Shooting 16mm Film on Krasnogorsk-3: Process & Tips

[@DanVogt]

Terrific video. Great shots, great use of colour without it looking inauthentic or fictitious for a doco. I agree with you on the laundry scene, but I think it's because just the small change would make it one of contenders for hero shot; it's almost perfect. Love the audio and the music, and the quality of his voice. 8:46 Out of interest why did you pick the daylight stock? Wouldn't it have benefited from 500T or were you aiming to max the contrast values? Also is the fuzzyness (not the lack of res or sharpness or focus) just from the telecine? I don't think its the camera, I'm just wondering why the grain is not discernable? Kind of misses the textural grit that the narrative has. Great video, sorry for the exhaustive comment. Thanks mate 🤙

[@alexisgoupillot4731]

Really well done ! Would love to see more of these videos !

[@alex-botton]

Awesome! Thanks the the positive feedback 🎉 more on the way for sure

[@Newvision-ck9cr]

You must of got this serviced cause these are clean asf

[@alex-botton]

The K3 you mean? I bought it from Max - @K3SUPER16 on Instagram, he services all his machines before the go out!

[@nevaknowmanamesame5089]

Sick short film btw!

[@soaplacide9232]

Really helpful video thanks a lot 😊 Your film is also great ⭐

[@thewierddood]

This is a fantastic educational content. I genuinely mean it, great work and thank you for sharing this wealth of information.

[@alex-botton]

@@thewierddood thanks for the kind words! It’s comments like this that keep me excited to make more :)

[@eqajmg]

The reflection part is a great section of this video. We all reflect and to see a KZbin video that discusses thus part of our job is nice to see

[@alex-botton]

Thank you 🙏 I’m trying to make a space where we can talk about work objectively and I don’t want it to be portfolio based but more learning based. Hope you got something out of it!

[@OfTwoLands]

Finally you're here haha!! Congrats on this video man!! Super interesting, lots of info, nicely done and I love the images from the piece. Keen to see more of you in this space :)

[@alex-botton]

Thanks so much Flo! You’re the reason I’m on this space so I owe you a huge thank you! ❤ excited for what’s to come.

[@OfTwoLands]

No worries baby! So excited as well for you man! @@alex-botton

[@alex-botton]

Thanks buddy, super excited for this little journey.

[@StevenDempseyArtist]

Well presented video. No BS. You are a good teacher and I like the style in which you teach. Keep it up.

[@alex-botton]

Thanks for the kind words! I appreciate the feedback 🙏

[@thesonofavich]

Keep it coming…all the best

[@alex-botton]

Thanks a lot! 🙏

[@baitfilm]

Thanks dude! Im shooting my first test roll on K3 tomorrow I'm super nervous hahaha, this video was so much help!

[@alex-botton]

@@baitfilm that’s awesome man. Just take a digital camera with you and manually pop the same settings into it if you’re freaking out ;) enjoy man, it’s really fun 👍

[@thousandoaksmall1995]

"Run what ya brung," indeed! I'm always on the lookout for new K3 content, and this is such an excellent use of the K3. Doing an "animatic"-type thing with drawings and the scratch voiceover was a smart move, and really goes to show how far preparation goes in a pursuit like this. Good job.

[@alex-botton]

Thanks so much for the kind words! Appreciate the feedback and glad you got something out of it :)

[@cinnamontography94]

This turned out amazing!

[@alex-botton]

Thanks very much! Glad you liked it 🙏

[@seanpmcdermott]

Great insights in here! Keen to see more

[@alex-botton]

Thank you buddy. More to come for sure !!

[@LindaNelson-v2m]

Fabulous content!

[@alex-botton]

Thank you so much! Appreciate that a lot :)

[@madebyams]

Loved this video! To the point, but also really nice to look at (love the purple blue setup for the camera / lens shots too - really pretty!) Well put together 👏🏻bravo and thanks, looking forward to the next!

[@alex-botton]

Thanks ams!! Feels good to be on here, looking forward to putting a few out soon :)

[@dimitrichristy630]

Hell yea looking forward to this

[@alex-botton]

Thanks buddy :)

[@RotarySMP]

You first YT video... wow, your years of industry experience really show. This was brilliant. Thanks for sharing it. Makes me feel bad for having my 16mm Beaulieu sitting unused on the shelf. Subbed.

