Search the Community

Hello , I'm looking to work with a DP or Cinematographer that works on film in Los Angeles for free to learn more in the field. I have been working in the film industry for 11 years. I started in NYC and been living in Los Angeles for the last 3. I'm looking to learn more on film and get more experience. I have worked on digital a lot, RED, ARRI ALEXIA, Blackmagic, Canon 5D and 7D, Sony and worked on super 16mm in the past. I was lucky enough to work on 35mm twice in NYC 8 years ago. I want to learn more and get more back into film and looking to meet new people with that experience. Thanks and I really love reading the blogs on here and love making films. Experienced in loading, building, and AC work, also operating.

Im finally shooting on film again in a few months on a short film. Our budget will only allow us to shoot 16, but Im considering using ENR -- which I might fund myself -- because the dark storyline could be enhanced by slightly bleak and contrasty cinematography. Ive never heard of anyone using any silver retention processing on 16, so naturally Im curious if there is any precedent. Has anyone heard about or tried this? Im going to test this, obviously, but it would be nice to know as much as I can before testing. Its been so long since Ive shot film that Im not even sure ENR is still offered at FotoKem (LA) or Technicolor (LA) anymore. Last I heard skip bleach and ENR are still an option.

I check Ebay constantly for bargains for my Arri but I also check out all other 16mm and 35mm equipment. Recently I have seen a surge in sales of old B&H 70DR's with and without lenses and for very high prices in comparison to Bolex as a compatible wind and go camera. They are selling at $250 body only and higher with any kind of c-mount lens. I never would consider Bolex as being of lower quality then BH in fact I think it is far better yet Bolex H16's are going un-sold at $90 and $120. Did some movie star use one in a movie or something? I remember when Clint Eastwood came out with Dirty Harry sales of .44 Magnums went through the roof to folks that would never use one and probably were not capable of using one. Is this the same kind of thing? Anyone know something about this phenomena?

Last summer I made a 16mm film and was given a great amount of technical and tactical help from these forums. This film became "American Watercolors". In it, I drive an old Datsun B210 from New Mexico to the ocean. The camera I used was my grandfathers Bell & Howell 240 and I learned after the fact that there was a registration issue with the camera which is what caused all of the melding and mushing of image. The film has shown this year at the Johns Hopkins Film Festival, Indie Grits Film Festival & Athens of Ohio Film & VIdeo Festival. I leave in 3 days for a 5 week road journey of Europe and I will be creating another film similar to American Watercolors. This time I plan on using voicemails from people we encounter on the road as a sonic layer to better help specify site and narrative... Any thoughts on this or other work I have uploaded to Vimeo is more than welcome and appreciated! Best

Here's my latest reel.. Moving to NY from LA next week. https://vimeo.com/96209450 35mm, 16mm, Alexa, Red, HD Thanks for checkin it out--

Hello People! Please help me if you are an expert in Arri's and 16mm's. I am confused. Reading a lot about Arri 16 BL and their specific bayonet mounts, lenses...adapters and manuals. My question is can any other lenses-which are not in the manual- be used at any way on the Arri 16 BL or because of the specific bayonet mount I am only able the use the manufacture required lenses with the Arri bayonet mount? Had a look on some vintage Zeiss Sonar Pentaflex 16mm lenses and some vintage Kodak looks like it might fit..? or am I wrong. What I don't want is to destroy a delicate working Arri 16 BL. The picture is taken of the actual Arri and the attachment ring. Can this be replaced with any other adapter ring maybe? If anyone out there is an expert...please advise. Thank you Levi

Preferably in PL mount, and from sellers in the UK/EU (as I'm based in the UK), though open to offers from further afield. Kind Regards, Josh

Hey, I've got a Bolex EBM 16mm cam in pretty good condition that doesn't seem to run. I've tested it with multiple power sources and the red light turns on but the motor does not run when you press the button. I've tried to find people with Bolex knowledge in the Vancouver area but have had no luck! Any ideas as to what could be the problem? Or any suggestions as to my next course of action? Thanks in advance!

Hi guys, I'm not a cinematographer but I came a cress this beautiful camera, a Debrie 16mm. It has been used by the Swedish Televison company as it says on the case. Comes with 4 film holders (!!??). I want to sell it and you are welcome to come with proposals. I got more photos to email

Hello, I'm in the market for a super-16 camera with video assist/tap, 400ft mags, crystal sync at 24/25. Got my eye out for an Arri SR2, SR3, or an Aaton, although a reliable Eclair NPR could do the trick. A camera in Europe is preferable as import duty costs a fortune. Looking to spend £1000 - £2000 ($1650 - $3300) depending on the model and condition. Thanks, Greg

Greetings, I am selling my Kinor CX-2M kit. It is in working order. Kinor CX-2M 16mm camera 12-120mm lens Motor XLR cable (3) filters Battery Lens Hood Lens Cap Rear lens cap Zoom lever Viewfinder (3) magazines - 100ft /30m $499 message me if your interested I can provide pictures and a video of the camera working.

