Buying 16mm film

[Aapo Lettinen]

if using Lomo tank, the UPB-1A is the way to go I think considering how rare the bigger ones are. the UPB-1 is smaller tank meant for double8 / super8 and only holds about 10m of 8mm or 16mm. with the 1A model you can develop 2 x 15m of 8mm or 16mm film at a time (two spirals on each other) or 15m of 35mm by rearranging it a little

[Brian Drysdale]

"unless the subject is about the hands on mechanics of every stage, rather than something else."

 

I don't follow that last bit.

 

Unless the film is about the entire process, making your own film stock wastes creative effort which is better put into the film itself. Making a sound film with very limited resources is tough enough, adding making your own film stock has to be an aesthetic part of the film otherwise it just becomes a technical exercise.

[Giray Izcan]

Connor, you should do whatever you desire. It's your money, health and time. You seem to be a my way or highway type person. Good luck.

[Giray Izcan]

Out of curiousity, what are you going to name your new line of film stock? Triple-Y perhaps? Please let us know.

[Aapo Lettinen]

It's your money, health and time.

 

money and time are expendable, I would worry about the Health thing if cooking photographic chemicals at home depending on what stuff is used and how often and what the conditions are.

Most of that stuff is at least somewhat harmful/poisonous, causes skin problems/damage and may also be carcinogenic. They are also dangerous to environment so care should be taken when handling that stuff and wash waters from the processes. It's a good idea to read the MSDS's first and search for safer alternatives before ordering anything

[Bill DiPietra]

 

money and time are expendable, I would worry about the Health thing if cooking photographic chemicals at home depending on what stuff is used and how often and what the conditions are.

Most of that stuff is at least somewhat harmful/poisonous, causes skin problems/damage and may also be carcinogenic. They are also dangerous to environment so care should be taken when handling that stuff and wash waters from the processes. It's a good idea to read the MSDS's first and search for safer alternatives before ordering anything

 

That's the best advice yet, Connor. Please take heed of it.

 

The bottom line is that you should just wait until you have a little more experience and a little more money before you make a film. As we have said, spend some time reading a few books. A good one to start with would be Cinematography, which David Mullen co-wrote. A lot of your questions will be answered.

[Wiliam Cardoza]

LOL this seems like the perfect topic to pat myself on the back for the time I home developed reversal film;)

 

Seeing the positive image appear, doing the reversal stage was pretty exciting, when you hit it with light and redevelop.

 

Google Dektol K3 "Julien Sorel"

 

But YES a pain in the ASS

[Tyler Purcell]

Yep and this is what homemade film and home processing generally looks like:

 

[Wiliam Cardoza]

LOL thanks for posting Tyler: featured on C.F. yes!

VHS capture through one of those 90 degree mirror box contraptions;)

[connor denning]

Other then making sure it all hits the film at once, and doing things for the right time at the right tempiture, what do the professenals do that make it look as good as it dose? I have the basic idea of how it works but I'd like to know what I missed.

Edited April 6, 2016 by connor denning

[connor denning]

Other then making sure it all hits the film at once, and doing things for the right time at the right tempiture, what do the professionals do that make it look as good as it dose? I have the basic idea of how it works but I'd like to know what I missed.

 

Edit-Right now I'm looking at a sheet with the information needed to devolpe film, I just looking little tricks that arn't officially part of the process. you would use c-41 for color movie film if I am correct.

Edited April 6, 2016 by connor denning

[connor denning]

One reason for wanting to make film is also because if and WHEN Kodak goes out of business or stops making film, I'd like to be able to make or even sell it.

[Brian Drysdale]

There are other companies making film stock, especially B & W film

[Tyler Purcell]

One reason for wanting to make film is also because if and WHEN Kodak goes out of business or stops making film, I'd like to be able to make or even sell it.

 

Well, there are a few companies already making film stock outside of Kodak.

 

The biggest one in the US is http://www.orwona.com/

 

The new one, which is probably not going to be working until 2017 is: http://www.filmferrania.it/

 

These are both professional companies who have invested hundreds of thousands making film stock.

[connor denning]

How would I go about removing the backing on 16mm film? are there different types of backing on current 16mm?

[JD Hartman]

How would I go about removing the backing on 16mm film? are there different types of backing on current 16mm?

 

By backing, do you mean how to remove the image from film that's been developed so you can recoat the stock?

 

Have you even considered the health risk and hazardous waste disposal and remediation issues you are going to create in you friend's house?

[Aapo Lettinen]

do you mean rem jet removal? alkali bath + water jets is the usual way as I have understood. the stuff is quite sticky and falls off in flakes which you don't wanna stick to the emulsion side. some people have used toothbrush or similar mechanical way for small batches but it is highly unpractical.

 

with chemicals you really have to know what you are dealing with, there is dozens or hundreds of different developer formulas in use and they can contain all kinds of potentially dangerous chemicals , for example formaldehyde (e6 kits etc) , metol with possibly hydroquinone added (standard b/w developers especially those sold in powdered form) , 4-aminophenol (some single use developers like Adonal, Rodinal, R9 oneshot, etc) , caustics like potassium hydroxide, etc...

The chemistry also changes when it the solution is used or stored for long. And you also have to store and dispose the waste correctly to avoid environmental pollution and unwanted chemical reactions. you can accidentally make something more dangerous if you handle them without knowing what you're doing. Like accidentally making a chemical waste canister to explode because of wrong mixing causing pressure buildup, never a good idea :o

 

that's why I recommended Coffenol for starters so you can start with the least hazardous chemicals available and then proceed to the other stuff when you are used to handle the chemicals safely. if you have a photographer friends with a darkroom they can teach you the basics and safe procedures :)

 

[Aapo Lettinen]

 

Potassium ferricyanide has low toxicity, its main hazard being that it is a mild irritant to the eyes and skin. However, under very strongly acidic conditions, highly toxic hydrogen cyanide gas is evolved, according to the equation:

6 H⁺ + [Fe(CN)₆]³⁻ → 6 HCN + Fe^3+[10]

The reaction with hydrochloric acid is as follows:

6 HCl + K₃[Fe(CN)₆] → 6 HCN + FeCl₃ + 3 KCl

Chemistry is full of this kind of stuff, it is scary sometimes how badly something could go wrong if just mixing seemingly harmless substances carelessly. In photography the ferricyanide is used for reducing negative density for example.

 

A good basic principle is that if you don't know exactly what you're doing, don't do anything :unsure:

[connor denning]

 

By backing, do you mean how to remove the image from film that's been developed so you can recoat the stock?

 

Have you even considered the health risk and hazardous waste disposal and remediation issues you are going to create in you friend's house?

he's worked with worse himself, he's about to in the next few weeks. and I'm asking about the backing you remove on the back of the film when developing the film, like on 35mm slr film.

[connor denning]

I am talking about remjet. Is that something I need to remove? can it be done chemically.

[connor denning]

in other words do they still use it on 16mm movie film.

[Tyler Purcell]

Yes, of course they do.

[connor denning]

dose it need to be removed, cause I rarely here people talking about that?

[JD Hartman]

Try Dawn dishwashing liquid.

[Tyler Purcell]

dose it need to be removed, cause I rarely here people talking about that?

Yes, if it weren't removed, the film wouldn't be see through as the coating is dark and prevents light from traveling through and bouncing off the pressure plate of the camera. The other reason it's there, is to protect the film from scratches.