Career 16mm cinematographer Tyler Purcell offered these helpful tips in response: "- Distilled water and light pressure on a standard qtip, doesn’t clean off emulsion (which is why you need to get off on the mag or gate). You need a solvent like alcohol. A pointed q tip works wonders. - Using a tooth pick on the gate may sound good, but those wooden picks leave debris behind. A pointed tipped q tip with a solvent like alcohol, will do better because the solvent will help prevent anything from sticking. A plastic picking tool actually works the best. - Those art brushes are notorious for leaving behind stingers. So use the brush first, than tap it with air after. - You don’t need to turn the manual engagement of the movement when loading a mag. The “phase” button does the same thing. Just put the mag on, hit phase once and you’re good to go. - SR mags don’t have light leak problems on the door covers themselves, so like other mags like Aatons, the seals do not need to be taped. There is no real benefit besides writing data on it. The Aatons have internal and external seals, which is why the take up side is smart to tape up."
Very comprehensive and methodical. As a large format photographer, I've been using the Photoflex Changing Room for nearly 20 years. It's nicer than the Harrison because it's an oval that just pops up into a cube and it's taller. Nice to see a similar approach here, compressed air, cleaning the edges, etc. Dust is the enemy of film no matter what kind you're using, 16mm or 8x10 sheets. I would think that it would be worth sacrificing some film to practice this in the light before you start messing around in the dark. I have an Eclair ACL and I was never able to figure out which/what battery since the ones it came with were dead. The Blackmagic released the Pocket and I've never used the Eclair. However, this is making want to dig that out and get to it. Thanks for that and for so thoroughly documenting these processes. It's nice to see something that is instructional without hyperbole.
This was a good video. Thank you for doing this and keeping film alive. I was a camera assistant for over 30 years. I started using the Arri SR in 1979 and finished up with the SR III in 1996. It was/is an outstanding camera system, a system I ran 10s of thousands of feet of film through. The steps outlined in the video will get you safely through the day for the most part. I do have to mention a couple of things. 1. Do NOT use Q-tips. Using Q-Tips opens the chance of strands of cotton migrating to the worst place, the aperture. There, they will cast a shadow on the film, creating the dreaded "hair in the gate." By using Q-Tips, “hair in the gate” shadows happened to me twice. Take it from me, you do not want it to happen to you once. Instead, if you must clean the plate or the aperture, use a plastic rod and Dust-Off. If I felt the extremely rare need to clean the plate or the aperture, I would use a chamois cloth or a lint-less cloth instead. While dust is a concern and you must have a clean work area and a clean interior in the changing bag, I never had a significant problem due to dust. 2. There is absolutely no need to tape anything more than the lid latches. The lids are light-tight. It makes the camera look ugly and only slows you and production down. I do use Permacel camera tape that is color coordinated to the film stock I.E. blue for daylight balanced stock, green for low ISO speed tungsten stock, red for high ISO speed stock, etc, etc. On the take-up side, I make a 5"/ 125mm strip and on that I write “R” (leaving a space for the roll number), the film can info, the mag number, process normal, and the date. When finished loading, I put this tape over the take-up latch. This tape then goes on the exposed film can with the report. I put a smaller piece of tape on the feed side latch. 3. When attaching to the camera, make sure the mag's attachment lugs go fully in the locking mechanism. If it does not, there is a visible gap. Try again to mount the mag solidly. Then press the red button to inch it. After inching, run the camera a second to make sure the pull down claw and the registration pin are properly engaged. If you hear a "clack" or "snap," the pull down has not fully engaged a sprocket hole. You must remove the mag, check that the film loop is equal above and below the pressure plate and remount. Press the inching button and then run again to make sure the film is moving properly. 4. General tips. Be extra careful removing the exposed film from the collapsable core. The film should be tight enough but be always prepared that it is not and that the inner part of the roll could spool into a pile of spaghetti. You do not want to untangle that in the bag. It takes too long, you risk cinching the film and you are holding up production. Loose spooling can occur if film has been in the mag for a while and it has gone from cold and dry to warm and humid or back again. This causes the film to expand and contract, causing looseness in the roll. Lastly, make sure you do not ship the mag spindle (the small black metal core) to the lab.
