So, I've recently taken the plunge into shooting 16mm motion picture film. It seemed to be the next logical step on my journey into traditional photography.

• 14 August 2006: Home Movie Day. There will be a screening in Houston, Texas at Aurora Picture Show.

• 2 Bolex H16 motion picture cameras w/3 lenses each
• Gossen Luna Pro light meter
• ??? Tripod
• Camera Equipment Company Tripod
• Tilt-All tripod
• ``Yell & Howl'' Filmo-Pro hot splicer
• ??? Automatic hot splicer
• Reels, cans, leader, other miscellaneous editing supplies
• Kodak Pageant 250S projector
• Kodak Pageant TR-16AV projector (in need of repair)
• Da-Lite Star-Lite projection screen
• ``Minette'' 16mm editing viewer
• aluminum split reel
• phenolic split reel
• Hollywood Film Co. rewinds
• ``Yell & Howl'' rewinds
• C.I.R. Guillotine 16mm tape splicer
• Moviola 4-gang sync block

• Space in which to work and room to store it when there's no active project

Since I've only just started, I'm shooting a variety of film types to try and get a feel for how they behave. For the time being, I'm shooting reversal films to keep costs down. I have a mix of color and B&W film in both high and low speeds. See KODAK: 16mm Film Products

Although Kodak's catalog doesn't list it, K-14 Kodachrome 40 7270 is still available.
The only other color reversal film is the E-6 Ektachrome 100D 7285.
VNF Ektachrome color reversal films (7239, 7240, 7250, 7251) are discontinued and all stocks are depleted. B&W reversal is still available from Kodak, Orwo and Foma
For anything else, Fuji makes a wide variety of color negative camera films.

I sent my first batch of film (1000 feet) to Bono Film & Video on 27 July 2004. I finally got it back on 8 September (delivered on 4 September while I was out of town).

Since then I've sent my film to PAC LAB, Inc.. They have been very responsive.

For Kodachrome, there's only one place: K14movies.com (a division of Dwayne's Photo Service. They also process 7285 E-6 Ektachrome 100D. Very rapid turnaround and excellent results.

Since I'll have to start shooting negative film soon, I've been hunting for labs that will process and produce workprints. They seem to keep going out of business before I can give them money. Those that are left don't print, just transfer to video or some death codec on a hard disk, which is useless to me.

I was hanging out in the general activity/lounge area at a science fiction convention in 1998 when I heard a strange noise. I looked in the direction of the noise and saw an odd black shape sticking up over the crowd. It was something I had only seen depicted in cartoons or maybe the odd old newsreel footage on some historical documentary. It was the film magazine of a movie camera!

My curiosity was seriously piqued and I went over to see this amazing gadget close up and hopefully meet the person operating it. That's how I met Tommy Johnson. Until then, I didn't know consumer motion picture cameras and film were still available. I also hadn't considered the possibility that 16mm motion film could be accessible to mere mortals.

Since then, Tommy and I correspond frequently and engage in photo geekery on those too-rare occasions we can get together in person. It was only a matter of time before I got my own cameras...