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16mm film in early stages of vinegar syndrome. Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Small Gauge Film Archive This post is about various tests I've done over the last 5 years looking to halt the progression of and reverse the degradation of film suffering from Vinegar Syndrome. Vinegar Syndrome (VS) is a big problem with acetate cine' film. Maybe 15% to 20% of my cine' film Archive suffers from it in some form. Heat makes acetate film off-gas acetic acid + no ventilation in the sealed film can, for the acetic acid gas to escape = VS. The films then start to shrink and buckle. They become brittle, emulsion can flake off and in extreme cases solidify into a blob. If you want to allow for ventilation with film storage, get vented film cans. The only surefire way to halt the progression of VS is to vacuum seal the film and freeze it subzero. Photo: D.D. Teoli Jr. Screenshot Google image search: D.D. Teoli Jr. Chest freezers are an economical way to buy freezer space. You can get a 5 cubic foot model for about $180. Or for $800 you can buy one big enough to hold 3 or 4 human bodies. 16mm humidor film can Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Small Gauge Film Archive Back in the day, they had humidor film cans. They had an absorbent material in the center to add water or chemicals to. Originally, they were made for water humidity. Later on, film users used various chemicals to try and preserve the film, such as camphor or from the smell of it, some type of naphthalene. Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Small Gauge Film Archive Vaporate - Peerless Film Treatment was a commercial treatment done to film to protect it from deterioration due to handling. I've only seen one example of Vaporate. That sample showed no deterioration from VS. But, being I've only seen one sample of Vaporate, there was not enough confirmation to draw any conclusions. Vaporate trademark embossed on 16mm film leader Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Small Gauge Film Archive Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Small Gauge Film Archive 16mm film with Vaporate film treatment. Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Small Gauge Film Archive To save money, some film collectors made homemade humidor film cans by taping blotter material in the center of the lid. Homemade 16mm humidor film cans. Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Small Gauge Film Archive <><><><> 16mm film in lab can soaking in Vitafilm treatment. Photo: D.D. Teoli Jr. The tests I ran for Vitafilm & Film Renew covered 5 years using Kodachrome and B&W stock suffering from VS. Photo: D.D. Teoli Jr. Here were some of the tests I conducted on 16mm films. All aging was done in a tape sealed film can to maximize absorption and slow the evaporation process. Some films were reverse wound during the soaking and aging process, others were not. Reverse winding didn't make a whole lot of difference once it was returned to normal wind. A few of the tests were not aged and just wiped down after treatment. Most of the testing was done with black and white film stock, although I did test a number of Kodachrome reels suffering from VS to see if there was any difference in results. List of Tests: Generous application of Vitafilm or Film Renew and aged 1 month. Soaked 1 hour in Vitafilm or Film Renew and wiped down. Soaked 1 day in Vitafilm or Film Renew and wiped down. Soaked 1 day in Vitafilm or Film Renew, drip dried and aged 1 month. Soaked 3 days in Vitafilm or Film Renew, drip dried and aged 2 months. Soaked 1 week in Vitafilm or Film Renew, drip dried and aged 3 months. Soaked 1 month in Vitafilm or Film Renew, drip dried and aged 6 months. Soaked 3 months in Vitafilm or Film Renew, drip dried and aged 2 years. Soaked 6 months in Vitafilm, drip dried and aged 4 years. Then it was soaked again for 2 days and aged another year for a total of 5 years aging. (Vitafilm tested only.) Photo: D.D. Teoli Jr. Irrespective of color or black and white film stock, none of the treatments I did fixed the film shrinking and warping. They may have halted the VS decay, but I can't attest to that one way or another, since it will take a few decades to determine if that is the case. The vinegar smell was replaced by a chemical smell and no further deterioration was noticed after the treatment. That is all I can say. Below are the results of the multi-soak 5-year test with Vitafilm. Before treatment Photo: D.D. Teoli Jr. Same film as above after soaking in Vitafilm for 6 months. It was drip dried and aged 4 years. Then it was soaked again for 2 days and aged another year for a total of 5 years aging. Photo: D.D. Teoli Jr. A-D test strips give you an objective method to test for VS. Photo: NYC Department of Records & Information Services Photo used under auspices of Fair Use. Background shows dirt on just a few feet of film using Film Renew as a cleaning agent. Photo: D.D. Teoli Jr. Irrespective of whether there is any halting of the VS from Film Renew or Vitafilm treatments; they both are excellent cleaners and lubricators for film. There is no comparison with the cleaning action you get with slow drying Film Renew compared to a fast-drying cleaner like Edwal that leaves a lot of the dirt behind. Fast drying cleaners evaporate before they get all the dirt. They also do not offer any lubrication if you are projecting a film. I cannot attest to the long-term archival effects of using film cleaners. That will have to be revisited a few decades from now. Photo: D.D. Teoli Jr. <><><><> Camera Store - Glendale, CA Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Archival Collection <><><><> Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Archival Collection Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Small Gauge Film Archive Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Advertising Archive Daniel D. Teoli Jr. VHS Video Archive Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Popular Culture Archive Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Audio Archive Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Social Documentary Photography

Photos: D.D. Teoli Jr. It has a sandy texture / coating on the outside. If it was marketed to curb V.S....it does not work that well. What is the scoop?

eBay: Fair Use The film collectors tell me 3M's Photogard and Dacar's Image Guard were helpful for scratch protection on film. But only for poly film. If applied to acetate, the film could not off gas and accelerated the VS destruction. <><><><> Selection from Anatomy of an 8mm Cine' Kodachrome - D.D.Teoli Jr.

Hello, I'm comparing 3 HMI fixtures that will get me the most light output on a 16a 230v (French) circuit. Here, in France we are able to get between 2500w to 3000w on a single breaker, depending on the houselhold config and its age. So, all three fixtures: the Arri M18, D25 and AS25 (Arrisun 4k bulbed at 2.5kW) have their own qualities and functions (facetted reflector, fresnel and par lenses) and I'm not here to compare their uses as it depends on the project. I haven't had any time getting all three on the same set to compare - but I've had multiple lamp ops tell me - and some info the web - about the similar light output all three fixtures will get you. I know the M18 is quite efficient and will stand quite close the the D25 - which loses quite a bit with its fresnel - but how about the AS25 with a narrow lens? I have looked at Arri's photometric calculator - but it doesn't seem to always be that accurate to my configs and output on set, beyond the lamp efficiency and age. Let me know if you have any thoughts, ideas or knowledge to share - don't hesitate. Cheers, - Jules.

Hello everybody, Has anyone of you made a comparative test between Alexa and Amira under the same conditions? According to Tech Specs, both cameras have exactly the same sensor. But is it possible to tell the difference between the two cameras, assuming they are using the same codec and ISO settings, the same lens and t-stop and the same lighting conditions? I´m looking forward to hear your opinions and experiences about this. Thanks, Matteo