posted June 05, 2013 06:07 PM
I've recently just started getting into the world of film. I have a Kodak Pageant and a few misc 16mm shorts that I got for cheap, but that's about it. I know features in 16mm can be pricy, so I've decided I'd like to save up my money and buy one I'd really enjoy versus grabbing whatever I can get. But I know some prints are rarer than others, and some are simply nonexistent, so can anyone help me by telling me which (if any) of these films would be worth looking for in 16mm?
The films I'd be most interested in finding are: The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1978) Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) Robinhood (Disney version, 1973) The Hunt for Red October (1990) One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) Airplane (1980) Gremlins (1984) Speed (1994...doubt this exists but thought I'd throw it in)
Has anyone seen any of these titles for sale on 16mm before? Or better yet, know where I could find one? Or am I completely crazy?
Posts: 1060
From: Cottage Grove OR
Registered: Dec 2010
posted June 05, 2013 07:40 PM
Hi John,
Yes, all of these films are available on 16mm some, are harder to pry out of a collector than others. I think I saw a copy of Gremlins recently but can't recall where. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was recently on Ebay. Keep checking this forum and 16mm filmtalk, these have come up in the past.
Posts: 3468
From: Sunnyvale, CA USA
Registered: Sep 2011
posted June 06, 2013 05:43 AM
Hugh...You are so right about the size and multipling. I just started with 16mm with the intention of only buying one feature. I've now got 4 and have a few more I have my eye on. Storing them is also a challenge especially the 2000 ft reels... Bookcases just aren't made for items this size. All that said...it's worth it
-------------------- Janice
"I'm having a very good day!" Richard Dreyfuss - Let It Ride (1989).
Posts: 3063
From: Gt. Clifton,Cumbria,England
Registered: Jan 2012
posted June 06, 2013 10:17 PM
Quite a bargain Jonathan when you consider what S/8 features were costing, and what some folks are asking for mundane little 200' films on ebay.
Posts: 1171
From: Highland Mills, NY USA
Registered: Jun 2003
posted June 07, 2013 01:38 PM
All the titles you've listed (including "Speed") have been printed in the 16mm guage, but I caution you about titles less than 30 years old as they could be a "bandsaw" print. Basically it means that after the rental company is done with the print they run it through a bandsaw from one end to the other literally slicing it in half. Some collector then retrieves it and places splices where all the slicing-and-dicing occured. It's a nightmare and they wreak havoc on the projector not to mention your audience. Titles from the 80's and back are more likely not to be "bandsaw" prints. I also will buy features on 16mm versus Super 8 because of the proximity in price. Why pay $200+ for a full length print in 8mm when for the same money I could probably get the movie in a format twice the size with twice the throw? I've pretty much narrowed my 8mm purchases to short subjects and digests over the years. I love 16mm, but, yes, storing them is a challenge.
posted June 08, 2013 11:11 AM
Yes Janice, Where & how do you store your 16mm films? They take up so much space especially like you say the feature films. It looks like I will have to custom make some kind of rack for them. Right now I have them all stacked on top of my table. Perhaps I made a mistake and I could have just stuck with the Super8mm?
posted June 25, 2013 03:53 PM
Greetings John, there has never been a better time to get into 16mm. In the UK, when I stopped buying super 8 B&W features around 1982 they were costing me £100 each, now 31 years later you can buy an excellent condition 16mm feature for around the same price, or sometimes less, depending on the running time, and of course how desirable the film is. Equipment is also affordable, projectors and cameras. Back in the 70s 16mm equipment was beyond the reach of the average film enthusiast. In 1979 I paid £250 for a Super 8 sound camera, yet a few years ago paid the same amount for a new (but old stock) Russian Krasnogorsk 3 cine camera. I just have 6 features so far (4 of them Errol Flynn) and some interesting shorts. Welcome to the club.