Shooting 16mm on a Bolex for the First Time: Which Film to Buy?

[Limanima]

Hi,

I'm really new to this filmmaking thing, so I think this is the right place to post.
I've bought a 16 mm Bolex a few years ago but I've never used it.
But now I decided finally to give it a try.
I want to buy the 16 mm film, but I'm not really sure what kind of film should I buy.
How should I decide the type of film to buy?
Please ask me anything you need to know about the camera.

Thank you
Lima

 

[ralck]

I don't know too much about film, but I'll try and help a bit.

There is no one type of film you will want. There isn't really one type of film that fits all. There are slow films (needs longer time to expose than fast film at the same light level, i.e. for bright areas) and fast films (take less time to expose than slow film at the same light level, i.e. for darker times). There is also black and white film as opposed to color film (I'll assume you know the difference :wink: ).
Now, on top of all that, there are different 'colors' to the film. I'm sure there is a better name for this. What I mean is, there are certain films that accentuate blues, and ones that really bring out the reds.

Of course, there are more things than just what I mentioned, but I really don't know enough about film to help you further.

Maybe you could consider getting some fast film, medium film, and slow film and experiment with them. Possibly look at several different brands and find some you like?

 

[Limanima]

Well, I'm going to be a father soon, and I would really like to film my son's first days of life.
So, I'm going to probably film inside the hospital room. As for the colors and time exposure I need "normal" film.
I'm not even sure of the magazine size I should get. I know there are 100' and 400' magazines. Should I get the 100' magazines?
Another thing: I'm not sure if my camera is super 16 or not. I don't think it is, but how can I make sure? I think the parts where the film fits have pins in both sides.

 

[Patrick Gantry]

100' approximately equals 2.5 minutes for 16mm. Since you will be using the available light inside the hospital, you should go with a faster film, at least with an ASA of 500T. I believe that reversal film tends to have less exposure latitude than negative film, so you will probably want the latter. Your best bet will probably be KODAK VISION2 500T 7218. If you have time, you may want to shoot some test footage in the same lighting as you'll be in to see if you will want any filters.

 

[element80]

Is the camera the Bolex H16? If so, it's just regular 16mm, but I think it only has the sprockets on one side of the film, so you don't need to have the film perfed on both sides. Also, if you're not using this for anything but home viewing, you should probably get reversal so you can save on the print (unless you're planning on transferring anyway).