[@alex-botton]

Thank you so much! I hope to make much more of them, just need to keep carving out the time to do so. Thanks for subbing! 🙏

[@gottanikoncamera]

Good piece! Picked up a 16mm Bolex last year, shot one test roll and you’re inspiring me to pick it up and shoot it. Looking forward to more from you. One small thing: I followed just about everything you said but we’re not all professional filmmakers and maybe aren’t as proficient with all the technicals. But a really good piece!

[@alex-botton]

Hey thanks so much for the kind words. If you’ve got a bolex it would be a crime to not shoot it 🤩! And great point, it’s a fine line between including as much as I can and being more explanatory on each topic vs keeping the video a digestible length too but I’ll keep that in mind for the next one, great feed back thank you!

[@truopio]

This was a great video. I have been considering making a move to trying to shoot on 16mm. I’ve only shot digital, but the challenge of the discipline of shooting film really appeals to me. I am searching for my first camera. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[@alex-botton]

The k3 is a great place to start. Cheap entry point to 16mm, great resale value and like I say in my video, more money to spend shooting film! Best of luck.

[@pieleonardi]

Very well done! Loved the video from start to finish. The pacing of it, your chill demeanor, even the little K3 animation! The short looks great as well, congrats! Your video made me even more sure that getting a K3 for myself is the best step moving forward. Cheers from Brasil, mate! ✌🏻

[@alex-botton]

Hey thanks so much, buddy that means a lot! I appreciate the kind words - that is exactly what i was going for so im stoked that it landed that way :) Enjoy your K3, i'd love to see what you end up making with it!

[@dangoldbach6570]

The lighting setup breakdowns are really helpful 👌

[@alex-botton]

Awesome!! Glad they helped you out 🙏🎉

[@ChrleBrwnJR]

beautiful camera movements! really insightful & through breakdown as well! Cannot wait to see you DP some more!

[@alex-botton]

Thanks very much! I’m looking forward to DPing some more, there’s a couple of things on the burner at the moment!

[@Analog16]

Incredible video, thanks for making it. It really shows that you cant just get a nice camera and make a a great movie. So much planning and logistics that goes into it. Interested in hearing what the ratio of shots used from the footage you shot was. Film is very expensive, and in a funny way it forces you to not to shoot junk.

[@alex-botton]

@@Analog16 thanks very much, I appreciate the kind words. I think the ratio of used shots was quite high, excuse we had story boarded most of it out we were kind of conscripted to it for our voiceover. But obviously there was some editing involved..! But 99% of the scenes we shot made the cut.

[@cmise]

Really neat to see the process behind the scenes, stoked to see you on here and watch the channel grow!

[@alex-botton]

Thanks very much! Happy to share it 🙏

[@carloalcos]

Killed it! Even though we worked closely on this together i learned a lot here :)

[@alex-botton]

Thanks so much man, humble as always ;)

[@nothingaroundus_]

Thank you for making this. I am in the process of making my first short film ever, so these learning were super helpful. We will use a Bolex though, and it will be less of a professional look, but hey, you need to start somewhere :) Btw I love how you mentioned to reflect on your own work, that is exactly why I started making videos on KZbin.

[@alex-botton]

That’s so awesome! Bolex’s are beautiful, I would definitely own one if I could afford it !!

[@alex-botton]

Best of luck with the short too 🙂

[@thomaswilson3271]

Loved it mate. Super insightful and I’m looking forward to many more!

[@alex-botton]

Thank you mate I appreciate the feedback! 🙏🙏🙏

[@flopiedi9049]

Nice short bravo ! Btw was wondering whether you were shooting with a super 16 K-3?

[@alex-botton]

Great question - something that I did address originally but it must have been cut somewhere along the line..! Yes it’s a super 16 k3: widened gate by @k3super16 on insta.

[@flopiedi9049]

@alex-botton Was it his most recent k3 super 16 builds? If so strange that some of your shots were off center ! Do you exactly record what you see through the k3's frame lines? Cheers !

[@alex-botton]

@@flopiedi9049 no no, a very old build! I think about 3 years or longer ago. He’s fixed all of these issues screen issues with HIS k3 to my knowledge, I should have addressed this in the video actually. Sorry max!

[@silva-anderida7695]

Really interesting.Cheers!

[@alex-botton]

Thanks very much, glad you enjoyed it!!🎉

[@tuckerkanderson]

Loved this breakdown Alex! So insightful and intentional. Appreciated the insight into what you liked about your work, and what you would've done differently. Also you're making me want to go get a 16mm camera haha. Looking forward to the next video!

