Where to find a film camera?

By, by film. It was a great time. I still love you for your elegance like I have hated you for your costs. What an expensive thing you was. But, alas, the digital girl is here. And where it may lack some or your style - the new one is so terribly available and much faster than you. Moving 300 metre cans of you, stuffing you into the loading bag and fumbling with you in the dark, fingers wet and salty from sweating..... A thrill, yes, but also a pain...

And while working you over on a 16 or 35 mm Steenbeck was great, having a cigarette and a cup of coffee while you needed re-rolling from end to start or vice versa - all of a sudden those images and sounds from the editing room seem strange and old fashioned surreal like sprung out of "Brazil".

Great times we had, wonderful offsprings. But, it's over. Soon. Sniff.
 
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If you want to be a director, I'd suggest saving your money on buying a camera and hiring a great DoP instead - they may even have their own film camera too. Many do.

They'll bring plenty of experience and you'll have time to actually do director-things like work with the actors, rather than going through the script with your hands stuck in a loading bag!

I wanna buy a 35mm camera too, but in the last few months I've spent around £20k ($30,000+) just on lenses and accessories for my 35mm-type digital camera. And I got a good deal on most of that! At least I don't have to pay for stock, or processing and I hear worrying things about the availability of each.
 
Barry_Green said:
But before you start talking about getting a film camera you'd better acquaint yourself with the cost of film, developing, and transfer. Figure somewhere around $100 to $150 per MINUTE of footage.
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And to be clear, that's not per minute of your final film, but of all the footage you shoot whether you use it in the film or not, which will likely be several times the actual length of your film.

If film is what you want, then you're going to have to completely master every in-camera film technique, 'coz spray and pray and putting off decisions 'til post (which you should never do anyway) definitely will not be a viable option.
 
fobers95 said:
I don;t want to use film just to prepare to school, If I actually do make it into the industry I am going to use film, there only a few directors who use film and I like the look of film over ditgtal.
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If you go to any decent film school, they'll have the necessary equipment to at least get you started. I don't think you quite understand the scope of the investment you're talking about, the hidden costs, and really how unnecessary it is.

fobers95 said:
Useing film needs to continue, yeah its more expensive and you don't get to see the footage right away.
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Does it really? Have you seen what the Alexa, for example, is capable of producing? Or better yet, have you seen what can be done in a DI suite? Everything you're seeing on the big screen goes through one of these, what you shoot on is really starting to matter less and less. By the time you're in the industry, only video engineers will probably be able to tell the difference between film and high end digital cinema cameras. The film aesthetic is so sought after, you think that companies won't figure out how mimic it even better than they already have?
 
Moseph said:
The film aesthetic is so sought after, you think that companies won't figure out how mimic it even better than they already have?
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Honestly, there is absolutely no reason to shoot on film AT ALL. If you're rich and feeling nostalgic, then go for it. But, if you're just looking for that “look” then just use FilmConvert. It's actually a really great program that provides some amazing results.

Bottom line, digital has made analog film completely obsolete. You can get the same look better, faster, and cheaper with digital.
 
I am not the only person who likes film over digital, there are plenty of filmmakers who like and appreciate film. There is nothing wrong with film beside it being expensive and taking loner to use and leaning how to use it.
 
fobers95 said:
I am not the only person who likes film over digital, there are plenty of filmmakers who like and appreciate film. There is nothing wrong with film beside it being expensive and taking loner to use and leaning how to use it.
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No. Of course not. But what people here try to tell you is that once you have mastered to work with film the probability that film will not be around any more is extremely high. Just plain and simple. And it probably will not be around, because it needs a certain minimum level of a working and thriving industry to keep it running - apart from very specialised things that may stay a bit longer.

So: Do you want to invest money (a lot) and time to learn a craft that will be obsolete sooner or later (sooner, I believe) or do you want to invest time and money in what is with certainty your future. There is, btw, absolutely nothing wrong with learning some aspects of working with film. But everything you want from film will be - if it's not already there - available in digital very soon.

So, yes, it should be easy to get some older 16 mm cameras if you want to play around with film. Easy to find. Or get an Arri IIc if it has to be 35mm. And see what it does to your budget.

And as you ask your question in the directing & acting sub-forum I want to remind you that every cent, every minute you spend on actually learning to direct and working with actors will be a few dozen times more important for the outcome of what you want to do in your future than the question if it was shot on 16mm, 35mm or any half-way professional digital format.
 
Not only is film expensive- it it remains at all it will get MORE expensive. We are at the end of the "Hollywood shoots on film" realm, so stock and developing prices will rise as demand decreases. Same thing happened sometime in the late 1980's, when corner drugstores stopped developing Super 8. You could buy film for a few bucks and have it developed for a few more. Try that now!

That being said, I can completely understand why someone would want to shoot film from a nostalgic point of view. When I look at some of my old Super 8 and 16mm footage, a lot of memories come back. The deep colors and overall look is hard to duplicate. Here's some footage from my senior year in high school (unfortunately, a lot of brightness is lost when transferred to digital)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQdwlCTLtws
 
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