16 mm. film - a look back - Shooting with the Bolex (2015) 

dated: June 1, 2020 Video out of sync after 36.09 because of MUSIC RIGHTS PROBLEMS.

This is the best step-by-step overview of 16mm filming and editing I've ever seen on RU-vid! Thank you, Mr. Hoving, for creating this piece and sharing it.

I enjoyed watching this trip down memory lane, as I too was enamored with film at a young age, entered into a career in television and still own the Bolex H16 gear I’ve had for decades. I sincerely hope that Peter is still with us, and if not, that his daughter Helen inherited his film equipment and love of the medium. Truth be told, each of us has pieces of our past that we can be proud of. My thanks to Peter for sharing this piece of his life’s experience. Time is the only true “currency” of life, and experiences create memories that last forever in all who share them and all who listen.

I know this is 6 years after the fact, however I just wanted to thank you for passing this knowledge on to future generations and those of us who are currently learning the film making process. I'm getting started later in life at 39. I spent my life doing other things, but I always wind back up at film making, this time I'm going to stick it out for the duration.

Easily one of the best and most insightful videos I've seen ever on youtube.

I am from India,love your video..old is gold ❤️

$500 was a fortune indeed! But what loving care you've taken of this camera! I appreciate your humble attitude "..a terrible shot down main street" (I didn't think it was that bad). Glad that your work got recognized!

Wow, what a wonderful tribute to the Bolex and filmmaking before digital. I also had a Bolex Rex at one time. It's a great camera. Thank you for your movie.

Beautiful! I teared-up.... God Bless You. I'm a photographer, and nothing digital compares to my old Nikon F, 50mm 1.4 lens, and my Norman Lighting.

As a younger filmmaker I love learning about the ways our art was made in the past, and this is a great video going over 16mm film. Thanks for the information!!

Thank you Peter. One of the best videos on YT.

I hope you know there is a generation of people who are willing to keep this art form alive. Sincerely, from a 23 year old film newbie who just bought her first Super 8 Camera. I hope I will be able to upgrade to 16 mm sometime soon!

Thanks Nicholas for your comments. My aim was not to do a nuts and bolts video in how to use the Bolex, but more a history and feeling of the mid sixties, and that a Bolex or any other 16 mm. camera was a way to create moving images. Now... any video camera will make excellent images plus the added feature, it also records sound. But there is something to be said about the grain structure of film. Good luck in testing your camera....

This is such a great privilege to observe where everything now is digital and to understand the analog process that took in to create film. I wish I was born in the early 20th century. Thanks for taking the time to create a memorable and educative experience for the next generation.

I've never owned a film camera, I never will. But this was absolutely fascinating! I hope all aspiring film makers see this.

Your story easily proves that time travel is possible. "All you need is love", imagination and someone, who is coming from another frame in time. I am the one, too, and it was wonderful to find this video. I was film aficionado in 70-ties. I was born in Poland and 8mm was all I could afford. Now I have about 100 hours of memories from the past. I'm just about to transfer and preserve those memories. I just returned to Poland after living 30 years in Massachusetts, and your movies show me also that America - from good old days, before I came there. This fragile plastic tape passing through projector, defies passing time, and take you on a ... "Magical mystery tour". Thank You so, so much.

This is one of the best videos that I've seen on RU-vid. Thank you very much for taking your time to do this video. Love the beach footage, it feels so nostalgic, almost bring tears to my eyes. I recently purchased a super 8 camera, I was born in 1990 so in the film school we only worked with digital cameras, but I want to try and experiment with film and this video motivated me to do it even more. Greetings and thanks from Spain and excuse my mistakes when writing in English.

This needs millions of views for cinematography students, i enjoyed all,

The Singers of cameras. A true beauty to behold.

Awesome educational video ! Priceless ! Thanks for sharing !!!

Nice souvenirs of your youth back in the sixties. Always loved 16 mm but couldn't never efford it. I had an 8 mm camera. Happy Holliday season Peter. Thank you for the video. Johnny from Montreal, Canada.

I loved this video so much. So much knowledge and also your love for film. Its sad that there some audio issues, but I really enjoyed this piece of history.

What a great story. Your love of the medium really comes across strong. Thanks for all your hard work on this.

