Thanks for the video. A couple of points, however - film entering the gate threads under the top roller, forms a loop, then down through the gate, forms a bottom loop, then over the bottom roller, and under the next one along; a little clearance should be allowed to avoid the film loop rubbing up against the floor and ceiling.
Many thanks for your video. I have had experience in threading up a Mitchell BNC, but have never had opportunity to look at Mitchell's VistaVision camera, other than by photographs. In these, film travels horizonally through the gate and it cofuses me that the magazine feed and take up on either side seem set vertically in the normal way. Is it possible that the film is twisted 90 degrees twice en route?
yes, but only about a foot or so is exposed as the entry to the magazine is light tight. then you close the door and roll on a bit and you are good to shoot.
I was wondering about this. I was going to ask if there was a material inside the body to avoid scratching. but either way, if you're shooting in a dusty 1920's backlot, it's going to scratch if it touches, surely.
@@reeech_ I'm curious about this, too. Having worked as a projectionist, I know that the image area of the film must never touch any non-moving part of the projector. The only way I could see this working as described is if the camera has guides inside it that are specifically designed to touch only the very outer edges (the non-exposed) area of the film. But if the emulsion is just touching flat areas inside the camera body, that seems likely to cause scratches. (That said, I've shot 16, but never 35, so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.)
While I never used an NC, I did use BNCr's as well as for years I was a Panaflex 1st Assistant. The loops I find to be excessive. He also did not test run it while the door was open.
The threading is not accurate. As the film exits the bottom of the gate it goes over the first roller, under the second roller and then onto the sprocket. As shown the film could be scratched by waking into the rear of the registration pin assembly particularly if the loop is too long. The roller is there to prevent that.
Correct ! Hey Mark ! How the heck are you ? It's Mark Job here up in Canada. 😃 Hey whatever happened to that excellent Mitchel/MGM FC 65mm Bi-Pack movement camera you used to have ?
kc4cvh I'm guessing that's done by an assistant loader. That person puts the magazine box in a light-tight environment (pitch dark room or more usually a tiny loading tent that you stick you arms into) . And the exposed roll of film is taken out of the magazine and put into afilm can, taped up for storage until it reaches the processing lab. And when the mag is empty you can insert and thread up the new unexposed roll before sealing the mag up with tape again. I've done it myself with a 16mm magazine. Takes a while to learn how to do it essentially blindfolded (no lights allowed for obvious reasons. But it's not too hard once you get the hang of it. Some cameras don't even have a magazine so you need to put the whole thing in a pitch black environment in order to insert the roll of film without ruining the emulsion of the whole darned thing. But that's mainly the relatively tiny ones like those used as crash cams and the classic 16mm windup bolex. Where tiny size was preferable to a bulkier quickchange magazine. Pretty much all studio work uses magazines that are loaded and unloaded nearby the set.
when prepping the magazine with a fresh load of film in the dark room on the left part of the magazine, you load an empty plastic film core on the right side and thread in the film and wind it around that core and put the right side lid back on (this you can do in the light). at the time you load film into the camera this part is all prepped to go. after the camera is threaded you attach the take-up belt to the magazine and it automatically rolls up the film when the camera rolls
@@Tagoreeeeco Yep. The Mitchell magazines have two separate chambers, as opposed to (for example) the Arriflex displacement mags. So you only need to load the feed side in total darkness. When the mag is loaded and sealed, the take up side has been taken care of. You pull out a loop of film from the feed side and thread it into the transport mechanism.
Old is gold master of past time
This was very informative I have No 199 and this helped me a lot
Thanks for the video. A couple of points, however - film entering the gate threads under the top roller, forms a loop, then down through the gate, forms a bottom loop, then over the bottom roller, and under the next one along; a little clearance should be allowed to avoid the film loop rubbing up against the floor and ceiling.
Many thanks for your video. I have had experience in threading up a Mitchell BNC, but have never had opportunity to look at Mitchell's VistaVision camera, other than by photographs. In these, film travels horizonally through the gate and it cofuses me that the magazine feed and take up on either side seem set vertically in the normal way. Is it possible that the film is twisted 90 degrees twice en route?
