Remjet removal from Motion Picture Film

This video shows how easy it is to remove the remjet backing on Fuji and Kodak Motion Picture Film. You simply use warm water and baking soda. There is a slight error when I open the film tank. I identify the Fuji film as Kodak and vice versa. The Kodak remjet is a little bit harder to remove and requires rinsing it under running water after the 'blix' step of the C-41 process.

[@erichstocker8358]

I think using washing soda rather than baking soda gets the remjet off faster and more completely because of the higher PH of the washing soda. But obviously both work.

[@TheAgeOfAnalog]

I like this method. My only concern, does your removal technique damage the emulsion in any way before developing? If not, it seems like a safer method than scrubbing the film after blix, when it's still rather soft.

[@allotmentcat1777]

I've been experimenting with Kodak and Fuji motion picture film for stills photography for about 8 months. I have Kodak ECN2 chemicals and the Kodak prebath. Temp for the prebath and wash water is 27c. 30 secs is the Kodak recommended time for the prebath with slow agitation (like what happens in roller transport in a lab). The sad reality is that once the carbon backing particles are free from the film they do attach to the emulsion side, also freely contaminating the developer, bleach and fix. One thing I just thought of. Pre bath, wash and develop and water wash as stop, do not use an acid stop, its acidic and will fuse the carbon to the film. After the dev and water wash stop its OK for the film to be in the light. Maybe a wash under a running tap at a luke warm temp could remove any carbon that's attached itself to the emulation, but be careful as the emulsion is soft and fragile. The following bleach and fix will remain cleaner. I test my idea tomorrow.

[@arey444]

did you test it yet?

[@allotmentcat1777]

Hi, I tested it and it's now my new workflow for dealing with the motion picture films. Step 1, prebath, step two developer, step 3 water wash as stop, a couple of washes in the tank is enough. Step 4 remove film from tank, gently rub both sides of the film between your fingers, you will see any remaining backing wash away. I found that wearing disposable latex gloves helps to protect from scratching the film. Do not wear any kind of rubber gloves the carbon sticks to the rubber gloves and you get glove pattern marks on the emulsion that will not come off after the film is fixed. The great thing I find using this method is that you can see if the bleach has reached completion and also the fix. I use Kodak final rinse to finish the film. It is good stuff, 5ml added to 1lt water is enough, so a bottle will last for ages. I've processed a lot of MPF film, around 2 a week and I am finally getting good results after trying every method in the book. I'm happy to help if you have any other questions or comments :).

[@allotmentcat1777]

I need to make a video.

[@allotmentcat1777]

You can put the film back on the reel even if it is wet, then do the blix part as normal.

[@allotmentcat1777]

I am happy I could help a little :) the MPF is difficult to handle, I am still striving to get better results and I pass on what I learn. Check out Mogsby64 on ebay, he has cheap film and the chemicals for ecn2.

[@davidcollins1853]

The Seattle FilmWorks mystery solved for most: If you remember Dale Labs, Seattle, or Signature color they repackaged cine film, which had that remjet on it. Every film company made it for these labs, Agfa, 3M, Fuji, and Kodak. You had to send it back to them for processing at inflated prices, because no other lab would develop it. Later Clark, another mail-order lab would develop it for much less. I remember getting the film free, and mailing it to Clark. Lol!

[@michael.defranco]

Would the process shown in the video work with Seattle Filmworks 5294?

[@davidcollins1853]

Yes. 5294 requires ECN-2 processing. Any lab that will remove remjet can develop that.

[@michael.defranco]

David Collins ok thanks! And I have a c41 kit so I’m assuming I could use this technique and then use the kit as I normally would?

[@davidcollins1853]

@@michael.defranco The processing chemistry is different. I recommend looking it up on photography forums.

[@michael.defranco]

David Collins oh alright. I’ll probably end up sending it to a lab then. I’ll look more into it though. Thanks for the help.

[@Katedawson-c5w]

Thanks for the great video. Super stupid question, what happens if you don’t take the rem jet off Kodak v3 500t film and just develop it ?

[@Pentax67]

So basically you can buy Kodak V3 500T in the dark unroll it and clean with baking soda then roll back and you have CineStill 800T?

[@michaelbennettphoto]

Cerisette Kotomi technically yes, but you can just shoot 500T normally and then develop it in c41 chemicals without getting the red circles around the highlights

[@diegogarciamedina6363]

Hi, you remove remjet and develop witth c41 chemicals as usual?

[@sidneybaptista8005]

Great explainer vid, thanks! Does removing the remjet prior to developing result in halation (like Cinestill has)?

[@extracraftable]

No the halation Is at time of exposure

[@sidneybaptista8005]

@@extracraftable Thanks for the response. Your advice worked perfectly. I developed one roll using C-41 chemicals and the results had a bluish green tint that was impossible to completely correct in post so I decided to process the next batch in ECN-2 chemicals...night and day difference. Highly recommend processing motion picture film in ECN-2 chemicals!

