Gautam Valluri

Agree with Simon, If you end up using spring-wound K3s, you will get a maximum of 25 seconds in a shot (at 24 fps)- which might be just long enough to not lose the sync. Conceptually, I would use the S8 cameras and shoot them at 18 fps for interesting inserts of the band and maybe even use the K3s for slow-motion closeups of guitar picking/ cymbal crashes etc..as long as the main sync camera is covering the performance. Cheers!

Oh yeah, I got about 10' of scrap film that I'm using to get used to threading without loop formers.

Another useful tip! These are all going into my notebook. Thanks Matthew.

Will, so glad my thread caught your eye! I had shipped to me in July and has been in the refrigerator since- so I'm hoping it won't be too bad. I think I get your point. I will aim to get the shadows a couple of stops above my lowest aperture. My reference visuals are all mostly uniformly lit faces and places- no deep shadows. I've got mostly day exterior shots- the light in Delhi this time of the year is gentle and in a week or so, there is fog expected and overcast conditions. Thanks again! Much appreciated.

I have the Bayonet mount K3- so I will be using only the stock 17-68mm Meteor lens. Giray, this is a very valuable tip for me. I have a tendency to lose the shadows completely (in my 35mm still photography). I will keep this mind while shooting. Also, I am planning to use a Yellow filter on the day exterior shots and overexpose by 1 stop. Thanks for the responses!

I bought my 16mm camera from eBay and had it posted to Delhi. Where there is a will, there is a way.

Hello People, I'm finally going to shoot a short on my K3 end-December. I've taken out the loop formers and cleaned up the camera inside out the best that I could. I will be shooting on the 7222 stock and plan to have it processed at AlphaCine and then Telecine'd at Frame Discreet. So my question to K3 and 7222 veterans: Is there anything else I need to keep in mind to get the best possible image on my K3? What can I do to get that extra bit of goodness from the 7222? Thanks, Gautam

Talking of Kickstarter campaigns, there are rumours on the internet that groups of photographers here and there are trying to develop their own version of the Kodachrome emulsion that works with the K-14 process. Its fascinating to read how the process works: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K-14_process Perhas Kodak would've been better off jacking up the price of Kodachrome stocks to unreasonable levels to meet their profits. That way at least, we would've still had Kodachrome! Anyway, this is a discussion for a different thread. Best, G

Hey WIll, Thanks for the advice. I only hope Kodak churns out that limited edition run of Kodachrome they've been talking about. Best, Gautam

Thanks for the link and the tip Christian! I love k3camera.com, its a great site.

Hey Chris, I'm thinking all that grain is because the stock was put in a luggage scanner on its way from the US. The stock was in baggage that was 'checked-in'. Could this be possible? Best, Gautam

Charles and Christian, Both of you are bang on target. I did some looking around and realized it was indeed the loop formers! Christian: Would you suggest I use a paintbrush to clean the gate instead? Or a dry rubber blower? I'm going to try and remove the loop formers myself as it is very expensive for me to send the camera abroad from India to have it done professionally. Thanks so much for your replies! Best, Gautam

This is a very fine piece of advice. Bravo Mr. Wyss!

So here it is! The footage from the test shoot:

Hello people, So I finally have the results of the test roll I shot on the X-Rayed stock I was worried about in this post. So no fogging! After one trip through the check-in baggage scanner and another one trip through a carry-on scanner and no sign of any fog. Here is the footage: Although, this footage still bothers me with all that grain! Doesn't look like a 200 speed film does it? Also, there are so many scratches and 'hairs' on the footage. I paid $100 for the telecine job to DVCAM and I am not happy with it. I don't like the keycode details/ timer display covering up the top and bottom of my footage but what bothers me most are the 'hairs'. Is it my camera? I remember I cleaned the gate with a Q-tip before I shot this footage. Is it a problem with ground glass? Or is it just a bad telecine job? I'd love to hear your views. Thanks, Gautam

Hey Charles, This is incredible! Thanks so much for the link, I can't believe how reasonable the prices are considering what a rare service they are providing. And you are right, the better way to honour my grandfather's gift is to use the camera as it was meant to be used. Best, Gautam

Charlie, So nice of you to post those pictures, thank you! Showing something visually is the best way to explain something to me (wish my teachers knew that in school!). I could probably get my local lab to re-spool the Kodachrome onto a 100' daylight spool. Also, like Miguel had pointed out, since its 25', I'm guessing that is 40 seconds of footage! I had been wanting to shoot on Kodachrome for so many years, never realizing that it was always right there, under my nose, all 40 seconds of it. Thanks guys!

Hey, Thanks so much for the link. Well, it's a 50ft daylight spool and I think it'll fit into the K-3's chamber which takes in 100ft spools.

Hey Geoff, Found this link online: http://www.theoldfilmcompany.com/Page5_1.htm Hopefully, they will be of some help. I was wondering if the perfs on the Double 8 will fit seamlessly into the 16mm cogs of my K3?

Hey guys, So I recently discovered a 50' roll of Double 8mm Kodachrome! My recently deceased maternal grandfather had given me his Kodak Brownie 8mm camera a few years ago but I never really paid attention to the film roll that was packed with it. Needless to say, it expired a long time ago- I'm guessing sometime in the 1960s or 70s but it is sealed in a daylight spool and I'd like to see if it works! So my question to you all is this. Since the Double 8mm format was technically a 16mm gauge film that was exposed in half-frame over two runs of the filmroll, could I run it in my 16mm Krasnogorsk 3? Let me know your thoughts. Best, G

Hey Gregg, Sorry to come back to you so late. Here is a breakdown of processing 16mm Eastman 7222 Double-X at Prasads Labs in Hyderabad (with approx USD conversions): Processing: 100' spool = INR 400 ($9) Prep for Telecine: INR 500 ($10) The standard Telecine rate currently is INR 4450 per hour ($85) The only hitch is the Telecine is only done to DVCAM. Get in touch with them, you'll get a better price for a bulk job. Hope this helps. Best. G

Tom and Isaac, Have my fingers crossed! But like Will and Robert have pointed out, these checked-in luggage scanners are atleast 5 times more powerful than hang baggage scanners. I'm hoping since the 100' spools come in non-metallic containers, they didn't nuke it very hard. But I'll just have to find out by doing a test. I'll keep you guys posted on what happens. Thanks! Best, Gautam

Will and Robert, Thanks for your replies, I was afraid of this. I intend to shoot a spool and see what happens as soon as I get a chance but will a dip test be any use? Could it indicate how badly the film is nuked? Best, Gautam

Hey Gregg, $185000 is attrocious! I'd suggest skipping the agent and finding a local friend who can approach the lab as the film's representative and make it seem like a local production. There are no 'small' labs for independent films but the big labs offer a more 'reasonable' cost to non-studio film productions. All you need to do is haggle! Just like you haggle on the streets, just negotiate negotiate negotiate till you get the price you want. I recommend Prasads Labs- they are the best and have branches in most major cities in India. Here's their website: http://prasadlab.com/ I really don't know what the exact costs are but I can tell you they will be nowhere in the same galaxy as $185000. Hope this helps! Best, Gautam