16mm Film

clarkage

clarkage

Well-known member
Today I was working on a set with a friend of mine who goes to USC Film School. We were doing a short film that had to be shot on 16mm film and it was quite an experience! We only had a certain number of feet of film to use and so we would have to switch out film rolls for every 2 min of shooting time. It really intiruiged me how the whole thing worked and I was just wondering if any of you guys have ever used 16mm in your films? Do you like it better than "the usual"? What are some of your experiences?
 
I assume you were using 100 foot daylight spools? If you needed to change the loads every 2 minutes.

I shoot 16mm all the time. We've done multiple productions using a wild motor bolex - never again...to an Aaton LTR and XTR Prod. I've also shot using 8mm. We typically use 400 foot core loads. After Vision 3 came out, I was a very happy person. I absolutely love Vision 3.

We have done action films as well as the standard drama. You can really get 16mm film to look as good as a Hollywood film using a best light telecine at the lab and having the color time it for you.

I also shoot video. Used a lot of different cameras from an HV20 to a Panavised F900. Quite honestly, I would shoot film any day of the week. If not that I would use a cinealta. Once you use the big guys, shooting on an HVX is nowhere near as fun.
 
I used to shoot 16mm alot, but now that I have my DVX, I havent touched it for a year. Its so nice to be able to stick a tape in the drive and hit record :P!

THAT BEING SAID!!! I do oh so miss the thrill of shooting film, the care that one must take in setting up shots and what not, the latitude you get, the perfect slow motion... and, one thing video will never have, the smell of a freshly opend roll of film.
 
I used to shoot 16mm a lot, with other people's Arri 16BLs and CP-16s and my own trusty Bolex EBM.

For my own personal use I actually prefer the DXV. Shooting video is much more forgiving, and for me that balances out the romance of shooting on film.

dory breaux said:
one thing video will never have, the smell of a freshly opend roll of film.
Click to expand...

If there's sprayable "new car smell", maybe we can find "freshly opened film can" somewhere out there.
 
Film can be a pain and it requires at lot more care, but when you get it back from the lab and first see it's really awesome. I don't get that same feeling with digital, but having Super 16 you've shot threaded up and playing dailies is a great experience. I get scared shooting film and that's partly the exciting part. I can be careful about my readings and and everything, and it's terrifying until you get it back from the lab. The latitude is great too. Everyone should try and do a 16/Super16/35 shoot. It sounds cheesy but you feel part of a tradition and you appreciate it.
 
I used to shoot 16mm mag stripe news film back in the 70's.... Quite an experience rolling though 1200-1600 feet on a daily basis then turning it around and having it aired on the 6pm & 10pm news. I hated processing it though.
 
Processing film, both motion-picture stocks and still-image stocks, has become SO painful to have done down here (often 2 weeks for 16mm stock to be processed at an independent house these days) that I've pretty much given up on it for my own shooting.

But there's something magical about the sound of film running through the gate.
 
I got a chance to buy a new Arriflex 16SB with a very high serial number. I just love shooting with it but it's too costly for me...
 
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