8mm Forum: Using 16mm nowadays

This is topic Using 16mm nowadays in forum 16mm Forum at 8mm Forum.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://8mmforum.film-tech.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=5;t=002040

Posted by Ivan Gil (Member # 7177) on November 06, 2019, 06:29 PM:

Hi there everyone,
I am a traditional photography lover, I shoot on 35mm rolls, develop myself, etc.

I'm really into cinema too and I thought it would be cool to start filming on actual film. But what I've seen is that, even you can find affordable cameras, film is really expensive. Besides I couldn't develop myself (my uni lab is only prepared for 35mm) and sending the film to a lab to get it developed is really expensive too, costs the same as the roll itself.

So I was wondering, do you people who film traditionally these days just go on with all these expenses or is there a way that I could afford it? How do you people do it? (A 100ft roll is like 40 euros, plus developing it around 30, so shooting one roll would cost me like 70 euros)

Thank you

Posted by Dominique De Bast (Member # 3798) on November 07, 2019, 10:54 AM:

Hello Ivan and welcome to the forum. What filmstock are you refering to at 40 euros ? The Ektachrome costs easily about the double than that in Europe (you can save some money by ordering directly from the US but you have to buy several rolls to cut the shipping costs and even so it's around 75 euros.

Posted by Ivan Gil (Member # 7177) on November 07, 2019, 11:06 AM:

Hello Dominique. I'm talking about some outdated Kodak rolls I've seen online, but I've also found these that are new and a bit cheaper:
https://shop.lomography.com/es/fomapan-r-ds8-30-5-m

But judging your answer seems there's no magical way of filming on celluloid cheaply

Posted by Dominique De Bast (Member # 3798) on November 07, 2019, 04:55 PM:

Sadly, Ivan, no cheap solution that as I know. Fomapan is a good reasonably priced black and white filmstock (when it's well process) but it seems to have been out of stock for a while. A cheaper than Ektachrome colour film is available (https://shop.lomography.com/fr/films/16mm-film/lomography-xpro-16mm-motion-film) but the quality, although not bad, is well below the American film. What's more, it's polyester stock, which has some disavantages.

Posted by Phil Clarke (Member # 4299) on November 13, 2019, 06:51 AM:

I also shoot on 16mm from time to time and I've kept it cheap (ish) by buying outdated stock from ebay and doing all the processing myself.

If you can get a bulk order together, it's worth ordering some of the PRINT stock from Mono No Aware in the USA. See this page http://mononoawarefilm.com/film-stock and scroll down to PRINT STOCK. You will see there are two stocks available at good prices. Both of these can be shot in camera if you're happy with the unconventional/interesting results.

I also have a stash of very old Eastman 7302 print stock. This is a blue-sensitive film which can be shot in camera at 10 ASA. PM me if you want some at a good price.

cheers
phil

Posted by Evan Samaras (Member # 5070) on November 13, 2019, 12:10 PM:

Hello Ivan,

Coming from the still photography background myself, I learned there are no shortcuts when it come to motion picture film. Even outdated stock should really be tested. I have a lab nearby that will do a clip test for me fortunately. The problem with MP film is that its not a single roll of film, it is expensive and lengthy, and the time spent prepping and shooting motion picture film doesn't leave us a lot of room to want to experiment.

When I shot some 35mm MP film, I first used my bulk loader to make some tests through a still camera. At least I know what the fog level (if any) and exposure is like. I do this by keeping notes and testing. I usually overexpose by 1 stop for every 10 years of age on Color Negative film. As for Reversal film, I expose 1/3 of a stop for every 10 years. Reversal film is a lot less forgiving with exposure error unfortunately.

The way Iv'e afforded shooting film is by buying old rolls in bulk. At least this has cut down on the amount of testing I need to do. I've even been as lucky as walking away with 20 rolls of the same stock @400' each roll. Do a lot of digging, on facebook, craigslist, ebay. It's out there, but experimenting can come with hearbreak. Having a friend who shares a similar vision and is willing to split costs with you helps. My friend and I take turn writing and producing each others projects, always splitting the costs. I hope this info helps. Shooting S8 in the end might have similar costs to 16mm. However, 35mm is quite the jump from my experience.

Posted by David Michael Leugers (Member # 166) on November 14, 2019, 11:04 PM:

No way getting around it, shooting on film is expensive. 16mm is absolutely a great format. Out of date but properly stored 16mm Black and White film stock is usually good to shoot with and can be often purchased at a very good price. Color is another story. I would stick with fresh color film or film that is no more than 1 year out of date. Budget for what you can shoot and make it count. Projected on a big screen, it is the best home movies ever. What little motion picture film I shoot nowadays is mostly 16mm. I still love it and think it is worth it. Good luck.

UBB.classic^TM 6.3.1.2