16mm processing prices

[gaugefilm]

Hi all,

I'm starting a 16mm Tri-X and 100D processing service next month and preliminary tests have been pretty awesome. I'm wondering what you guys think a reasonable price is for processing 100ft of 16mm film for both Tri-X and 100D.

I realise the film is essentially four times the amount of a super 8 cart but charging four times the amount seems ludicrous to me. I guess the best question to ask you guys is what kind of price would inspire you to keep using 16mm film?

Best
Kevin

[Will2]

In the U.S. color reversal is around $.20/foot. That's like .13 Pounds?

Tri-X is a little less, maybe $.17/foot. (.1 pounds)

One way to encourage use of your service might be to minimize the extra costs, like setup fees or prep/clean for telecine.

[richard p. t.]

Hi Kevin,
you are processing by hand which is time consuming. You are doing it this way because there isn't a lot of options otherwise in the UK for such processing. Its not like in the United States where there appears to be higher volumes - enough to run several machines for this kind of processing. You have to charge an amount that makes sense for the time it takes you to do it. This includes your correspondence time, packing things for post, buying chemistry, cleaning your lab - all that sort of stuff. Charge a fair price that makes sense of all that - unless you are happy subsidising other people's activities, which you might be. I gave up offering 16mm processing because I was doing it for only a few dollars an hour. So be realistic about it.
good luck,
richard

[gaugefilm]

Thanks Richard, as usual words of wisdom!

It does take quite a while doesn't it. I've been hammering out the Tri-X this week, doing some heavy testing and it's all going well so far. But yes I will definitely take the above into consideration. I'm considering settling at £25 for 100ft, process only and £20 for a process paid roll. I think this is pretty good in the UK. The cheapest I've found here is around the £30 mark so hopefully it'll encourage folks to do some filming.

Best
Kev

[MattWalters]

a film co cop in London charges 8 pounds to its members and 20 to its non members, so I'd say if you hit around 20 you'd be competitive in London - they don't do by hand though so the results are always really clean

but you're right "commercial" processing is expensive. I've seen it under 30 though if I remember correctly

[gaugefilm]

Thanks for the info Matt, really helpful stuff...

The plan is to sell 100ft rolls (Tr-X and 100D) with process included for £49.99. Hopefully that'll be an attractive price for people. Due to the time, effort, money for stock and chemicals... etc anything cheaper would be folly for the hand processor such as myself.

Hand processing seems to have a bad rep for inconstancy. I've never really understood this. I haven't processed a bad super 8 film for 5-6 years. Folks always email, surprised at the good quality, expecting it to be terrible or something? It's hard for me to personally compare hand processing to machine processing because I cannot remember the last time I used a lab to process film. A lot of folks tell me my service is just as good as the labs they've used though. Do Super 8 films mostly get processed by machines as well? It's a strange one. Machine vs Human.

Best
Kev

[SimonFD]

Slightly off the original topic but I can honestly say that Kevin's Super 8 100D and Tri-X processing is superb.

It's easily as good as the large labs I've used, costs a bit less and is much quicker.

I will probably use other labs from time to time just to spread things round a bit but if you're shooting 16mm I would say that Kevin's processing service will be a very attractive proposition.

[richard p. t.]

Hi Kevin,
Its because 'hand processing' is a spectrum of methods, the most common being bucket processing spaghetti style. Yes, this gives bad results. But lomo processing in the hands of a skilled operator gives perfect results, and with no possibility of scratches, unlike machine processing.

[richard p. t.]

As for the co-op that processes bw in london for 8/20 or whatever, that is black and white negative, not reversal.

[aj]

Handprocessing in spirals is just as clean as the lab is.
My DIY lomo processed film is always as clean as I work myself.
If I would drop the film on the floor when wet it would be ruined of course.

I never noticed dirty film complaints about labs without machines

I only recall a lot of complaints about Kahl (and not only the processing )
and Pro8mm (idem dito). One NYC lab had/has some consistency trouble according to one.

BTW
The trouble with complaints on the Internet is of course that these come from a few incidents and last for ever.
Although some labs seem to collect an awful lot Not only on the Internet.

[gaugefilm]

Thanks guys. The service is all set in place. Couldn't have done it without your help and knowledge.

Simon... Thanks, kind as ever!

Richard... I completely agree. The associations with the spaghetti method definitely downgrades peoples expectations when it comes to hand processing. Assuming you want a 'perfect' image of course

Andre... Completely agree also. Might I add that hand processing brings with it the options of push/pull processing as well with little extra cost. I assume many machines load more than one/two films at a time and either cannot push/pull process or if they can it's rather more expensive.

Fingers crossed folks will use it. All I can do is run it for a few months and see how it goes. As long as three of each sell a month (to justify mixing the large amount of chemistry) I'll keep it going as long as reversal stocks compatible with E-6 and D-19 are available.

Yet again thanks, tremendously grateful for all the help. Personally I've enjoyed shooting so much 16mm over the past couple of months as well! Been a great couple of months!

Best
Kev

[chorleycake]

Hi, great news that you are starting a 16mm processing service, does that mean you could accept standard 8mm too?

[gaugefilm]

Standard 8 coming soon, fingers crossed it'll all be set up for the 1st of August.

Best
Kevin

[chorleycake]

Great!