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16mm B & W Feature Film

Published - 19th November 2003

We're in the planning stages of a 16mm B/W feature-length film, and I'd like to ask if anyone knows if there are non-Kodak film stocks worth looking into or that have interesting/superior qualities. I remember seeing a film stock supplier on the Web offering a Eastern European (or perhaps just European) stock that had superior image qualities, but the name of this stock has completely slipped my mind.

Would appreciate any information – especially working experience - that anyone might have.

(Another motivation for looking at foreign film stock would be to save money, although this is not the primary motivation.)

John Sabotta

John Sabotta wrote :

>I remember seeing a film stock supplier on the Web offering a Eastern >European (or perhaps just European) stock that had superior image >qualities, but the name of this stock has completely slipped my mind.

Greetings,

You are probably referring to ORWO
ORWO makes two types of neg film: UN 54(EI 100/21) and N74(EI 400/27)

Regards
Emmanuel from Munich

Filmotec GmbH
Chemiepark Bitterf. Wolf
Ar. A, Röntgenstr. 415
D-06766
www.filmotec.de

John Sabotta wrote :

>I'd like to ask if anyone knows if there are non-Kodak film stocks worth >looking into...

You seem to be describing ORWO (which I've never used) you should look into Ilford’s range of 16mm B&W stocks (which I have);

http://www.ilford.com/html/us_english/pdf/Fp4mpic.pdf
http://www.ilford.com/html/us_english/pdf/Hp5mpic.pdf
http://www.ilford.com/html/us_english/pdf/SFXmp.pdf

They come in little cardboard boxes (rather than metal cans) which some Americans seem to find quaint & amusing but they are really beautiful stocks with their own character - distinct from Kodak’s stocks.

Yours,

Tom Townend
C inematographer/London.

Hi John,

>Would appreciate any information - especially working experience - that >anyone might have.

I shot a roll of the Orwo UN54 on a spec commercial and found it to be very low contrast with lots of silvery looking midtones when compared to the 5231 that was my primary stock. It's really fine grained too.

I was shooting with a Red 25 filter in bright daylight, It's was very different looking than the Kodak and I remember having some trouble matching it in TK. ( good colorist / Spirit / Da-Vinci ).

I love shooting black and white.

Matt Uhry D.P.
Los Angeles
www.fuzby.com