I wanted to see if I could get any advice about shooting Kodak 7219 500T film in my Canon Scoopic. The ASA speed maxes out at 380. Will this overexpose everything? Should I only shoot with interior lighting? Could it be used in daylight with an ND filter? I'm new to this, so I'm still learning a lot. Thanks for any advice! - Joe

Hi guys! I’m currently in the pre-production stage on a project that I am planning on shooting this coming summer. It’s a music video that follows a group of people with emphasis on one of them and her experience and discoveries about herself during their stay at a music festival over the course of about ten days during the summer vacation. I’ve been toying with this idea for some time now and I’ve realized that I really want to shoot this on film. I really feel that film is the way to go, both in the way I would end up working and also in the end result. I really think a slightly soft and grainy and warm and beautiful S16/U16 (or perhaps even 35) Kodak Vision look would suit the subject matter very well. This is where I need your help. I am looking for a robust and light camera system that, if 16mm, would easily convert to Super or Ultra 16, preferably hand cranked, although this is not a requisite as long as the system has interchangeable batteries that last long and can be charged from a standard 220V socket as I will be staying with the group the entire time with limited access to electricity. A hand cranked camera would probably be a better option. I already own an H-16 Rx that I have some experience with, however it is not ideal considering I limit myself to Rx lenses and 100’ magazine and a viewfinder I’m not super fan of; too small and too dim imo. Basically, what I’m after: A light and portable S/U16 camera 400’ magazine preferably seeing as I will be shooting a lot of slowmo 24-48 fps Hand cranked is a plus Turret mount is a plus That being said … I have also been toying with the idea of shooting 35mm. I’ve seen several labs that scan 35 at a lower price than 16. Difference in the price of film isn’t that big either. Something like a Konvas looks almost perfect for what I’m after. The only problem being that it maxes out at 32fps and I’m not too familiar with old Soviet electronics. 3-perf would be more ideal than 4. I’d really appreciate some input and help from you fine people here ^^

Hello, I'm working on a project for 2015 that I want to shoot on black and white 16mm film. I've watched several films online shot with Tri-X film and a few on Double X but the blacks are so dark (I know, they're supposed to be). :) These are great film stocks but for my film I kinda don't want the blacks to be so black. For example, one of my favorite films is the 1956 version of "The Bad Seed" and as you can see from the photos the black and white image is not so dark. The blacks aren't so black like they are in the modern stocks. I might not be explaining this well. You can see from the fireplace below that there is black and that the liquor is obviously a dark color but the overall scene isn't dark on the edges and has an even grey scale tone. Even the images with more dark areas aren't as black as what I've seen in modern B&W stocks. Is it possible for me to achieve this lighter toned black and white imagery with modern black and white film stocks? Or would I have to shoot on color film and do a grey scale/desaturate/black and white treatment on it in post? This discussion lost me a bit: http://www.cinematography.com/index.php?showtopic=50105&hl=%20black%20%20and%20%20white&page=2 I think someone in that post had a great idea of shooting with a still film camera using the film stock I'd like to use with the setup I plan to shoot and see how that looks. I'm going to try that.

Hello everyone, I'll be shooting a short film this month, for which I need to emulate the look of an early b&w silent film. It is a bold look but has to be watcheable as the entire movie is shot this way. I'll be shooting on Super 16, and was considering a couple options regarding film stock and processing: - Shooting black and white directly on 7222 stock, exposing normally. I like the idea, the stock is naturally grainy, but the dynamic range is quite limited. - Shooting 200T 7213, under-exposing the neg and then push-processing by one stop. Black and white would be done in post. It is risky, as the image is probably going to be grainy, high-contrast and the blacks will be muddy ; but I was thinking all of this would help "sell" the look. - Shooting 500T 7219, over-exposing 2/3 stop and then pull-processing. Black and white done in color grading as well. I like the idea of keeping color information to grading, and this looks like the safest option to me. As far as lenses and diffusion is concerned, it will be a series of old superspeeds, which I will be diffusing with something like a Glimmerglass or a black soft net. I know I should shoot tests, and I will. But I'd be glad to hear your opinions and if you think there's an obviously better option. Thanks ! G.C.

