Question about refrigerated film stock

Alejandra Saldivar · December 9, 2017

Hello everyone,

In March of this year i bought from kodak 3 rolls of 16mm film stock 500T (400 ft. each). They were intended to use for a shortfilm, but we ended up using only one. The two remaining have been keept refrigerated ever since, both are unopened.

I'm planning to use this rolls for a stopmotion animation, but i wont be able to start shooting until May 2018. In the meantime i have to transport this rolls to another place to keep them storaged.

So my question is: Could the rolls be damaged if i keep them out of the refrigeration for a few hours and then refrigerated again?

From the information i've gathered on the internet apparently the film is in good conditions to be used, since the rolls are relatively recent and have been refrigerated. But correct me if i'm wrong, i'm a newbie using film stock :)

Thank you for your help!

Simon Wyss · December 9, 2017

Fridge is not good anyway. Cool is enough, best temperature is 4 degrees Celsius. Water has its maximum density at 3,98 degrees C. At that temperature films dry out slowest.

Tyler Purcell · December 9, 2017

Nothing to worry about. I just shot 12 year old EXR stock that had been sitting in someone's closet and it came out fine.

Film has an "optimal" drop off rating of 6 months. So yes, if you wanted optimum quality, you'd wanna buy, shoot and process it immediately after purchase.

However, after 6 months the amount of decay is pretty steady, if stored at below 50 degree's F.

I keep my refrigerator around 40 degrees and it works great.

Michael Rodin · December 9, 2017

It's way more important to process promtly than to shoot fresh stock. Especially fast emulsions - generously exposed 50 ASA film can sit unprocessed for a month or more, but a 500-speed one pushed 2 stops you'd want to process the next day.

And don't freeze film to -25 Celsius or deeper, as gelatine will be damaged.

Edited December 9, 2017 by Michael Rodin

Alejandra Saldivar · December 9, 2017

Fridge is not good anyway. Cool is enough, best temperature is 4 degrees Celsius. Water has its maximum density at 3,98 degrees C. At that temperature films dry out slowest.

Thank you for your reply! The rolls have been kept in the refrigerator's freezer, so i think the temperature there is ok.

Alejandra Saldivar · December 9, 2017

Nothing to worry about. I just shot 12 year old EXR stock that had been sitting in someone's closet and it came out fine.

Film has an "optimal" drop off rating of 6 months. So yes, if you wanted optimum quality, you'd wanna buy, shoot and process it immediately after purchase.

However, after 6 months the amount of decay is pretty steady, if stored at below 50 degree's F.

I keep my refrigerator around 40 degrees and it works great.

And would it be a problem if i kept them out of the refrigerator for a few hours and then refrigerate them again? This is because i'm moving to another city that it's just a few hours of were i'm currently living.

Tyler Purcell · December 9, 2017

And would it be a problem if i kept them out of the refrigerator for a few hours and then refrigerate them again? This is because i'm moving to another city that it's just a few hours of were i'm currently living.

No not at all.

Alejandra Saldivar · December 9, 2017

It's way more important to process promtly than to shoot fresh stock. Especially fast emulsions - generously exposed 50 ASA film can sit unprocessed for a month or more, but a 500-speed one pushed 2 stops you'd want to process the next day.

And don't freeze film to -25 Celsius or deeper, as gelatine will be damaged.

Ok, maybe that could be a problem because i'm going to be shooting for at least a month, since i intentd to use them for a stopmotion animation. I guess the best i could do would be to keep the rolls refrigerated while i'm not shooting.

Or shall i cut the exposed parts and keet them refrigerated until i finsh shooting the whole shortfilm? What would be your recomendation?

Matej Pok · January 4, 2018

I keep my film always at -18 degrees Celsius.

I've been told by the most expert for film postproduction in our country, that in those temperatures, the aging of emulsion is so slow, almost negligible.

When I want to use it, I simply put stock from fridge to refrigerator for one day (when I have time ahead), or in emergency situations I just put in on a desk (+20 degrees Celsius) for a 2 hours a then load the magazine.

I have done this procedure many times and never have any issues with frozen gelatin or whatsoever.

I have stored exposed stock in refrigerator for a couple of weeks (6-8) and scanned image has been great! No lack of contrast, or anything.

Also old stock is fully usable, just overexpose it a bit.

I use to rate fresh new stock 1/2 EV slower (for better saturation), 2-4 years old stock 1 EV slower, and even older stock about 1 and 1/2 EV slower.

Film stock can easily handle overexposure. I've seen accidentally overexposed whole roll of fresh stock by 2 EV stops (wrong rating in exposure meter), and nobody in scanning room can see the difference from other rolls of project. Nothing was blown away.

So don't be afraid of older stock, just rate is slower and give it a lot of light.