Alan Certeza Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Hello, I just recently was given about 9,000ft of free 35mm film color negative. My question is that how would I know if its any good without spending too much money to find out that it's 9,000ft of junk. The film was stored in the guy's basement. Today when I picked it up, it felt like 65degrees and the weather was somewhere around 60. Digging through the film and relabeling it, I found one that was marked with the year 1994. So I'm going to assume that all the film is about the same age. Since the film wasn't stored in the frig but in the basement with aging gaff tape peeling off but the can not open. What is the worst that I should expect just knowing the way the film stock was stored. A fellow DP said that it should have lost some latitude due to the humidity during the summer, it may have lost some speed and possibly may cloud. What are some issues that I should be aware of before I spend $800 to get it telecine? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Charles MacDonald Posted October 10, 2011 Premium Member Share Posted October 10, 2011 A fellow DP said that it should have lost some latitude due to the humidity during the summer, it may have lost some speed and possibly may cloud. Loss of speed, build up of fog. If their was TOO MUCH humidity - that it got into the cans, you may have sticky film. Best bet as a first step is to ask your friendly lab to do a quick test on some of the rolls. They take a few feet off the end and process it, then check it with a densitometer. This is compared with fresh film and they can then judge what shape it is in. they may or may not charge for this - although they would assume that you will be coming for them for the work on your project... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Stephen Williams Posted October 10, 2011 Premium Member Share Posted October 10, 2011 From 1994, seems like a waste of time to me..... Hello, I just recently was given about 9,000ft of free 35mm film color negative. My question is that how would I know if its any good without spending too much money to find out that it's 9,000ft of junk. The film was stored in the guy's basement. Today when I picked it up, it felt like 65degrees and the weather was somewhere around 60. Digging through the film and relabeling it, I found one that was marked with the year 1994. So I'm going to assume that all the film is about the same age. Since the film wasn't stored in the frig but in the basement with aging gaff tape peeling off but the can not open. What is the worst that I should expect just knowing the way the film stock was stored. A fellow DP said that it should have lost some latitude due to the humidity during the summer, it may have lost some speed and possibly may cloud. What are some issues that I should be aware of before I spend $800 to get it telecine? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Adrian Sierkowski Posted October 10, 2011 Premium Member Share Posted October 10, 2011 Agreed. Probably not worthwhile, unless it was REALLY slow film.. then COULD be worth playing with for fun; but honestly, in one more year that film can vote and buy you a back of cigarettes.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Certeza Posted October 10, 2011 Author Share Posted October 10, 2011 Amazing! Thank you so much Charles, I'll be calling the lab tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Certeza Posted October 10, 2011 Author Share Posted October 10, 2011 *Amazing! Thank you so much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now