Is analog film making a comeback for movie making

[Mainecoonmaniac]

I work at a university department that teaches film making. A new faculty member wants to buy a lot of old Bolex cameras to teach. She told me that there are very few Bolex repair tech still around. I was shocked at the cost of film stock in this video.

 

[halfaman]

There is a defitevely growing interest in film but I think it is not so big to call it a 'comeback'.

 

[AgX]

I guess with "Bolex cameras" you refer to the Bolex H family of cameras, availsable for different film formats. I am not sure a Bolex H is a necessity for teaching analog movie-making.

But we got a Bolex H repair-specialist amongst us and he likely will argue to the contrary...

 

[removed account4]

I work at a university department that teaches film making. A new faculty member wants to buy a lot of old Bolex cameras to teach. She told me that there are very few Bolex repair tech still around. I was shocked at the cost of film stock in this video.

I used to have fun with bolex BandH8 and H16 cameras, but even 15-20 years ago the film was expensive, thankfully it only cost 5$ to develop at Walmart/fuji labs..

here's some info that might. be useful to your film person, the site is old so some of the repair places might be out of date
)LINK REMOVED(
it looks like faux infected pop ups appear.
but if you google geocities and 8mm meta directory you might find it
a guy named Martin in Plattsburgh ny does a great job fixing 8mm and 16mm &c cameras &c...

 

[awty]

Damn right. Digital is so Passé.

 

[faberryman]

I guess if you get a film movie camera you need to get a film projector, or do you get it developed and scanned (sounds like heresy to me).

 

[Pieter12]

I guess if you get a film movie camera you need to get a film projector, or do you get it developed and scanned (sounds like heresy to me).

If you want to edit and use transitions, you'll need to get it transferred to digital. Unless you shoot negative, have a work print made, edit that and then cut the original, do color timing and transitions for the projection print. There's probably another step in the process for multiple prints for distribution.

 

[faberryman]

If you want to edit and use transitions, you'll need to get it transferred to digital.

You wouldn’t do that in the analog domain? I enjoy watching old movies and they seem to have done that pretty well before digital.

 

[Lee Rust]

Bolex cameras in good condition are expensive, repairs are fairly expensive and experienced repair technicians are fewer and fewer each year, the film is very expensive, the processing is extremely expensive, especially with digital scans included. Editing equipment is relatively easy to find but editing materials like reels, leader & splicing tape are expensive and relatively scarce. Projectors are available fairly cheap but are very heavy and expensive to ship, projection lamps are expensive and many are unavailable, projection screens are scarce and too bulky to ship. Ask me how I know these things.

 

[MattKing]

You wouldn’t do that in the analog domain? I enjoy watching old movies and they seem to have done that pretty well before digital.

The transfer to digital for editing and then transfer back to film for projection was in place for a considerable period of time before the theatres converted to digital projection.
The scanning and digital file systems were and are a lot different from what we deal with frequently here on Photrio!

 

[Pieter12]

You wouldn’t do that in the analog domain? I enjoy watching old movies and they seem to have done that pretty well before digital.

Sure, it is just much more complex and expensive to do analog.

 

[btaylor]

Looking up the old standards, Tri-X reversal and processing at Yale Labs it comes to about $60 for 3 minutes of run time (50ft). I think 30 years ago I was paying about $30-40 for Kodachrome 40, so not that bad really. Motion picture film is expensive, always has been. People have been shooting their home movies on cheap video and digital so long they don’t remember how expensive film is. When I was shooting 16mm films as a student the costs were very high (and our films very short!). I am not sure how valuable the experience would be for students to shoot 16mm on old Bolexes except as a history lesson- it’s never coming back as a capture medium in that world. Once the Tarantino and Scorsese types stop shooting their features on it what’s left? The younger filmmakers have never shot any actual film and they are the future. RIP. (Yet I miss the process terribly)

 

[awty]

Are basic 16mm film editors common in the States?
Been searching for one for awhile and haven't seen one. There are plenty of the 8mm types. I might have to make something.