There's such sweet whistfulness and tenderness in this film / these films!

Thanks for sharing and reigniting some great memories. I have the same camera. Nice work and congrats.

Fabulous video and films, Peter - that camera is a work of art in itself

Thank you so much for this video! It was such a great look into an era of film photography that continues to inspires me.

This is simply awesome work! Big thanks for sharing!

Excellent Video thank you

Yes, how wonderful to see it all in action, and with such a fine camera. Thank you!

This is the most tasteful edit & video on youtube damn...

thanku sir, i got lot more info from your video.

Thanks for this great video Peter!!!

Thank you, Noam. Loved it.

your video is wonderful, thank you very much for explaining step by step

Film will always have that aesthetic quality that digital will never have. I was lucky to see Dunkirk in 70mm film projection last year. I enjoyed watching your video and appreciate greatly your vast knowledge. Excellent presentation!

This might be one of the most interesting and calming thing I have ever watched.

This reminds me of my families home movies. My father had a 1925 Bell & Howell 16mm camera and projector (that he inherited from his mother). I have them now as family memorabilia. There wasn't any sound, but it didn't matter. My daughter wants to get into the Film industry (studying now in college), and I've told her the camera is hers when she wants it. Bringing back a lot of memories right now.

This is a real craftmanship and have to spend a lot of time to edit the film. I like film because of its special characteristics, but the processing service is so rare now.

This was an excellent video! I really enjoyed watching your films. I really want to get a Bolex now!

I had one specifically adapted for time lapse. I used an earlier, non reflex, model so there was less chance of light leak over sequences that could take months to shoot. The picture was astoundingly steady with no jitter or float at all. My rig was very versatile. Because there’s no mirror the exposures could be very close together. For instance, I could do sequential 1 sec exposures with virtual no gap between them, which is very hard on a spinning mirror camera. I used a cam to trigger the side release which was fitted with roller bearing so everything was very smooth. Because it was spring powered I only needed power to trigger the exposure motor so it ran for months on one battery. My longest job was the building of a large ocean going catamaran. It took two years, and was shot on one 100’ roll. I had to occasionally wind the camera.

Super cool piece of nostalgia. I could chill and watch this all night. Thanks for taking the time to do this.

Thank you for sharing. It was great!

Thank you Mr. Hoving. A lovely concise informative and educational talk and examples on shooting and editing film. I have taken notes and getting ready to shoot a test roll of standard 8 Fomapan 50 in two Bolex P1 and P2 double 8 cameras recently purchased on eBay. These little cameras have some of the same features like the adjustable shutter and the rewind. I plan to start by animation for the title and then experiments with the fade out and dissolves you clearly explained how to do. Your video here is the most concise and clear guide I've come across on RU-vid discussing and showing all aspects of using these old cameras. Thank you.

Thanks for sharing these treasures! Love the look and feel of 16mm film and the fun of shooting it.

Thank you, Mr. Hoving for sharing your wonderful and interesting memories.

I’m very interested in shooting 16mm film. It has such a organic look that’s gives me a warm nostalgic feel. Thanks for making this in-depth video for us! 🙏🏾

Great documentary, I really enjoyed the old movies in B&W. I still have and use film 35mm, 4x5 and Minox cameras. Years ago I shot many high school students and glamour shoots with the Minox for different grainy look, using studio lighting, they loved it. The best images I ever made were from the 4x5 Bush Pressman which I removed all the viewing gear and focused off the ground glass with a dark cloth. For most later weddings and photo shoots I used Mamia C330 cameras, Mamiya 645 1000s and whe I could afford it later, Hasselblad 500c, CM and ELX Hasselblad cameras. The Hasselblad had great softer filters so the window light and under the blooming white flowered trees were always stunning. Sometimes ministers or preists wouldn’t allow cameras during the service and would put a stop to shooting stills. Well, I licked that one. Once a minister told me, if I hear the click of a shutter I’ll stop the wedding, he also didn’t want a photographer there that could be seen, that’s how asinine he was about so I said, how about if you can’t hear the click of a shutter or winding? He said he never saw that so I said, I’ll shoot from the balcony and to shoe you what I mean, I’ll run upstairs now and do a test for you, he said ok. So I went up and he listened and after a minute he said go ahead, I said to him I already did it, listen again. lol, I had him over a barrel so he said ok but I better not hear anything,. The rescue?? I had with me an old Yshica D there for a spare, just in case. You absolutely can’t hear the shutter and the winder doesn’t have a ratcheted clicking sound…very silent. I got some beautiful shots that I dint expect. I had to do an ambient light reading and gave it two stops more open to compensate for shadows, beautiful, so not only did the stained glass look stunning, I got good skin tones ect.. It had to turn out, it was my wife’s brothers wedding, lol. It was also horrible because it was around 100 degrees that day. Thank you for sharing your video experiences.