Dennis, thank you dearly for sharing your experience and correcting the errors in my video. I am a self-taught 16mm filmmaker and have learned from Jon Fauer's book and several existing TH-cam videos regarding the SR. My experience is very little and I am most grateful for your corrections. Perhaps I will create another video in the future as a revision to this one. I suppose I have been very fortunate to never have experienced one single hair in the gate despite my use of Q-tips. I incessantly blast my equipment with canned air or my rocket blower and frequently check the gate in-between magazines. The advice both you and Tyler Purcell have offered is invaluable and I will surely heed to it!
@@mourningdovefilms We had an expression, "Everyone has a first day on set." Starting out, I was dumber than a can of film cores. How I learned was a combination of being taught, reading, and making dumb mistakes. Take from me or anyone, the bad mistakes are the ones that hurt the most and teach the deepest. Keep doing it and you will gain your own style. However, don't ever get too stiff and be unwilling to accept a new, and better method. BTW, I knew Jon Fauer, an excellent fellow and superb writer. He did more to save the knowledge of using movie film cameras than anybody. To further your knowledge, get the camera assistant books by David Elkins, Doug Hart, and Verne Carlson. Keep film film alive!
Nice camera. The most I spent on a camera is $1800 on a bolex Rex 5. If I'm getting an Arriflex I'll get a 16s. An Eclair NPR is as expensive as I'll get!
Good video, But a WARNING about cleaning the "mags", this 'canned air' or rocket blower solution is ONLY for film cameras!!, NEVER digital (including things like Phase One XF\XT\XC's or Hasselblad H1/2/3 digital backs, OR the 200/2000series film cameras {delicate focal plane shutters}) the air is under pressure, so this sandblasts the sensor, You should ONLY ever use the special wiper sticks with solutions provided by Phase One aka their own cleaning kits, or the sensor can be irreversibly damaged.
Career 16mm cinematographer Tyler Purcell offered these helpful tips in response:
"- Distilled water and light pressure on a standard qtip, doesn’t clean off emulsion (which is why you need to get off on the mag or gate). You need a solvent like alcohol. A pointed q tip works wonders.
- Using a tooth pick on the gate may sound good, but those wooden picks leave debris behind. A pointed tipped q tip with a solvent like alcohol, will do better because the solvent will help prevent anything from sticking. A plastic picking tool actually works the best.
- Those art brushes are notorious for leaving behind stingers. So use the brush first, than tap it with air after.
- You don’t need to turn the manual engagement of the movement when loading a mag. The “phase” button does the same thing. Just put the mag on, hit phase once and you’re good to go.
- SR mags don’t have light leak problems on the door covers themselves, so like other mags like Aatons, the seals do not need to be taped. There is no real benefit besides writing data on it. The Aatons have internal and external seals, which is why the take up side is smart to tape up."
Very comprehensive and methodical. As a large format photographer, I've been using the Photoflex Changing Room for nearly 20 years. It's nicer than the Harrison because it's an oval that just pops up into a cube and it's taller. Nice to see a similar approach here, compressed air, cleaning the edges, etc. Dust is the enemy of film no matter what kind you're using, 16mm or 8x10 sheets. I would think that it would be worth sacrificing some film to practice this in the light before you start messing around in the dark. I have an Eclair ACL and I was never able to figure out which/what battery since the ones it came with were dead. The Blackmagic released the Pocket and I've never used the Eclair. However, this is making want to dig that out and get to it. Thanks for that and for so thoroughly documenting these processes. It's nice to see something that is instructional without hyperbole.
Always like cameras that have magazines like this. Arri 35 BL, Newall 35mm, with Micky Mouse mag has separate covers for each side.
This was a good video. Thank you for doing this and keeping film alive.
I was a camera assistant for over 30 years. I started using the Arri SR in 1979 and finished up with the SR III in 1996. It was/is an outstanding camera system, a system I ran 10s of thousands of feet of film through. The steps outlined in the video will get you safely through the day for the most part. I do have to mention a couple of things.
