Contact Scan

At last, got a few scans made up of my first remjet free test roll!

Top on is a scan of the supplied c-type contact print the lower image a selection of the negatives scanned as a contact on the drum scanner.

C-Type Contact. Note the extreme colours and contrast. The daylight shots are understandably blue (I did not use any filtration to adjust for the tungsten balance of the film). The interior shots are mostly off too. In fact the most intriguing shots to me are the table lamp (mixed light, tungsten and afternoon light) and the portrait in late afternoon sun. I'll try and scan these up asap. 

Digital Contact (PrimeScan 1200dpi + manual inversion). The digital contact shows far more detail and less inherent contrast. I've just applied a global correction, neither biased for the daylight shots or mixed light shots. I've kept the black level up too, so it's a bit less contrasty. This film is rather nice, it's got tons of detail. I'm undecided on the colour.

My first shots.....

At last!
One sample roll, rated at iso640. I've only got these dodgy iPhone shots of the contact and neg. I'm not near my scanners until later this week but I look forward to putting the negs through there paces under the Primescan and trying my new inversion technique for colour negatives.
Super thanks to Labrynth London for speedy development and contact.  More samples rolls to come within a week or two.......

Patient X - The first roll of CineVision 

SAMPLES !!!

Yes, thats right! I have very limited samples of Vision3 500T with the remjet removed!

This is just the first very small batch produced in collaboration with a leading photochemical lab. The remjet has been removed using the actual ECN2 process and then development stages by-passed and film dried (plus a few other secret steps!). A sample from this batch has then been processed (with ECN2) and reviewed - result: perfect clear film, no gunk or debris, no accidental exposure!!! The film is good to go for testing in the wide world.
To keep cost down I'm hand rolling the film into re-used canisters, total up-cycling! All my testing will be performed with C41 process.

Vision3 500T - Coming to camera near you, soon!

Want some? You can purchase a few test rolls here via my online shop very soon!! I just want to run a few more rolls through and possibly make up some 250D stock as I'm more of a daylight shooter.

I'll be posting scans of my first few rolls asap!!

8fps

My plan is un-folding. The first stage, simply being to explore if the process of removing remjet is commercially viable. This after some phone calls to people with a vast knowledge of motion picture film, it appears to perfectly possible as a custom process. Leading to the obvious question, how much!

I have managed to find a few companies whom are selling off ECN2 processing machines of various vintages. There's a great appeal to think of owning the equipment and performing the whole process in house. But in London with space at an all time high price I doubt I would be in a position to explore this option. I've floated the idea of a Kickstarter in my head but it's too early. So i'm pushing on with using one of the few commercial cine labs left to quote on a custom setup for stripping the rem jet. My understanding at this stage is that the first bath and the jet/washer stage will be utilised then the subsequent development stages bypassed until the film reaches final rinse then into the dryer, of course all in absolute darkness!
Some serious testing will required. I also have queries about the films change in sensitivity and if there's any effect from film swelling.... all to be answered I hope.

Millions of feet....

Cine-Experiment

In a nutshell this blog will seek to map my exploration of an idea..... Taking readily available 35mm motion picture film, both fresh and old and re-purposing it for use by any 35mm still's photographer.

Sounds simple but alas there are many layers to be solved (these are just the ones i know of!)

Firstly, the most prominent issue is that colour movie stock has a carbon black layer called Rem-Jet. 

I believe this layer enhances anti-halation and helps reduce static during shooting. This layer is removed in motion picture films native development process, ECN2 with a high PH bath and water jets before passing on to development stages. But for the film to become usable in C41 colour process familiar to most still's photographers it must be removed before even being shot! You might think it ok to just use the film and then drop it in for processing..... The Rem-jet will ruin the colour chemistry and damage the negative in the process and probably make you very unpopular with your local lab. 

I must come clean early on and say the biggest impetus for this journey is the incredibly successful CineStill film from America and the abundance of affordable rolls of 35mm motion picture film I come across. 

My feeling is that is must be possible to create a process that leads to rolls of film that are substantially cheaper than the retail price of CineStill's 800T. Of course I could be wrong! 

In part I also want the process to be robust enough that any colour film stock can have it's remjet removed be spooled up for still use. This would open up a world of millions of feet of film stock to be played with. 

Watch this space......