Do you have drawings for the Michelle camera movement ? I need it to design my own.
Thanks for sharing! When you're threading like this on set, isn't there an issue with the film stock being exposed to light?
yes, but only about a foot or so is exposed as the entry to the magazine is light tight. then you close the door and roll on a bit and you are good to shoot.
Some people even use these burned out sections to "spice" up their films.
the visible part of the film is exposed and you need to inch that ahead.
AINDA POSSUO UMA MITCHELL NC STANDARD 43. MARAVILHA !
Panavision guts 🙌
the top and bottom loops should not touch the top and bottom of the camera to aviod emulsion scratches, at least that is the way i was taught
I was wondering about this. I was going to ask if there was a material inside the body to avoid scratching. but either way, if you're shooting in a dusty 1920's backlot, it's going to scratch if it touches, surely.
@@reeech_ I'm curious about this, too. Having worked as a projectionist, I know that the image area of the film must never touch any non-moving part of the projector. The only way I could see this working as described is if the camera has guides inside it that are specifically designed to touch only the very outer edges (the non-exposed) area of the film. But if the emulsion is just touching flat areas inside the camera body, that seems likely to cause scratches. (That said, I've shot 16, but never 35, so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.)
While I never used an NC, I did use BNCr's as well as for years I was a Panaflex 1st Assistant. The loops I find to be excessive. He also did not test run it while the door was open.
@@dennislivesey8282 Yep. You always give it a couple of bursts before closing the door, to check if the film runs smoothly.
what makes it an "NC" is that 'normally closed'.. as opposed to 'NO' normally closed?
"NC" stood for "Newsreel Camera" according to Mitchell.
Some refer to the NC as meaning 'Newsreel Camera, and others as 'New camera' - take your pick.
The threading is not accurate. As the film exits the bottom of the gate it goes over the first roller, under the second roller and then onto the sprocket. As shown the film could be scratched by waking into the rear of the registration pin assembly particularly if the loop is too long. The roller is there to prevent that.
Correct ! Hey Mark ! How the heck are you ? It's Mark Job here up in Canada. 😃 Hey whatever happened to that excellent Mitchel/MGM FC 65mm Bi-Pack movement camera you used to have ?
How does the end of the film become attached to the take-up reel?
kc4cvh
I'm guessing that's done by an assistant loader. That person puts the magazine box in a light-tight environment (pitch dark room or more usually a tiny loading tent that you stick you arms into) . And the exposed roll of film is taken out of the magazine and put into afilm can, taped up for storage until it reaches the processing lab. And when the mag is empty you can insert and thread up the new unexposed roll before sealing the mag up with tape again. I've done it myself with a 16mm magazine. Takes a while to learn how to do it essentially blindfolded (no lights allowed for obvious reasons. But it's not too hard once you get the hang of it.
Some cameras don't even have a magazine so you need to put the whole thing in a pitch black environment in order to insert the roll of film without ruining the emulsion of the whole darned thing. But that's mainly the relatively tiny ones like those used as crash cams and the classic 16mm windup bolex. Where tiny size was preferable to a bulkier quickchange magazine. Pretty much all studio work uses magazines that are loaded and unloaded nearby the set.
when prepping the magazine with a fresh load of film in the dark room on the left part of the magazine, you load an empty plastic film core on the right side and thread in the film and wind it around that core and put the right side lid back on (this you can do in the light). at the time you load film into the camera this part is all prepped to go. after the camera is threaded you attach the take-up belt to the magazine and it automatically rolls up the film when the camera rolls
@@Tagoreeeeco Yep. The Mitchell magazines have two separate chambers, as opposed to (for example) the Arriflex displacement mags. So you only need to load the feed side in total darkness. When the mag is loaded and sealed, the take up side has been taken care of. You pull out a loop of film from the feed side and thread it into the transport mechanism.