• Re: 16mm VistaVision-style format

    From Scott Dorsey@21:1/5 to quadibloc@gmail.com on Thu Nov 30 20:01:18 2023
    John Savard <quadibloc@gmail.com> wrote:
    I've seen this question asked before. Nobody seems to have heard
    of this film format.
    However, I very distinctly remember reading about such a format.
    It was in a book from the 70s or 80s on independent film-making.

    The purpose of the format was to allow shooting with image
    quality near to that of 35mm film, while allowing the camera used
    to be light and convenient - basically, the camera would be
    the size of an ordinary 16mm camera, but the _lens_ would be
    the size of a 35mm lens.
    And in my source, it was noted that a very famous movie from
    1978 was shot in that format.
    Debbie does Dallas.

    2-perf 16mm would be pretty problematic since you'd need a very different camera mechanism. It wouldn't just be a matter of filing out the gate and pull-down arrangement. Might be POSSIBLE to modify a camera with an intermittent to do the job, but it would probably be more expensive than modifying a 35mm for Techniscope, and would cost about the same amount in
    raw stock costs.

    I could see someone building a one-off camera just for fun, but it would
    be a hobby project more than anything actually useful.

    Debbie Does Dallas is in Academy ratio 35mm. Please use the 1:37 plate
    when projecting.
    --scott

    --
    "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

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