16mm Film

Posts Tagged ‘early’

The Time-Slice camera was first devised in 1980 by Tim Macmillan at Bath Academy of Art during his BA. Fine Arts degree course. Originally a painter, Macmillan was interested in combining Cubist theory with contemporary technology. Initially using hand-made photographic emulsions and photo grams, he went on to create a series of cameras creating multiple viewpoints of a space which were then collaged together. The multiple camera concept then made a lateral leap to being applied to cine film. The first camera involved a length of 16mm film negative, clear Perspex spacers providing a focal length and a strip of opaque 16mm cine magnetic tape with a pinhole drilled into each frame. A simple shutter over the magnetic tape then provided the means of exposure. The result was a tracking shot through a space. The profound revelation was that while the viewer experienced a move through space, time was frozen. A paradox! The effect is also known as temps mort (dead time) & virtual camera, with various companies advertising under names such as Timetrack, Multicam & Big Freeze.

Here is a humourous compile i edited together showing the other side of location news gathering in the early 80′s, all rescued from the original 16mm camera films and digitised via my custom built telecine system

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Ray Harryhausen’s animated creatures sparkled with predatory alertness and subtle quirks of behavior that stamped each with a distinct and memorable personality. His use of stop-motion animation—a method of animating movable models and puppets—brought dinosaurs and monsters to life on the silver screen. Many animators and special effects wizards, like Phil Tippett of Jurassic Park and Jim Aupperle of Planet of Dinosaurs who are still working on prehistoric-bas… More >>

The Dinosaur Films of Ray Harryhausen: Features, Early 16mm Experiments and Unrealized Projects

One of the earliest surviving “live” sitcoms of the 1950′s is Wally Cox’s “Mister Peepers”. The show aired on NBC from 1952 to 1955. Unlike “I Love Lucy” which was shot on film, “Mister Peepers” was aired live and exists today because it was saved via the kinescope process (basically, putting a 16mm camera in front of a TV monitor and filming the screen). Due to the nature of the show and the way it was saved, the picture quality is not that amazing. (But, its historical value as one of the earliest TV series still available to see today makes up for this!) What we have here (in four parts) is the original unaired pilot for the series (circa early 1952). (Look for a young Walter Matthau as the coach!) Unlike the aired episodes, there is no audience, so the scenes seem rather quiet. This series is very low-key and probably will seem quaint and rather boring to those folks used to what passes for entertainment today. But, as the series progresses, you tend to find yourself rooting for Robinson Peepers, as he genuinely is a nice guy! (BTW, if you like the show, you really should buy the two volumes of episodes out on DVD. About half the series has been released so far, and more support might get the rest of it released!)

Dumpster Diving, True Love, Unemployment and Roller Derby: Our early picks for BendFilm 2010
It’s officially autumn and as the leaves start to fall it means several things, but the most exciting in the hearts of cinephiles across the region is the return of our very own independent film festival, BendFilm. We were lucky enough to get a sneak peek at the festival’s lineup, that this year features 88 total films and added screenings at The Oxford Hotel. Che …

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Example clip of a 16mm telecine transfer on my system, showing a self serve petrol station from the early 80′s somewhere in melbourne

One of the earliest surviving “live” sitcoms of the 1950′s is Wally Cox’s “Mister Peepers”. The show aired on NBC from 1952 to 1955. Unlike “I Love Lucy” which was shot on film, “Mister Peepers” was aired live and exists today because it was saved via the kinescope process (basically, putting a 16mm camera in front of a TV monitor and filming the screen). Due to the nature of the show and the way it was saved, the picture quality is not that amazing. (But, its historical value as one of the earliest TV series still available to see today makes up for this!) What we have here (in four parts) is the original unaired pilot for the series (circa early 1952). (Look for a young Walter Matthau as the coach!) Unlike the aired episodes, there is no audience, so the scenes seem rather quiet. This series is very low-key and probably will seem quaint and rather boring to those folks used to what passes for entertainment today. But, as the series progresses, you tend to find yourself rooting for Robinson Peepers, as he genuinely is a nice guy! (BTW, if you like the show, you really should buy the two volumes of episodes out on DVD. About half the series has been released so far, and more support might get the rest of it released!)