Hey guys, So we're shooting the first ten minutes of our feature film this month and I'm trying to finalize my lens package. We can afford 5 Super Speeds (35, 50, 85, 100, 135) but I don't know how low I can go on 16mm. If it can handle something like an 18 or a 21, or even a 24, I would be very interested. for more information on our movie, check us out at po.st/sowhat

Hi Folks, I didn't go to film school. Most of my training came from internships in middle and high school (also my family was in local television) and those connections worked into jobs when I got out of school, so I'm not familiar with the film school scene, in fact, many of my mentors in the business advised me that unless I had a lot of money and could afford UCLA (this was 1978, by the way) or something equivalent, not to waste time and money on film school, especially since I had already had a good bit of hands on training during my volunteer work. It worked out for me pretty well , but that was a different time.Throughout the years I've done some consulting and community college level teaching, but never on a film school level until a year and half ago when I taught a cinematography class for the New York Film Academy in Celebration, Florida. I had a blast, great students and I got to work with some high caliber folks and for me the coolest part was I got to work with Arri S 16mm cameras that I thought I would never see beyond a museum again. Tri X Reversal, it brought back memories of high school football games and early 60's newsreels, my childhood and early adulthood.After reading up on NYFA both pro and con, I got the impression that many were questioning the wisdom of teaching students on an "old clunker" when the big guys are shooting with RED's and Alexa's. Fair enough, but you have to remember, this level of student, high school or early college is not going to start out with one of those anymore than I did with a Arri SR or Aaton Prod.You also have to take into consideration the number of students that aren't interested in becoming cinematographers. About two thirds of my students were wanting to be actors, directors and producers and they certainly weren't going to take it to the Panavision level. So here are the options for this level of student that I see. HD Prosumer or DSLR: I would lean toward either DSLR or perhaps some of what Black Magic is offering. This is where I have to criticize NYFA on their choice of the Panasonic prosumer grade cameras they use. Great cameras, but they're ENG and no matter how much you play with camera tape markings on the lens barrel,it's still not a proper lens for that. I offered the students the option of using that or the MF numbers on the monitor, as most AC's I've seen these days follow the cam op via a small flat screen monitor.Now DSLR's are great, but here again, they're not designed for a Hollywood type film crew operation unless you spend a good deal of cash on camera cages and follow focus attachments. This would be economically impractical in this type of situation, I could imagine the nightmare of trying to keep up with that many DSLR kits students were sent out with on the Disney backlot. High school students and even the adults in that type of situation need to keep the number of items in the field small,and the many pieces of tinker toy type stuff that goes with DSLR's would be a nightmare to contend with. Then you have super 8 and 16mm. I love super 8 and I could see it being used on a basic "primer" type of project, but beyond the avant garde scene, yuppie weddings and a certain type of look, its not really such a good training format either,It's best reserved, in my opinion for the "intimate" hand held, home movie or retro doc look, which is exactly what we're seeing the industry currently using it for. Then you have the old stand by, tried and true 16mm "clunkers". I love these things, they're my classic muscle cars, what I cut my teeth on, but it disturbed me to see so much precious film footage being wasted on exposure tests and workshops.Moreover , such a volume of labwork was a nightmare for scheduling projects, These days, especially for a film student on a budget, 16mm film stock is like oil and seeing it used like that is almost like driving a Hummer to the corner store. Check out this video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYADhAZsPNA Now let's say a film school has a fleet of "old clunkers". They're still good for training the basics on, but if,say you converted half of the fleet to a digital hybrid, the student could learn basic composition,exposure, work flow and camera crew operation and once they've mastered that, then they can move on to shooting their projects with real film cameras, if that's the direction, if not, they will still be prepared for the film type work flow that is currently standard procedure in the industry, rather than pick up bad habits from being trained on an ENG camera. P and S Teknik is already doing this with Arri 16 SR 3's, offering a digital mag and as I understand someone else is working on a digital super 8 cartridge. What are your opinions on this? Marty Hamrick Semi retired cameraman Oshawa, Ontario

Attached are several photos of my ARRI SR3 16MM Camera Package. These items are for sale as a package OR my be sold separately. See pricing included, OBO. Please contact me with any questions. Thanks, Roland

Ok, this is my first film shot with motion picture film. I read as much as I could about it a jumped right in. This weekend we filmed a very fun and cheesy, short for a Zombie Film Challenge. I'll be sending the footage to the lab on Tuesday. I had a relatively simple one-location story (my garage) with the lighting you see in the photo. In the back, the large white square on the ceiling to the far right behind the practical is a 250 watt Lowel Pro Light. In front there is a 500 Watt Lowel Omni Light and to the far right a 1000 watt Strand Bambino Fresnel on full. I didn't use my light meter. :( I felt a bit unprepared and rushed. I shot with the 16mm Switar wide open the whole time. I may have shot a few seconds with the Switar preset 10mm but that lens for some reason seems confusing to me even though I've read how to use it. I shot most of the garage scenes on Vison 500T and some on Vision 200T and one on Vision3 200T. My question is do you think I should order 1 - 2 stop Push processing for the garage footage given the film stock used, the lighting conditions and me shooting wide open? Thanks.

