Bolex still makes 16mm cameras!

[B&Wpositive]

Aaton Penelope, yes. That's the one. It's like a Nikon F6, but for cinema.

 

[Ian Cooper]

Aaton Penelope, yes. That's the one. It's like a Nikon F6, but for cinema.

The Penelope does look nice, of course that's 35mm rather than 16. Arri currently offer x5 different 35mm cameras. They also have the "765" for those that can afford to feed 65mm film through a movie camera!


I quite like the look of the Aaton A-minima for a compact little 16mm camera, but unfortunatley the price is still way out of my league - looks like I'll be sticking to my old Beaulieu R16 for a while longer! Lol.:rolleyes:

 

[Philippe-Georges]

They even still make a spring driven camera: http://www.bolex.ch/NEW/?p=9

Yes, and loaded with Kodak Tri-X revesal film or Eastman Ektachrome VNF film, one could do wonders with that combo, not to mention the thrust worthy Sekonic L-398 and the indestructible Nagra (and a Beyer mic.)!
Where ever the shooting had to be done, they never let you down.
But I am getting nostalgic now, sorry...

Philippe

 

[Mark Antony]

My first photographic job was developing VNF-1 16mm cine films for the BBC I have quite a few pictures of the processor if anyone is interested.
Mark

 

[Tom Kershaw]

My first photographic job was developing VNF-1 16mm cine films for the BBC I have quite a few pictures of the processor if anyone is interested.
Mark

I am. Was VNF-1 a colour negative process?

Tom.

 

[Mark Antony]

I'll scan the pictures of the BBCs old cine processing machine later tonight. I seem to remember VNF1 was a sort of movie film E-6 developer, from memory the film stayed in the dark until the colour developer step. Certainly the process had a first and colour dev just like E-6. It was a while back I think 1984-85 when I worked there so forgive me if I can't remember. They mothballed the machine in 1985 to replace with a VT suite.
Here are 2 quick scans:

the machine was a Photomec (tec) ?

Mark

 

[Ian Cooper]

It was a colour reversal process.

I believe the labs that will still handle it now use a 'modified' E6 process, since the proper VNF chemicals became largely unavailable a couple of years ago. Some reports seem to suggest there is a bit of a colour shift, others state that the 'modifications' to the E6 process minimise the colour shift.

Seeing as any remaining VNF filmstock is far from fresh I doubt colour accuracy can be guaranteed now anyway!

 

[Tom Kershaw]

Mark,

Are the bank of tubes pumped solution lines? Was this machine installed in Norwich?

Tom.

 

[Mark Antony]

Hi Tom yes it was installed at BBC East in Norwich at All Saints Green, Anglia TV had a similar one they ran on until the 90's
The pipes and wires are replenshishment, heaters and circulation pumps from memory
Iv'e done a crop of the rack shot:

No too clear as the point of focus was on the film racks not the pumps.
The machine was a continuos leader type in the bottom shot you can see the leader magazine at the far top which is where the unprocessed film went.
Mark

 

[cmacd123]

I am. Was VNF-1 a colour negative process?
Tom.

VNF was short for "Video News Film" it is similar to the e-6 Process, and came in a couple of variations for Very fast processing. (I think it was called RVP for rapid Video Process) The idea was TV stations could shoot their news stories on one of the VNF stocks and have it ready to project quickly in time for the news cast.

I understand the last users were the lab that do crash tests as they need high frame rates and colour pictures. Digital finally caught up and displaced the major part of that use. The TV folks had left to use tape about ten years previously and Kodak pulled the plug on VNF with a push from the EPA they claimed as supposedly the regular E6 Process is more governmentally friendly (?) Story was the EPA wanted them to re-design the process and the volume did not justify the expense. They now slit on of the Ektachrome 100 films in 16mm for the remaining uses.


Only VNF I ever got to shoot was outdated surplus stock which came on an Estar Base and double perf, so I assume it was originaly destined for a crash test lab.

 

[AgX]

But there seems still the VFN process to be run:

http://motion.kodak.com/US/en/motion/Support/Laboratories_Directory/vnf.htm

 

[Mark Antony]

Scanning some more of my old negs i found one of the take up mechanism. It had a toggle switch so you could stall the take up to inspect the film with a lupe there was a festoon loop at the end. If you look closely at the can on the left you'll see we also used Fuji film I think the film was called Fuji RT 400 but mainly they used Kodak stock. If you look on the back wall you'll see an out of focus Kodak chart which showed process faults bottom left overdeveloped top right under each side of that were different colours I think there were recommendations for process control on the chart too-but can't remember.

Mark

 

[Tom Kershaw]

Mark,

How did the BBC integrate the film footage with the television feed? Was film used when large television cameras weren't practical?

Tom.

 

[Mark Antony]

What they had were 2-3 guys who would go out round the region doing stories. The larger stories would have a sound guy and a reporter these were on 400 ft rolls with a magnetic stripe for sound. They also had some silent 50ft rolls that would be over dubbed prior to transmission by the roving reporter. I remember when the nuclear missiles were deployed at Molesworth and we were all sent in at 6 a.m to process, rush to the editors which in turn took it to TK (tele cine) to be sent down the wire to London- they had to book the transmission slot.
Mark

 

[Tom Kershaw]

Do you know how the wire transmission system worked?

Tom.

 

[PHOTOTONE]

I've noticed on a lot of British sit-coms that air on PBS in the USA that the interiors were done on video tape, and the exteriors were shot on film.

 

[Matt5791]

I've noticed on a lot of British sit-coms that air on PBS in the USA that the interiors were done on video tape, and the exteriors were shot on film.

Yes - a lot like this, notably Faulty Towers - if I remember rightly.