Shooting Stop Motion on 16mm: Bolex or Rental Camera?

[FilmUnited]

I am trying to film a short stop motion sequence (about 150 frames), but my Arri BL-16 is no good for this, and the only camera that I have access to that has stop motion capabilities is an old Bolex. I was considering renting a camera for this sequence, but was wondering if I could just film it with a traditional 35mm SLR camera, then find a lab that will process my film and give it back to me on Beta.

Is this possible? If so, is it a bad idea? Thoughts / comments?

Thanks,
Corey

 

[Digigenic]

Have you considered using digital video/photos to create the stop motion? I admire the approach in using film, and I’m not opposing its artistic significance, but for stop motion, it just seems more practical to acquire in digital, ESPECIALLY if you're considering still photography as the alternative.
Are you working in miniature? I ask because even most of the small point and shoot digital cams have excellent Macro capabilities, especially among the Nikon, Fuji, Canon, and Olympus cameras.
That all goes without saying you get to experience an immeasurable degree of creative freedom in post if you have Photoshop and an NLE… it would be a lot of fun. 8)

 

[FilmUnited]

Well, the rest of the film will be shot on 16mm, so I don't want to throw digital in there. I do have a very nice Canon digital Rebel camera, and although I suppose I could use some post programs to add some grain and try to make it look consistent with the film, I would rather not do it that way unless necessary. The scene does not involve miniatures, it is more or less a hand writing on a wall over the course of a few years. In five years digital might be the obvious choice but, for now, film is my medium. I might end up using a macro lens regardless.

Corey

 

[vichoforevsky]

I make stop motion animation in 16mm, Super 8 and MiniDV. You could use a Beaulieu R16 camera if you don't like the Bolex but they are almost the same, or Super 8 is the one I use. I found that going digital with a MiniDV camera is cheaper than film. ¿Why don't you want to use the Bolex?

 

[FilmUnited]

I don't trust the old Bolexes because when you do a single frame advance, the exposure time is not exactly the same every time depending on the spring... I have seen many Bolex stop motions where the image tends to slightly flicker. I am leaning more and more toward shooting with my 6.3 megapixel digital and creating a film look with post programs.

 

[Digigenic]

I'd really like to see it when it's completed, especially if you decide to use your Rebel. 8)

 

[m.avidov]

also about the work in stop-motion

also about the work in stop-motion

I intend on making a short stop motion picture (about 5 min.) using only stills from my trustworthy Minolta SLR.
I will be conducting tests at the beginning of next week.
I am still a bit unsure about the frame rate- if I should shoot it at 8 or 12 frames per second- while taking into consideration that some frames will be doubled to extend their screen-time.
Anyway, my general plan is to shoot the whole movie in one night, have the film processed, either have the film scanned or spend the next month and a half printing the pictures myself (either way, here I do the work in the lab or I do the work on the computer using Photoshop- I'm leaning towards printing the pictures), and import them into the Avid Express.

I would be more than grateful for any tips anyone could give me.

:?:

 

[FilmUnited]

I was planning on shooting mine 24 fps, but I suppose the framerate depends on the type of animation you are going for.
8 is pretty slow... an offhand example of 8fps... in The Last Samurai, Tom Cruise has these flashbacks of his battles with Native Americans, and I believe John Toll shot these at 8fps and triple printed each frame. It is a very stylized look, and difficult to watch in long segments if there is a lot of movement going on.

What is the basic concept of your animation? If you plan to shoot it in one night on an SLR, at 8 frames per second for a five minute movie, that is 2400 total frames you need to shoot! 3600 frames for 12 fps. That's 100 rolls of film...


Corey

PS Perhaps off topic, but does anyone know what framerate Svankmajer shoots his stop motion animations at?

 

[m.avidov]

Thanks for the reply.
Yes I've done the math, I know what the amount will be.
I can see your point about the frame rate being stylized, perhaps in my tests I will try and intertwining the two rates.
The story is an adaptation to one of O. Henry's short stories.
What are you shooting your movie on? Are you using miniatures or something else?

 

[FilmUnited]

The film I am preparing to shoot is a short 16mm project, and I am only planning for one stop motion scene, involving people not miniatures. If I do this scene, it would be a transition to show time passage.