[@alex-botton]

Thanks Tuk, appreciate the feedback dude! Honestly if you're around LA there's such a good rental network around there that i would just rent some a few times and see if its your vibe. Plus the ones you rent you can use ND's with ;)

[@alex-boke]

Sick bruh! First one with a big punch! Love what you and Carlo (& crew) created here. Love the play with primary colours. Timeless piece. Well done boys. PS: You forgot to put in the BTS POV goldeneye angle of my fs3 haha

[@alex-botton]

Haha oh yeah!!! Next time, there will be more 16mm vids for sure. Plus gives us an excuse to go get more footage too!

[@thousandoaksmall1995]

Was the reason that the camera ended up being seen in some of the mirror shots due to your K3 not getting a re-centered lens ring after your super 16mm gate upgrade? My K3 is still unmodified, but your experience sounds like the same thing I've heard happen to those who have changed their gate, but not recentered their lens.

[@alex-botton]

Yes i believe that was the case - Max @k3super16 has since solved that issue with all of the cameras that he now sells.

[@chrisajtony]

Lewis Potts is that you?

[@alex-botton]

Haha, when you buy @lewis Potts from Wish 😂 but to be fair he did get a mention here!

[@maytinchez]

Nice job Al!!! So good to see it all come together. Can't wait to watch many more 🎉

[@alex-botton]

Thanks for the kind words and thanks for all your help!

[@samuelguce]

Simply delish! So nice - just wondering how you got metal take up spools and if you think they are needed compared to the plastic ones?

[@samuelguce]

Also wondering if you had to calibrate the focus or anything? My viewfinder’s focus can change so makes me wonder if calibrated w the real focus plane

[@alex-botton]

I was given those metal takeup spools! Honestly i dont notice the difference, im sure a purist would tell you otherwise but as long as its light tight i dont really mind :) No i didnt calibrate my focus, but sometimes the eyepiece can get bumped and it goes out of focus - something to keep in mind!

[@manuelgomez9730]

Hallo Alex! great video! how would be the look of that Peleng 8mm lense on the k3? something like a 24mm look in full frame?

[@alex-botton]

Hey Manuel! Thanks very much. I think it would be closer to say a 20mm on full frame - it’s quite wide and because it’s a fish eye it will appear distorted with curved vertical lines. It’s a cool unique look but it’s not for everyone (or every shoot for that matter)!

[@wheels2fun526]

I personally hate the K3. The camera I use is an Eclair NPR, which costed me 200 Euros. Also it has a crystal sync. Also it have the advantage of using larger spools of film.

[@alex-botton]

Haha yeah totally fair enough! There’s plenty of reasons that the k3 isn’t superior that’s for sure. But it’s a fun little obscure camera! And it’s the cheapest price point into shooting 16mm for a lot of us.

[@wheels2fun526]

@@alex-bottonTrust me get an Eclair NPR. Many people either don't know about them or thing they are expensive. They were the workhorse 16mm camera at the BBC Film Unit from 1964 to when they were phased out in 1992. In the 70s and 80s. Thames Television, Granada Television, London Weekend Television, and the other channels that made up the ITV Network used them. They do come from time to time come up on the market. They were used for everything. News, documentaries, comedy and drama. The 14 part Granada series The Jewel In The Crown used them for all 14 parts. Some of the advantages the crystal sync motor and being able to take larger reels up to 15 minutes like I mentioned. But, also the the magazine, which very easily clips on and off. The reason I got mine was ,because I was originally trained by David Whitson. I only found one YT video of him talking about the NPR he made of ADAPT. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qaCkmJd5gNSflaMsi=EfnXa5vg1MyrukOU

[@bradleymasson1777]

How many feet of film did you end up shooting, and who did the transfer? Nice piece of work.

[@alex-botton]

Hey thanks for the kind words! I think we shot around 600’ all up? I.e. 6x100’ rolls. Or maybe it was 5. Somewhere around there!

[@alex-botton]

Oh and the negative space in Colorado did the dev and scans :) they’re great, highly recommend.

[@jessicab3344]

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@alex-botton]

Thanks Jess! Miss you guys.

[@jessicab3344]

@@alex-botton so stoked your doing this you’re made for KZbin!!! You’re gonna smash it❤️❤️❤️

[@cillema]

Amazing vid for 16mm enthusiasts! Definitely saving it for re-watching I could watch the ipad lighting breakdowns for hours. Stoked to see get into the YT game!

[@alex-botton]

Thanks cillema productions!! I shot about 8 more frame breakdowns but the video was way too long already, can send them to you if you like haha