I loaded a roll of Cinestill 800T on my Nikon FA and this happened…

I loaded a roll of CineStill 800t on my Nikon FA and this happened right in front of my eyes while I was enjoying my hot chocolate. 

This man came bolting across the window, I didn't quite catch why he was running away so quickly, then another guy bolted by shouting out aloud, telling people on the street to stop him. I thought I had missed the opportunity to capture something but the security guard came back around, clearly full of adrenaline, however, he had been successful in capturing the shoplifter and from the looks of it got the two bottles of whisky back in his possession. 

This film is rated ISO 800 and is a tungsten balanced colour negative film based on the gold standard motion picture technology used by the best cinematographers around the world. It is specifically designed for difficult low light tungsten situations, this flexible film is suitable for use in different lighting situations to achieve a variety of looks.

It goes without saying that… check your camera settings before you start shooting as this will give you the best chance of getting the desired outcomes you want. 

If this is your first time shooting, I would recommend setting your ISO to 800 and check the light conditions that you are in. Use your light meter to take an accurate measurement that you want to be coming out correctly, or photographically put, exposed for. 

If you’re reading this as a seasoned film photographer this goes without saying, however, I know often we can get caught up in the moment and forget the basics which can lead to disappointments. There’s no need to make schoolboy errors! 

Using a phone pocket light meter, in my experience, has been useful for general casual shooting, it has not been the most accurate.  For the best results I use a dedicated handheld light meter, the Sekonic L858D. 

The weather is changing! Therefore, it is another great opportunity to shoot in different climatic and weather conditions. Use the unsettled weather to take advantage of the elements. I love the reflections coming off the pavement in the foreground. Think about your local weather patterns, what could you use to create something special?  

Always take stock from those who have walked this path before. Joel Meyerowitz encourages everyone to own the street. Public places are shared places and you have to be confident in what you are doing. By embracing the day you will capture the beauty of everything that surrounds you. 

How are you going to capture vibrant colours using CineStill 800T? 

Understanding some basic elements of the film will help you to plan what you will capture. The T in Cinestill 800T refers to tungsten or tungsten balanced. Most films are daylight balanced (for example CineStill 50D- check out my last video on that next!) This means the colours we capture are similar to what we see with our eyes. 

Tungsten light however (measured at 3200K) is warm yellow-orange colour light rather than daylight which is measured at 5500K which should appear white. This would be the middle point between warm light and blue light.  

At the start and end of each day daylight is more of a blue light hence it is called blue hour. Cinestill 800T is repackaged Kodak Vision3 500T motion picture film (movie film). As with Cinestill the T in 500T relates to the fact that it is tungsten balanced. With this information in mind, before we go out to shoot, we need to have in mind what will help bring out the best in this film format. Now, where will we find this in abundance? I wonder… 

The beauty of shooting with 36 frames is that you can get 36 different shots! You can fire these off within a few seconds, depending on what camera you are using. A key element of great photography is planning and taking the time to think about what you want to capture. Being aware of what you are going to shoot, where you are going, what you may expect will allow you to prepare for capturing the perfect moment. 

We are all cipating ie taking things as they happen or come. However with a little bit of planning you can anticipate and future project what may happen and then capture the perfect shot. 

Are you a beginner film photographer? 

The main formats are 35mm, Medium Format and Large Format. 

35mm you will get the smallest frame and the large format will be considerably larger in film size. If you are looking to shoot as a hobby, start off by shooting with a cheap film camera which you can pick up for as little as £20 on ebay. 

Don’t splurge thousands of pounds buying equipment which will at some point stop working as in most cases parts will be hard to source. Unless you have a bottomless pit to draw on (get yourself a Leica!) then remember that any vintage camera with a good lens will get you the same results as the most expensive camera on the market. 

On a side note film stocks are also getting more expensive, even though popularity is increasing for this medium of photography. Pricing can range from as little as £5 a roll through £20 for a single roll of CineStill 800T on 35mm. With that in mind, adjust your entry so you enjoy the medium more than anything else! 

