Falling in Love ...

[Ed Gordon]

... My love of film started with their Kodak Brownie Model 2. The last film camera we used for home movies was a Sankyo XL40s.

I started with a Brownie as well and ended with the Sankyo XL40s. My Brownie must have been a Model 1 however. It did not have an exposure meter. I still have both cameras.

Cant say that in the 10 years in that projection room that film had a smell might be just me but that goes for my Super8 as well, however over the next few days I will sniff though some film and see what I can come with.

I can't recall film having any odor to it. The chemicals, like Kodak film cleaner and the splicing cement certainly smelled however. Graham, as you "sniff though some film" and you don't smell anything, that's a good thing; you don't have vinegar syndrome.

[Ken Finch]

I have had a keen interest in cinema and films from a very early age but I guess the nearest thing to love was when at the age of 12 I discovered Pathescope and 9.5mm. This was because it was just about affordable to allow me to indulge in my passion for home cinema, film making and the history of the cinema. 😊

[Osi Osgood]

9.5mm, it was a larger frame, so, I would assume that the image quality was/is better than the Super 8 frame? Though it was not the moment that I fell in love with film in general, I remember fondly the media room in High school. This was back in the late 70's early 80's, so we were still into using 16mm features, and so, my responsibility was to keep these Ecki and other model 16mm projectors running, as well as splicing the educational 16mm classroom films when needed, ( as a joke, I once spliced in the middle of an educational film, a 16mm TV commercial for "White Lightning" into a film on the dangers of drinking. For some odd reason, my Principal didn't seem to get my sense of humor), and there was a liberal collection of those large ordering books from "films Incorporated", which I spent hours flipping thru and, to top it all off, our "teacher" ( sometimes he wouldn't even be there for a couple of days at a time ), would bring in from the local cinema, lots of 16mm and 35mm trailers for us to practice on! I don't remember almost anything else from High School, but fond memories of that class! Sheesh! No wonder I am such a Cine- nut!

[Ed Gordon]

... and there was a liberal collection of those large ordering books from "films Incorporated", which I spent hours flipping thru and... No wonder I am such a Cine- nut!

Osi, here is a link to a Films Inc rental catalog from 1957. Enjoy!

https://ia800604.us.archive.org/3/it...rate00film.pdf

[Paul Adsett]

My experience is almost identical to Ken's. My first encounter with film was at the age of about 12 when I was with some other kids at the house of a school chum. He brought out this little hand cranked projector and proceeded to place a reel of film on it, pointed it at a tabletop screen, turned the light on, and started cranking. On the screen was this guy being chased around by a gorilla. The guy was later identified as Bing Crosby and the projector was the Pathescope 9,5mm ACE.
I was entranced by the whole thing and it was definitely one of those life changing moments. Been in love with film and home cinema ever since. And yes Osi, because of the center sprocket hole, 9.5mm has quality very close to 16mm.