Thank you for contributing with such knowledge Mr. Peter Hoving!

Nice! Film, although I came up in the digital era, so much or the reason I use M43 cameras is because it's closest thing I can get to a 16mm or Super 16mm film stock on a digital platform. Thanks for making this. More people should be made aware of this format. It has it's own beauty that few know about.

This video gave me so much joy, great step by step. Thank you!

That’s one of the prettiest videos I’ve seen on RU-vid, congratulations.

What a romantic documentation about 16mm film you made here, thank you so much!

This is my third time watching this documentary. It’s just so cool to see how your techniques evolved over time.

As an aspiring filmmaker i found this fascinating and very helpful, thank you!

Anyone comment on the missing audio from 32:58 to 36 minutes? I was really looking forward to part... but of course I ended up liking the entire movie from what I can see. Exactly what 16 mm needs exactly what the world needs is people to remember how quickly we can lose history and technology. So glad that this knowledge has not been forgotten.

Don't forget, using 16 mm. film, was the only way to make personal films in the sixties, and of course, the prices of film stock was much lower than now. Also you had to make work prints the preserve the original footage from damage....

This is great. Thanks for sharing your valuable memories with us.

I was going to say you are a national treasure, but you are truly a treasure to the whole world, thank you for your work, full of nostalgia, knowledge and poetry. Suscribed for ever!

THANK YOU SO MUCH! THIS IS INCREDIBLE!

Lovely video. Instructive and heartwarming for anyone who still loves and uses movie film to preserve family memories. Thanks from an italian Bolex owner and shooter (in 8mm though...), Giovanni

Rinoa sent me, too. This is a legit short film right here. Very impressive!

Great film Peter, I loved it, Beautiful look back in time,,,,We dont know we are born these days, Cut,Sync,Edit and Tweak all in seconds on my Mac with Prem pro or DaVinci!! .Thank you

Such a heart warming , motivational and nostalgic video. Great job

How have I not seen this video before. I love analog film, and I absolutely loved this video.

Thank you for this wonderful film. I keep coming back to it. I have a special Bolex workshop in my school once a month and now I just ordered my first Bolex reflex on ebay. Can't wait for it to arrive.

This is absolutely amazing, from all points of view, historical, technical, artistic, educational, you name it. I usually don't leave compliments on videos, but you deserve it.

Thank you, sir. Your film was riveting.

Peter, thank you for this video. I'm a young filmmaker that has only shot on tape and digital all of my years. I have recently been obsessed with film, and the irreplaceable image quality of celluloid. Yeah, digital cameras can create a great image, but that is only pixels on a screen, and cannot exactly replicate film, which has depth of grain and life. Viewing this video and hearing your stories has sparked the creativity of shooting on 16mm, and I cannot wait! Thank you. -Wyatt

Thank you for creating and sharing this film. I'm inspired by your cinematography and ability to tell a story with only moving pictures.

The best video i have seen on youtube for a decade! amazing story telling and memories. An expert on work. Thank you sir

60 years ago, at age 16, a Bolex 16 mm camera was lent to me by the director of the police boys club in Washington, D.C. He asked that I make a 10 minute film for the donors dinner that fall. I had use of the camera all summer long (but a budget for only 50 ft of kodachrome stock). I took the camera on vacation to Kitty Hawk N.C. and "photographed" storms and seagulls droppin clams onto rocks. I "photographed" everything, using the Bolex with the Paillard lens. I had no film inside, but I loved that camera that I used it everywhere and carefully set the aperture according to the Weston meter that accompanied it. Finally in the fall at the donors dinner I presented the film about the boys club. The film had a standing ovation and won the lasting appreciation of the director. Bottom line: The Bolex was such a marvelous piece of photographic engineering that it simply took your heart away with it wherever you go. Naturally I had to return it to the Boy's Club, but it enriched that summer immensely. Rudolph Aukschun

I really appreciate this work, Mr. Hoving, thanks for sharing your knowledge about this camera. Greetings from Chile!

