete: http://www.jeffheit.com/nizo801macro.pdf

If one of the guidelines is to shoot on Kodak film, they may not like it if it is originated on video-- they'll see right through it, if they are so inclined, and you might get penalized.

A 400 foot roll? How old was it? Was it Kodak, or a plain label? It might have been re-perfed 16mm, which would explain the jitter-- the perfs weren't up to snuff. Kodak R8 won't have any problems, except in threading the projector, where you might start with a split-frame in the gate due to not knowing where the perfs line up.

Remember that those cartridges will be setting the meters at ASA 160, so that gives you about 1/3+ stop difference, in your favor. So you might just be on target, depending upon what the reading is. Tri-X is ASA 200, but there is no S8 speed indice for that, so the cartridge is notched at ASA 250, and then kicked down to ASA 160 by a notchless cartridge that pushes in the filter pin, thus setting the meter 2/3 stop less than 250. It's the closest they can get to 200.

Send it here: http://www.video-technik-schacherl.de/ He took over for Nizo in the 80s. Good work, if he's still doing it. Board level repair, everything. Get it done while you can--there are other German repair outfits that do fine work, but this guy is very good.

It's worth fixing. Try this guy: http://www.super16inc.com/page2.html

I think with your background you would be very disappointed in what most L.A. film schools have to offer. True there is more industry here, but it sounds like your curriculum and fellow film students are far more sophisticated and better-read than what you will ever find in America. The only exception might be AFI. If you want to come to California and study, that would be the best bet for you. But it's very competitive. And get your European degree first. The second choice would be UCLA or USC graduate schools-- the MFA programs. But even there you might find that you outrank the other students. If you are going to a highly selective European school then you're way beyond most Americans. For instance, American students grow up with things called "multiple choice tests," which get a big laugh from every European I've known. And don't knock 20-million dollar budgets, either. Enjoy your time as a film student in a great school in a great city.

Java has them, yes. They're on EBAY all the time. http://www.grannybot.org/~macjava/filmpage.html