jackson defa Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 Hello, I am an independent producer and director. I've been working on a feature-length film in 16mm. We shot in Canada and San Francisco and are now here for a week of production. I am looking to develop around 6K feet of 16mm and I am having trouble sifting through the myriad of labs in LA all of whom seem legitimate but none are standing out. Does anyone know of a lab that stands out? I am looking for development of negative and a telecine. I would appreciate anyone's advice. all the best! Jackson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Site Sponsor Robert Houllahan Posted April 16, 2012 Site Sponsor Share Posted April 16, 2012 Any of the labs in LA will properly develop any color negative in the Kodak ECN2 process. -Rob- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Jensen Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 I always liked Fotokem for 16 and though they were reasonable and professional. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackson defa Posted April 18, 2012 Author Share Posted April 18, 2012 I always liked Fotokem for 16 and though they were reasonable and professional. thanks! turns out fotokem is the only lab that does 16mm in los angeles! go figure :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Schilling Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 thanks! turns out fotokem is the only lab that does 16mm in los angeles! go figure :) There is also Spectra Film and Video. They do great processing of all film types and formats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua Reis Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 Hello, I am an independent producer and director. I've been working on a feature-length film in 16mm. We shot in Canada and San Francisco and are now here for a week of production. I am looking to develop around 6K feet of 16mm and I am having trouble sifting through the myriad of labs in LA all of whom seem legitimate but none are standing out. Does anyone know of a lab that stands out? I am looking for development of negative and a telecine. I would appreciate anyone's advice. all the best! Jackson I have always been pleased with Fotokem for color negative. However, I don't think do do reversal or cross processing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Vincent Sweeney Posted May 19, 2012 Premium Member Share Posted May 19, 2012 Pro8 handles 8 and 16mm as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Nasadowski Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 I've used Spectra and liked the results. They're nice to deal with, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Ferrario Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 Fotokem is the only lab I've delt with in LA, but I have to say they are top notch. You can drop film off at the lab 24 hours a day, processing is usually done in 24 hours. I'm sure it helped that I started as a student, but they have been great extending student rates to me past college to ensure I am still able to shoot on film for personal projects. Transfer is a whole other game... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregg MacPherson Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 I've used Spectra and liked the results. They're nice to deal with, too. Spectra are really inexpensive on their rate card/website. Was 13 cents/foot for 16/35 colour neg. I'm guessing they don't move much when negotiating for a feature. Is there any downside to using them? I think they batch process but that might be for stock other than colour neg. Looks like a great place for indies/microbudget folk committed to film. In New Zealand we had two labs at NZ 45 cents/foot (US 34 cents/foot). One just closed. LA looks good. I talked to an indian film maker the other day and tried to find out how to guage costs in India. Very difficult for a white European to get a straight answer. Normally someone inserts themselves between you and the labs and negotiates a good rate for a commission. I can't help wondering, if you turned up at the labs looking like a veteran hippie Euro-expat holding an Arri ST what rate you might get. Gregg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregg MacPherson Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 Actually I just found email from Spectra. I think they normally process weekly. Maybe that has helped the price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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