Moviemaker – Winter 2019

FORMAT

There are two types of 16mm cameras:

Standard 16 and Super 16. When Kodak first

introduced 16mm in the early 1920s, it was a

silent film stock and had perforations on both

sides. In the mid-’30s they introduced a single

perforation stock, putting an optical track for

in-camera sound recording where the second

MOVIEMAKER.COM WINTER 2019 35

SOFT POWER:

SUPER 16MM FILM WILL

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set of perforations once was. In both cases it

creates a 1.37:1 image size that is extremely

close to the square 4:3 aspect ratio that was

the norm for all pre-HD TVs, which made it

the ideal choice for news shows from the ear-

ly ’50s till the late ’60s. Super

16mm cameras were first de-

veloped in the mid- to late-’60s

by Swedish cinematographer

Rune Ericson. By removing

the optical track and widening

the film gate of the camera,

he found he could extend the

image area to a 1.66:1 aspect ra-

tio, which is closer to the 1.78:1

aspect ratio of all modern HD

TVs. This allows for a sharper and less grainy

image when cropped for wider aspect ratios

as compared to Standard 16mm.

CAMERAS: RENTING VS. BUYING

Something to keep in mind: Other than

the very delayed new Super 8 camera from

Kodak, very few film cameras continue to

be made, so quality control is very difficult

to verify if you intend to own your first film

camera. I would not recommend buying

cameras off of eBay—most of the cameras for

sale there haven’t been used in many years,

haven’t been maintained, and are sold as-is.

I have bought quite a few Super 8 and 16mm

cameras off the site myself, and most either

didn’t work at all or stopped working after a

very short time. If you are determined to buy

a camera, websites like visualproducts.com

sell used cameras and gear with parts and

labor warranties. Companies like these are

staffed with technicians who know how to

maintain the products they sell, so you know

exactly what you’re getting.

In most cases, talking to your local motion

picture rental house is your best bet. Since

digital cameras make up the bulk of their

business, you can usually negotiate a pretty

inexpensive rental price for their underused

film gear. These rental houses

are also staffed with knowl-

edgeable technicians who can

show you the ins and outs of

the particular camera you are

renting.

The two most common

Super 16 cameras available

at rental houses are the

Arriflex SR III, released in

1992, and the Arriflex 416,

released in 2006. The Arriflex 416 is the

camera of choice for the hit show

The Walking Dead. These are stellar camer-

as; both have nearly identical features, with

the 416 having a more ergonomic design and

slightly better viewfinder. They both shoot

5 fps to 75 fps. If you need higher frame

rates for slow motion, there is a high-speed

version of each camera that will shoot 150

fps. Both cameras offer easy to load maga-

zines, where only half of the film loading

process has to be done in complete darkness.

FILM STOCKS

Kodak is now the only company that

makes motion picture film stocks. They

currently have six stocks available for 16mm,

which can work in either Standard 16mm or

Super 16mm cameras. There are four color

negative films, one black and white negative

film, and one black and white reversal film.

Negative film stocks have more exposure

latitude and more natural looking contrast,

while reversal film stocks have higher con-

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