1. Do NOT use Q-tips. Using Q-Tips opens the chance of strands of cotton migrating to the worst place, the aperture. There, they will cast a shadow on the film, creating the dreaded "hair in the gate." By using Q-Tips, “hair in the gate” shadows happened to me twice. Take it from me, you do not want it to happen to you once. Instead, if you must clean the plate or the aperture, use a plastic rod and Dust-Off. If I felt the extremely rare need to clean the plate or the aperture, I would use a chamois cloth or a lint-less cloth instead. While dust is a concern and you must have a clean work area and a clean interior in the changing bag, I never had a significant problem due to dust.
2. There is absolutely no need to tape anything more than the lid latches. The lids are light-tight. It makes the camera look ugly and only slows you and production down. I do use Permacel camera tape that is color coordinated to the film stock I.E. blue for daylight balanced stock, green for low ISO speed tungsten stock, red for high ISO speed stock, etc, etc. On the take-up side, I make a 5"/ 125mm strip and on that I write “R” (leaving a space for the roll number), the film can info, the mag number, process normal, and the date. When finished loading, I put this tape over the take-up latch. This tape then goes on the exposed film can with the report. I put a smaller piece of tape on the feed side latch.
3. When attaching to the camera, make sure the mag's attachment lugs go fully in the locking mechanism. If it does not, there is a visible gap. Try again to mount the mag solidly. Then press the red button to inch it. After inching, run the camera a second to make sure the pull down claw and the registration pin are properly engaged. If you hear a "clack" or "snap," the pull down has not fully engaged a sprocket hole. You must remove the mag, check that the film loop is equal above and below the pressure plate and remount. Press the inching button and then run again to make sure the film is moving properly.
4. General tips. Be extra careful removing the exposed film from the collapsable core. The film should be tight enough but be always prepared that it is not and that the inner part of the roll could spool into a pile of spaghetti. You do not want to untangle that in the bag. It takes too long, you risk cinching the film and you are holding up production. Loose spooling can occur if film has been in the mag for a while and it has gone from cold and dry to warm and humid or back again. This causes the film to expand and contract, causing looseness in the roll. Lastly, make sure you do not ship the mag spindle (the small black metal core) to the lab.
Dennis, thank you dearly for sharing your experience and correcting the errors in my video. I am a self-taught 16mm filmmaker and have learned from Jon Fauer's book and several existing TH-cam videos regarding the SR. My experience is very little and I am most grateful for your corrections. Perhaps I will create another video in the future as a revision to this one. I suppose I have been very fortunate to never have experienced one single hair in the gate despite my use of Q-tips. I incessantly blast my equipment with canned air or my rocket blower and frequently check the gate in-between magazines. The advice both you and Tyler Purcell have offered is invaluable and I will surely heed to it!
@@mourningdovefilms We had an expression, "Everyone has a first day on set." Starting out, I was dumber than a can of film cores. How I learned was a combination of being taught, reading, and making dumb mistakes. Take from me or anyone, the bad mistakes are the ones that hurt the most and teach the deepest. Keep doing it and you will gain your own style. However, don't ever get too stiff and be unwilling to accept a new, and better method. BTW, I knew Jon Fauer, an excellent fellow and superb writer. He did more to save the knowledge of using movie film cameras than anybody. To further your knowledge, get the camera assistant books by David Elkins, Doug Hart, and Verne Carlson.
Keep film film alive!
Nice camera. The most I spent on a camera is $1800 on a bolex Rex 5. If I'm getting an Arriflex I'll get a 16s. An Eclair NPR is as expensive as I'll get!
Good video, But a WARNING about cleaning the "mags", this 'canned air' or rocket blower solution is ONLY for film cameras!!, NEVER digital (including things like Phase One XF\XT\XC's or Hasselblad H1/2/3 digital backs, OR the 200/2000series film cameras {delicate focal plane shutters}) the air is under pressure, so this sandblasts the sensor, You should ONLY ever use the special wiper sticks with solutions provided by Phase One aka their own cleaning kits, or the sensor can be irreversibly damaged.