scottkeirl Posted June 5, 2017 Share Posted June 5, 2017 There have probably been many questions on old movie film developing in this forum, but instead of taking the time weeding through the searches I'd rather ask again, Sorry. I have a few vintage movie cameras that still have film in them. I'm not sure if it would be worth it to "try" to get these developed to see if anything is still good? If the film had been exposed to some sort of light, even though it is still on the spool, would any of the film still be good? If it is, where can I get this developed or is there any way of doing this at home? Thank you. Any and all replies appreciated. Even though these are other people and their lives, it's still interesting to see the history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Kahn Posted June 5, 2017 Share Posted June 5, 2017 Several years ago, a company somewhere in the northwest began advertising 35mm film at ridiculously low prices. The catch was that you had to send the film to them for processing at ridiculously high prices. It seems that the film was movie film which has an opaque backing on it, which requires a separate removal process, and most consumer film processors couldn't or wouldn't handle it. Mind you, this was back when we still had local film processors on every corner... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thirteenthumbs Posted June 5, 2017 Share Posted June 5, 2017 What type of movie film are you asking about, 8mm home movie film, Super 8 movie film, 16mm? Where are you located? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_noble Posted June 5, 2017 Share Posted June 5, 2017 Several years ago, a company somewhere in the northwest began advertising 35mm film at ridiculously low prices. The catch was that you had to send the film to them for processing at ridiculously high prices. It seems that the film was movie film which has an opaque backing on it, which requires a separate removal process, and most consumer film processors couldn't or wouldn't handle it. Mind you, this was back when we still had local film processors on every corner... That sounds like Seattle Film Works. They respooled 35mm movie film into cannisters for still cameras. They went belly-up in 2010. Seattle FilmWorks - Wikipedia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Kahn Posted June 5, 2017 Share Posted June 5, 2017 Sorry, I misread your post and just assumed you were looking for 35mm film for use in a camera. Here's one possibility for you: Old Movie Film Processing | Film Rescue International ® You might take a look at that. Paul, that was it, thanks. I'm surprised they lasted that long... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottkeirl Posted June 5, 2017 Author Share Posted June 5, 2017 What type of movie film are you asking about, 8mm home movie film, Super 8 movie film, 16mm? Where are you located? Well I'd have to look at my movie cameras again to make sure, it's probably just regular 8 and 16? I'm pretty sure it's not super 8. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottkeirl Posted June 5, 2017 Author Share Posted June 5, 2017 Sorry, I misread your post and just assumed you were looking for 35mm film for use in a camera. Here's one possibility for you: Thanks for the info. I sent them a message asking a few things before actually sending off the film. Old Movie Film Processing | Film Rescue International ® You might take a look at that. Paul, that was it, thanks. I'm surprised they lasted that long... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thirteenthumbs Posted June 5, 2017 Share Posted June 5, 2017 Dwayne's lists Ektachrome and Kodachrome under Movie Film in the services tab. A trusted name in photo processing for over 50 years - Dwayne's Photo There are possibly several other places to get it processed also. Search engine movie film processing and see what turns up. Seattle Film Works film that says Process SFW-XL made in Italy can be processed in C-41 chemistry at 85°F or slightly lower. It does not have the remjet backing. Higher temperatures result in faded colors to blank film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodeo_joe1 Posted June 5, 2017 Share Posted June 5, 2017 From Dwayne's website: "Kodachrome Processing Ended Dec 30, 2010. All types of Kodachrome film (including Kodachrome slide and movie film) cannot be processed." Ektachrome and other E6 process films should still be easy to get processed. Any other old colour process like Agfachrome 50 is probably only processable as a B&W negative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomspielman Posted June 5, 2017 Share Posted June 5, 2017 (edited) If it's Kodachrome then no one will process it anymore - not as it was meant to be. Some places will be willing to process it as B&W but it's a special setup that they will charge you extra for. Pro8mm is one place that will do it. Yes you can process it on your own in buckets or if you've got about $200 you can get a tank designed for that work (search for lomo developing tank on eBay). If you use buckets, expect scratches and splotches. Some people like that effect. There are tutorials on youtube. I have not yet processed movie film on my own but I do intend to attempt it some point. I even have some old kodachrome film I intend to try and process with "Caffenol". For reference I have home processed still film that sat in a 35mm SLR for 20 years that I bought from eBay. I didn't realize there was film in it until I started to open the back. I shut it as soon as I realized, but part of the film was fogged by that. I asked the previous owner if they wanted the film back before I did anything with it, but he was just flipping that camera. It wasn't functional and I just got it for parts. He didn't even know who it belonged to before. So I developed the film and got images. It would have been nice to see how it would have turned out if I hadn't accidentally exposed it. Where it wasn't blown out, the colors were soft and in some places distorted but you could make out everything. Someone more skilled in post processing probably could have turned them into something decent but the pictures had no meaning for me so it wasn't really worth the effort. Long story short, if you think the movies will have some sentimental value for you or other family members, and that's worth some money to you, yes it can be processed. If you just want to mess around with trying it on your own, that is an option too but there's no guarantee on results. Edited June 5, 2017 by tomspielman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thirteenthumbs Posted June 5, 2017 Share Posted June 5, 2017 From Dwayne's website: "Kodachrome Processing Ended Dec 30, 2010. All types of Kodachrome film (including Kodachrome slide and movie film) cannot be processed." yesiknow that the corrison ate through the kodak comband they crumbled away. dwaynes needs to fix their web site. FILE / IMAGE UPLOAD FAILED AGAIN!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glen_h Posted June 7, 2017 Share Posted June 7, 2017 In general, older color film is not worth processing. The cost is about that of a new roll, and the chances of good results are low enough, that it is best to use new film. About 10 years is probably too long for many films, though slower films might last longer. Kodachrome was a popular movie film for home 8mm and Super 8, but there was also Ektachrome and some others. As above, there are no labs doing K14 in color, though it can be done in black and white. Many movie films have a light proof coating on the back. Reel style (that is, except for Super 8) is loaded with the edge of the reel exposed. Ordinary film absorbs a fair amount if light, but the RemJet coating even more. But it complicates the processing. Black and white negative film is easy enough to process at home, and the chemical cost is low. I will usually do film of unknown ago or chance of results, because it doesn't cost much, and is somewhat fun. Movie film is harder, but maybe not so much harder. -- glen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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