Thank you, for sharing your wealth of knowledge. I am amazed by this excellent showcase of your experience and great film examples. This is a gem to see.

Thank you for so much for sharing your filmmaking experiences. I love the personal and technical combination of how you created your films and I learned so much along the way. Love it!

Thank You Peter for making this! Amazing insight!

Thank you, I really enjoyed watching your movie.

It's very obvious you have a history with film. For a channel with so few subscribers your editing is beautiful.

"dont shoot any important shots near the end of the roll, because it might be fucked" that had me laughing, both with wisdom, and its unexpected f-bomb XD

Great video and enjoyed the history of your story, During the loading at 12:20 the film was over one metal bracket.....

I found your video moving and informative. Subsequently, I purchased a Rex4 and will be aiming to explore the creative abilities of this camera that you have demonstrated. Thanks for making and sharing this.

Hi, Peter Beautiful and very interesting video, and wonderful your first 1965 film!!! Bravo, fantastic 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟👏! Beautiful Kodak "Pageant" projector and... the "Moviscop" Carl Zeiss Ikon: WOW!!! Best regards from a very romantic and passionate in cinematography and from an amateur of shootings and projections. I own one my little personal collection of 8, S8 and 16mm films, and the Sankyo Z8 8mm camera, found in a little vintage market and restorated by myself!!! Greetings

Subscribed. This was so wonderful to watch. Love the fact you've had lifelong experience with film-making. Adds a sense of validity behind everything you say and earns tons of respect from me.

This is an awesome video you did here

Great work, thanks for putting this up. Nice production. I had forgotten just how much work went into a finished print and the skill required to get a finished product on a deadline.

Not true that most films are now shot digitally. Most films are now projected digitally. Many great directors still understand the superiority of film as an acquisition format.

Thank you for this! :)

ខ្ញុំ​ស្រលាញ់​កាម៉េរ៉ា​នេះ​ណាស់​ 🎬

Excellent presentation...After Eumig 3CM this was my dream camera in 8mm, 16 too expensive. I bought H8RX at factory in StCroix Switzerland. It eaven had auto fade control. Years later I had it converted to DS8, also got a Angenaux 8 to 64. Unfortunatelly newer had a chance to shoot Ds8 by than VHS took over, also camera with lens disappeared/stolen from our house. Just subscribed, pleasant memories.

thank you for uploading this film. Its really fantastic - a great professional and personal insight into your life. As a young bolex user (H16) I am even more motivated now to shoot some fantastic family moments. I also watched your two professional films shot in Holland - absolutely wonderful.

Very good video !!! thanks a lot for sharing all these images and knowledge

Rinoa sent me here...and boy am I glad she did :)

I'm in love with your film making techniques

ycelente video Pedro!!! Muchas gracias por mostrarnos estas maravillas de los 60´s. Me compre una Bolex Reflex de 1957 y la idea es aprender un poco de gente como Uds y animarme a hace run rodaje casero, d ela familia o algo similar. Espero que salga bien. Soy amante de la fotografia analoga y ahora se me dio por innovar en este campo del cine de film 16 mm. Muchas gracia por enseñar el manejo de esta camara, He aprendido mucho viendo este video. Mi mayor respeto y un gran saludos desde Cordoba - Argentina. Gracias. Daniel

Thanks for sharing your memories and experience. I really enjoyed:)

I first time watch how to work camera and film inside the camera thank you sir.... I very like this video and information. 👍

thank you for making the video im learning alot about my old new bolex. im 40 and im still too young to know anything about this camera.

WOW this was such a cool documentary! Loved it 😊

I'm very lucky to have stumbled across this fantastic video. Such great production and interesting insights into the world of home-made filmmaking of the Bolex era. Very reminiscent (!) of Mekas' films. Thank you for your work.

Thanks for this beautiful video, i'm going to buy myself a Bolex very soon ;) And thank you for the Jazz part, your choices of music is at elegant as your movies.