 

[gone]

I sure hope it is. Digital movies look horrible. Over sharpened, faces w/ no detail, horrid colors, highlights blown out in half the frames. The thing w/ film is, it's expensive to shoot, and you really have to know what you're doing behind the camera. Meaning that movies made w/ film have top notch directors and cinematographers.

Editing film digitally retains the magic of film. Editing digital, digitally retains the crappy look of digital, LOL

 

[btaylor]

Are basic 16mm film editors common in the States?
Been searching for one for awhile and haven't seen one. There are plenty of the 8mm types. I might have to make something.

There are lots on eBay: Moviscop, Moviola, etc here in the US. Old amateur ones $50-100.

 

[awty]

I sure hope it is. Digital movies look horrible. Over sharpened, faces w/ no detail, horrid colors, highlights blown out in half the frames. The thing w/ film is, it's expensive to shoot, and you really have to know what you're doing behind the camera. Meaning that movies made w/ film have top notch directors and cinematographers.

Editing film digitally retains the magic of film. Editing digital, digitally retains the crappy look of digital, LOL

Agreed, especially early digital is awful to watch and old film movies always look great.

 

[awty]

I work at a university department that teaches film making. A new faculty member wants to buy a lot of old Bolex cameras to teach. She told me that there are very few Bolex repair tech still around. I was shocked at the cost of film stock in this video.

Its fantastic younger people are enthusiastic about film, we should be full of encouragement and positivity.

 

[awty]

There are lots on eBay: Moviscop, Moviola, etc here in the US. Old amateur ones $50-100.

Ok I might need to import a 16mm viewing editor, I have a couple of 8mm types.

 

[btaylor]

I had the Moviola viewer years ago- optically it was miles ahead of the old Moviscop.

 

[Mainecoonmaniac]

I had no idea analog filmmaking is so expensive. I started out my job in digital media when digital filmmaking was in its infancy back in 1998 with Macs. But the basics I’d imagine are the same. I do hear that lightning and grip work is easier with film because of better dynamic range. Digital filmmaking has lowered the cost and off the shelf non-linear editing allowed people with shoestring budgets make movies.

 

[Don_ih]

16mm on old Bolexes except as a history lesson- it’s never coming back as a capture medium in that world

https://www.kodak.com/en/motion/page/shot-on-film

 

[AgX]

-) see this in the context of the number of movies as such being made

-) I myself was into making a movie on 35mm film, but to me it made no sense anymore, the moment there was no longer a practical chance to screen it from film.

 

[halfaman]

https://www.kodak.com/en/motion/page/shot-on-film

https://www.red.com/shot-on-red


or






There is a recent and wonderful Spanish movie shot entirely in 16mm color film stock ("Lo que arde", 2019) but it is a mere curiosity. I won't say 16 mm is a trending fashion on professional filmmaking, and amateurs seem more focused on 8 mm. I think 16mm was historically a format used on TV broadcasting.

Digital or film are just tools to record images. They are not good or bad by themselves, there are only good or bad cinematographers. Like in photography...

 

[guangong]

Looking up the old standards, Tri-X reversal and processing at Yale Labs it comes to about $60 for 3 minutes of run time (50ft). I think 30 years ago I was paying about $30-40 for Kodachrome 40, so not that bad really. Motion picture film is expensive, always has been. People have been shooting their home movies on cheap video and digital so long they don’t remember how expensive film is. When I was shooting 16mm films as a student the costs were very high (and our films very short!). I am not sure how valuable the experience would be for students to shoot 16mm on old Bolexes except as a history lesson- it’s never coming back as a capture medium in that world. Once the Tarantino and Scorsese types stop shooting their features on it what’s left? The younger filmmakers have never shot any actual film and they are the future. RIP. (Yet I miss the process terribly)

The cost of storing feature films as digital is extremely expensive. By transferring feature films shot on digital to film and storing in abandoned mines saves a huge amount of money. So film is not just used for shooting movies, but the bulk of it is more likely used for storing films.

 

[guangong]

For shooting film I use Arriflex and Beaulieu. Arriflex built for battlefield conditions. For all mechanical, B&H 70 and Kodak 100 are extremely well made. Never drawn to Bolex. For me, they try to do too much, fad ins and outs, etc., which makes them overly complex. Also, viewfinder too squinty.