Hey guys, We are currently selling a Zeiss Distagon S16 super speed lens, MKII, scale in feet & metric, ARRI PL-Mount, 16mm, T1.2. Let me know if you are interested or have any questions.

I am selling 15 rolls of 16mm Kodak Vision3 200T 7213. I got these directly from Kodak 3 years ago. They are factory sealed and have been in a humidity-controlled dedicated film fridge for that entire time. I would love to get $100/roll for them and sell all of them at once, but I am willing to negotiate if you are interested and even more willing to negotiate if your a student. Captain Phillips, Beasts of the Southern WIld and Hurt Locker are just a few great films in the last few years shot on the robust format of super16 :) Nathan

February Scanning Special For the month of February, Gamma Ray Digital is offering the following special rate for Super8 and 16mm 2k scans to DPX or ProRes files on our Lasergraphics ScanStation. This is only for members of the Cinematography.com forums: 2k DPX Log scans from negative -OR- 2k DPX or ProRes flat scans (ungraded) from prints/reversal: 16mm, 16bit DPX: $0.43/foot 16mm, 10bit DPX or ProRes 4444 or ProRes 422 HQ: $0.35/foot Super-8, 16bit DPX: $0.54/foot Super-8, 10bit DPX or ProRes 4444 or ProRes 422 HQ: $0.50/foot No extra fees for optical audio capture. Low minimum order size. No fees for file copy if you follow the hard drive guidelines below. The fine print: 100' minimum for Super 8, 200' minimum for 16mm. You supply the hard drive: eSATA or bare Internal SATA in NTFS format required for DPX; eSATA, Firewire 800 or USB3 in HFS+ or NTFS for ProRes. Does not include return shipping costs. Order must be placed and film must arrive at our office before Friday, 2/28/14. Payment by credit card, PayPal or wire transfer (cash is ok if you're picking up in person). A small setup fee may apply if you have lots of short reels (50' for S8 and 100' for 16mm). Let us know how many small reels you're sending and we'll let you know the setup fees, if any. Turnaround time is typically two business days, depending on how much film you're scanning. Let us know if you've got a deadline and we'll make it work. To place an order, use our contact form (http://www.gammaraydigital.com/contact), and include the code "CINEMATOGRAPHY" in the Subject line. Let us know your cinematography.com username if it's not your real name, how much film you've got, and what gauge/type.

I'm throwing ideas out because I'm interested in shooting 2.39 with standard 16mm film, which would thus require 2x Anamorphic Lenses with a 1.19 Frame on a standard 16mm strip, specifically this means fitting the largest 1.19:1 rectangle possible on 16mm, single perf or double, whichever gives more room efficiently without compromising steady feed. 1. Is it possible? 2. Who could manufacture such a film? 3. What would it cost? Thanks for reading this madness. -Steven

Hi, I'm offering my camera set for sale, it includes: BOLEX EL mk.II normal16 camera body. last user had it sent to Bolex switzerland to complete service. Since then (4 years ago) only about 25 rolls of 100' film have been shot with camera. Camera runs without any problems, and it's really in great shape. Kern Vario-Switar Compact 18-75mm f3.5 zoom bolex bayonet mount. Lens is in mint condition and has great image quality. Angenieux 15mm f1.3 C-mount lens 2x Bolex <> C-mount adapter one genuine Bolex, and one "heavy-duty" from Andrew Alden - Bolex.co.uk Arri Standart <> C-mount adapter 4x behind the lens filters 1x with 85 filter 1x with 85N9 filter 1x with ND6 filter 1x free Power cable to 4pin XLR All fitted in PELI case ----- I'm selling this set, because I've got SR1 ant LTR sets and don't use Bolex any more. I'm located in Slovak Republic, Europe PRICE: € 850 + shipping

Hello, I have 8 brand new sealed rolls - 976m/3200ft - of KODAK 16mm VISION3 500T Color Negative Film 7219 that I am (unfortunately) trying to sell. You can send me a personal message for a quote. Best regards, Tiago Carvalho