Always try something new with your photography. You don't have to stick to 800 ISO, why not play around by pushing or pulling the film. Or even mess about with it in post. If you are a hobbyist what do you have to lose by trying this film out in different situations and scenarios? 

You may have already shot with this film so let me know what your thoughts are about it, how have you got on with it in 35mm or medium format? 

What do you recommend shooting with or how to use this film for projects! Check out my last video on CineStill 50D here, see you there! 

You can grab a copy of the book here: https://amzn.to/3ryUxVm

Apocalyptic London with CineStill 800T on Nikon FA

We all love the cinema; the films, the emotion, the story. Trying to recreate that cinematic feel has been made easier by the crowd funded CineStill brand which removes the remjet layer from the original Kodak films for the film photography enthusiast to have fun with! 

I am a big fan of futuristic type films such as Blade Runner but what drew me in more was the rendition of colours and light. I always wondered how the filmmakers were able to achieve such depth and unbeknownst to me it was this special cinematic film that was being used. 

It was an absolutely delight when I heard that this film was available to shoot with and after making several calls to photography specialists around the UK, I landed my first few rolls that had literally just arrived at the wonderful Analogue Wonderland (www.analoguewonderland.co.uk) Their friendly service dispatched the films that very day and I was so excited start shooting with this film as soon as possible! 

I decided to find an evening to shoot this roll in Central London, where I could find bright lights in to the late evening. For this walk, I took my Bronica Zenza ETRS medium format camera. Fifteen shots of high density cinematic film were about to be shot! 

Wandering the streets, I took my time framing each shot, trying to capture scenes which afforded plenty of night light. This being a test roll, I wanted to see how these images would fair under relatively bright night conditions. 

It wasn’t until many weeks later that I would find out from my developer that there was something seriously wrong with the images. Ricardo had seemed really worried when I initially spoke with him about the issue but he had taken the time to research the issue and postulated that the Remjet layer had not been fully removed properly. As such, when developed, it created this large orange haze across the whole image. Later, Magda emailed me some links to forums where this was being discussed in much detail. Turns out there was a whole batch of this film which CineStill was now recalling.  I called up, Analogue Wonderland and as usual they took care of everything with ease. 

Perhaps surprisingly, I am quite pleased with how the images have come out. The tungsten lighting has been amplified in deeper red/orange colours and in contrast with the black in the images, it gives a really apocalyptic feel to the set. Brighter white lights gave a bright yellow feel (the Waffle Cones image!) and it would have been interesting to see how other similar scenes may have come out too! My favourite image is right at the end of the selection, walking towards the West End theatres. The large lit billboards, street lamps and taxi headlights with the red sky and floor give a real feel the pandemic times we are all going through today. 

What is the Remjet layer? 

This is a black layer made from a coating of black particles that is found on motion picture Cine film.  

What is its purpose?

The Remjet layer protects the film from static and halation of lights and is most commonly used on Kodak films. 

What needs to be done in development?

The black layer must be carefully removed during the development process. If it is not properly removed it can lead to the images coming out with a dull orange complexion as you can see from the video. 

How can I save time and money in development of motion picture film?

The easy answer is to use CineStill 800T. Their film removes the Remjet layer for you so you can process it with ease in C41 chemistry. 

However, there are some downsides to pre-removal of the Remjet layer. It will lead to your images coming out with halation of any lights in low light conditions. If a subject and location is chosen appropriately the images have a great potential to the viewers delight! 

Another advantage of using CineStill 800T is you can use develop this film from the comfort of your own home using C41 chemistry, or simply take it to your local developer! 

No thank you, I want to use the original motion picture film! Where can I get that?

You can get Kodak Vision 3 200T and 500T Colour Negative Film from specialist film stockists. A simple search online will point you to a wide range of stockists closest to you.