[@extracraftable]

@@sidneybaptista8005 yeah where it's a tungsten film if you shoot it in daylight without like an 85b filter and try to correct the color in post it really destroys like green and blue detail I've never used specifically ecn chemicals tho interesting

[@sidneybaptista8005]

@@extracraftable Even with the 85b filter I got a bit of the cast unfortunately (not as bad though). There's a company called QWD lab that sells a motion picture home dev kit. Processing with their kit finally gave me the look I was hoping for when I picked up motion picture film for 35mm.

[@tasost2161]

@@extracraftable in the same film o got nice photos but also some with spots on it in some photos you can also see the holes that film has in its edges , in follow exactly the same way as this guy in the video to remove the remjet still got some left that I wipe it off before stabilizaiser , what do you think it couses this bad looking photos in the dame film that also gives me nice ones ?

[@6581william]

Nice video. Have you ever developed your own remjet backed film? How do the prints look? Can you show examples?

[@sushi_donut]

This is awesome, man. Thank you! I really want to try this soon. Do you know of any B&W film stock that uses a standard D76/HC100 process?

[@PhotographerVA]

Essentially all of them. BW motion picture film is not different in process from still BW film. It's only the color that requires C-41 or E-6. I'd recommend Kodak Double X

[@MyPartytime69]

@deliberately, Any b/w film stock will work with D76 and HC110, including cine films like Kodak 5276/7276 Plus-X and Tri-X reversal 7266/5266. As you can probably guess, "tri-x reversal" produces a negative in D76/HC110 unless you add a bleach step. I have tested Plus-x 16mm 7276 developed in D76, HC110, Rodinal, Dektol, XTOL. All form usable, beautiful images. Rodinal was most vintage / interesting / contrasty. Dektol was the overall finest grain, high acutance. Tri-X I process HC-110 - it was Ansel Adams' favorite combination in sheet film and looks great in 16mm.

[@rodrigochapa4792]

So the manual cleaning part after the rinse comes before processing it? Do you do this in a dark room or do you clean it manually after processing? Cheers

[@garyc6183]

Sorry for the delay in replying, I didn't know anyone had even watched this, lol. Use the baking soda solution before you used the developer on the film. All film should be handled in complete darkness. I sacrificed these rolls to show what the process looks like. The residual remjet can be rinsed off after the Blix step of C-41 processing just to make sure you get it all off. If you don't it will dry and make a hell of a mess when you try to rub it off.

[@massmanute]

When you rub it with your fingers after the blix does it scratch the film?

[@dlg9369]

Hey man, thanks for sharing. But does this have to be done in complete darkness?

[@koltinn]

Yes

[@michael.defranco]

Could this be done with Seattle Filmworks 5294?

[@Richardsumilang]

Has anyone done this process with a Jobo CPA processor? Wondering if there is anything that could get ruined (aka the lift) since people always warn that sending film with remjet to a lab will ruin their equipment. Thank you.

[@pawpw1]

Please, does anyone have the experience on use of baking soda (NaHCO3) versus washing soda (Na2CO3) for remjet removal? I''m about to make the fist attempt for home development of cinematic film, and the tutorials are almost evenly divided on that topic. Thanks ;-)

[@pawpw1]

I gave it a try, baking soda definitely works wery well (doesn't mean that washing soda does not, I just tried the NaHCO3, first). The film surface was basically clean after blix, the only remjet residue was on the edges hidden in the spiral of the development spool. I n retrospect, the most time consuming part was to 100% clean the spool. The remjet removal itself was not much different from normal warm water pre-wash.

[@cadaver_on_autopilot]

Could you do this before shooting?

[@rorythorns1597]

Sorry for the late reply but theoretically yes. www.flickr.com/photos/gary99099/11777694403/ Some dude did do this and got pretty good results cine-vision-film-experiment.blogspot.com/ however it didn't really kick-off but it does go to show that it is possible

[@KiinaSu]

Isn't that basically what cinestill does? Remove the remjet before?

[@cadaver_on_autopilot]

@@KiinaSu Yes, however it is much cheaper to do it yourself if you are able to. However it turns out vision3 is a real pain to have it's remhet removed, Eterna comes off much easier so I've been doing it with that.

[@KiinaSu]

@@cadaver_on_autopilot Ah sad, wanted to mostly use vision3, but I guess its worth trying once at least

[@ignacioarayaramirez2726]

water was 100 °F or °C? thank you!

[@chrismofer]

almost certainly F.

[@garyc6183]

F

[@GOLDDYNACO]

C would be boiling water

[@dfgoijoi]

man .. thanks a lot :)

[@rpavich]

Do you do another removal after blix?

[@garyc6183]

no

[@maverickalvaro3706]

Just use 75% alcohol