Elliott Atkinson Posted June 15, 2020 Share Posted June 15, 2020 I've been shooting my first ever short film on 16mm, and things have gone pretty well but I just had a speed bump. While unloading one of my mags in my changing bag I accidentally pushed the plastic core out, so now my film has no core but it is still wound tight holding its shape. I attempted to try and fit the core back on but was unsuccessful so I resealed it and put it back in the light tight box it came in out of fear of damaging it or it coming undone. Will a development lab still be able to process my film? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Klockenkemper Posted June 15, 2020 Share Posted June 15, 2020 Hi Elliott, I'm guessing you're going to be shipping your film somewhere else for processing. Film is pretty resilient. The worst that could happen is that the film in the center of the reel relaxes a little bit and has some room to move around; as a result, any bits of dust or debris that's currently sandwiched between the emulsion and the base could possibly make small scratches if the film moves around as the reel becomes less taught during transport. If you have to send it to the lab this way, make sure you note that the core is missing before you send it to the lab. I think lab employees appreciate it when you tell them about darkroom surprises in advance. ? If you have some time to deal with it before you ship the film - If that reel didn't roll out during the middle of a performance (which, if it did, you should mark that roll as having a 'critical end'), you could always trim a tiny bit of film out from the center, and the core should be able to fit in the center of the roll again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Simon Wyss Posted June 15, 2020 Premium Member Share Posted June 15, 2020 Do try to twist the core back in. For success turn it with its slot away from the film end and as parallel to the coil as possible. Search the entry, so to say, gently. Once it holds there you can give it a whack. To ease you can snap off about a foot of film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliott Atkinson Posted June 15, 2020 Author Share Posted June 15, 2020 1 hour ago, Daniel Klockenkemper said: Hi Elliott, I'm guessing you're going to be shipping your film somewhere else for processing. Film is pretty resilient. The worst that could happen is that the film in the center of the reel relaxes a little bit and has some room to move around; as a result, any bits of dust or debris that's currently sandwiched between the emulsion and the base could possibly make small scratches if the film moves around as the reel becomes less taught during transport. If you have to send it to the lab this way, make sure you note that the core is missing before you send it to the lab. I think lab employees appreciate it when you tell them about darkroom surprises in advance. ? If you have some time to deal with it before you ship the film - If that reel didn't roll out during the middle of a performance (which, if it did, you should mark that roll as having a 'critical end'), you could always trim a tiny bit of film out from the center, and the core should be able to fit in the center of the roll again. Thanks so much for the advice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Stephen Perera Posted June 16, 2020 Premium Member Share Posted June 16, 2020 On 6/15/2020 at 7:45 AM, Elliott Atkinson said: I've been shooting my first ever short film on 16mm, and things have gone pretty well but I just had a speed bump. While unloading one of my mags in my changing bag I accidentally pushed the plastic core out, so now my film has no core but it is still wound tight holding its shape. I attempted to try and fit the core back on but was unsuccessful so I resealed it and put it back in the light tight box it came in out of fear of damaging it or it coming undone. Will a development lab still be able to process my film? no problem whatsoever.......don't worry about it......film isn't nearly as 'fragile' as people who dont shoot it think.....core or no core....who cares...send to lab.....as long as wound tight into a rod you won't have problems Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Satsuki Murashige Posted June 16, 2020 Premium Member Share Posted June 16, 2020 If you can’t get the core back in, I would wrap the black bag around the exposed film firmly before putting it back into the can. So hopefully it won’t unravel too much in transit to the lab. Also it’s good practice to make a tape label that says ‘No Core’ on the film can so the lab technician knows ahead of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Brereton Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 It’s not a problem. Not all film magazines require a take up core anyway. Arri SRs had collapsible cores in them. Just make sure the can is labeled “no core”. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliott Atkinson Posted June 17, 2020 Author Share Posted June 17, 2020 17 hours ago, Satsuki Murashige said: If you can’t get the core back in, I would wrap the black bag around the exposed film firmly before putting it back into the can. So hopefully it won’t unravel too much in transit to the lab. Also it’s good practice to make a tape label that says ‘No Core’ on the film can so the lab technician knows ahead of time. I did that, thanks for the advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Site Sponsor Robert Houllahan Posted June 27, 2020 Site Sponsor Share Posted June 27, 2020 We get film without cores all the time at Cinelab it is not a big deal. Just put in the black bag and then into the can and the lab will take care of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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