So what happens when you are a nut and you want to use 16mm in your next project but everyone else says no. Well you do it anyway and try to figure out how to shoe horn it into the project without looking too stupid. At work we were working on a zombie video and I really wanted to use some 16mm. I finally found the spot, the credit reel. We shot a quick piece that I just slammed together. I pieced it together and it was pretty cool, but I wanted more. I scrapped everything and started again taking a few of the ideas along. We shot it in during our lunch hour. With a little more time, I think it could have been better, but with small effort put forth I believe it came out as good as it needed to be. It was shot with my Bolex H16 reflex on Kodak 7243 hand processed. I not sure if the time stamp feature is working on this link, so if you want to go straight to the credits – go to 14:48 Tell me what you think…
This film test was shot with an ancient Filmo 70A that I picked up from ebay. The camera did not work well and when I opened up the shutter to lubricated it a bit I found a date scratched into the inside of the front plate that dated it to 1924. The setting is our front yard with my then 5 year old daughter on a trampoline. Kids can be such great subjects. This was cut from just one 100′ reel of film with very little editing. I believe this is the Kodak 7240 film again.
I bought a batch of ancient ENG film and I did some experimental shooting with it. This film was process as black and white reversal and I digitized it by running it through an old B&H projector and shooting the image with a Canon camcorder I had at the time.
I got interested in 16mm film after doing lots of digital videography and then wanting to experiment with a film look. Well what better way of getting a film look than doing it with real film. I have some experience with black and white photography and dark room work. At first came 8mm, but when I found it hard to get good digital captures of 8mm I found the answer to be 16 mm. The cameras are not expensive and they seem much more robust and industrial compared to finicky, consumer grade super 8 cameras that were not made to work after 10 years. In this blog I plan to further explore 16mm and pass on what little I have learned for other folks interested. I am a confessed cheap skate so expect to find here inexpensive ways to play with analog film.
16mm Adventures 