Dude, you must've felt like a 70's documentarian or something run and gunning with 16mm. Loading 16 is such a pain in the ass anyway, but i'd say this footage was worth it.
Haha I did feel like a 70s documentarian. The camera definitely attracts a lot of attention. I had a lot of people asking about it, even in Japan. Can't wait to film more with it this year.
Props to anyone with enough patience to actually film something on Bolex 😁😁 On a more serious note, film has it's magic, not yet reproduced by anything else
@@illkoncept Is it possible to develop at home at least in black and white in the way that something like old large format diana camera black and white film can be done at home (vs color which takes a lot more care). Even if a darkroom setup or whatever you need costs ~2 to 3k, that seems like a huge savings and also the ability to control the outcome even more. I imagine motion picture film is a lot more involved to be processed though than stills... but it would be great to be able to at least process black and white in a home lab.
The film lends a very nostalgic and warm/fuzzy quality to the footage, and its very pretty. But that isnt to detract from the fact that these are very nicely framed, lit and executed shots. The whole piece is very nicely edited too. It could be B-roll in a modern hollywood film, or 1970's art film equally. Its a groovy thing, Kudos.
Exactly. I'm sure good editors could replicate the soft fuzzy feeling quite well. But it's the composition, camera work, choice of exposure etc that makes this short video fantastic.
This. Right here. This is how I have seen Japan for the great majority of my childhood. Not through Anime, and even not exclusively through 16mm film. But on slick, glossy Eastman-Kodak color film at the very least. This is how i've seen Japan for half my life, and this is how i'll remember it for the rest of my life.
There's something about the look of film that's wholly unique to film. 16mm has its own unique look and feel. I wish film these days wasn't considered a gimmicky throw back and something to be nostalgic about; but something that still has its place in terms of art and creativity. Film to me just looks nicer than digital. Its gives whatever's being photographed personality and a sense of tactile feel to it.
Man this really did it for me. I spent some time in Japan when I was younger and watching videos like this transport me into who I used to be when I was there. Unfettered, full of wonder, and completely free to find myself in the streets of Japan. I can't wait to get back there someday. This time with my son.
Sounds like a great time! I love that feeling as well - hard to beat. Thank you for sharing. I hope you can get there with your son someday, I’m sure you will.
So happy you think so. It’s going to be hard to top that first video but I’m going to challenge myself this year. Glad you dig those so far, it’s nice people appreciate the creativity
Honestly its very easy to think this is older footage upon first glance. Though the early shot of a person on smart phone is a giveaway, let alone more modern cars and vending machines. Despite the retro equipment, Japan shot like this evokes a near future.
Not only is the photography and music choice sublime, but I also really appreciated your approach to editing this piece. Very nice sense of timing and rhythm for the cuts. Great all around.
I can't tell you how much I love this. The music, the composition and the aesthetic are breathtaking. The contrast if the old film in modern Tokyo is brilliant.
To anyone who thinks you can use a filter to perfectly replicate 16mm. I present you this mans project. Would love to see more of this in different places around the world. Beautiful work.
100% I have watched some people make some admitting good looking recordings using Frankenstein setups with old lenses... but the dust and weird clarity combined are a different beast... different than pure clarity, and yes looks good, but certainly if you put this and those back to back and made people guess, there is no contest... now if a filter existed that could make this happen, you won't find me upset... but until AI folks make a point of some deep dive effects... I highly doubt they will ever make things look legit... They almost over emphasize "old film" oddities to the point it becomes a caricature
are you going to shoot on true film one day? Your emulation on digital camera always look awesome, But I'm sure that true film is gonna look even better!
Truly nothing better than well shot 16mm night footage. Absolutely goregous shots. If it weren't for the modern things hiding in the background, I would have guessed this was old footage. A+ from me!
BEST BAR NONE. Genuine! Authentic. Inimitable. The feelings I rolled through watching your film. I lived 10 years in Japan and the last 3 months on the streets you film here. On the streets. VERY fabulous capture you got here.Thanjs. Will look for more
its so delightfully weird seeing modern life through the lens of an old camera like this. It looks distinctively 70s-80s but then you see people with smart phones. Its messing with my brain lol. In a good way! Love it!
I can't even express how perfect this noir film & music combination is 😲 I keep expecting to see a young Gene Hackman in a comically small hat 🤣 Thank you so much 👍
damn... I couldn't stop watching it. The music, the motives... and I totally forgot it's modern times with an old camera. I lost myself there. I got thrown off as soon as some modern stuff appeared and I remembered. I could watch it for hours.
@@illkoncept yes please!!! I was kind of shocked when I saw there aren't more already lol. Speaking of motivation, your video inspired me to finally make some music. Thanks for that :)
Great stuff, my man. Very cool. There's just something really special about film that can't be emulated in digital. Good eye for composition, too. Especially loved the shot at 2:08 with the train coming in in front of the neon sign.
So many words to describe this footage: city lights, distant futures, neons, loud places, busy people, rainy nights, cramped alleys, crowded streets... Really nice work of art. I think we can call this AESTHETIC for sure.
Loving the grainy texture of 16mm film. Kodak brought out a Super 8mm recently I had the Arriflex 3 changeable lens 16mm film camera back in 2007. Celluloid needs to stay alive!
Amazing shots! And I am quite impressed how you managed to fix that footage. One tip (that you probably figured out yourself by now): Set the camera to the lowest possible speed before you load and check your loops.
Thank you! Yeah, I was impressed (and relieved) as well lol. I definitely forgot to put down to 12fps before loading that roll on this video, which probably caused the jam. The jitter was definitely from another problem which I have since gotten fixed. It’s running so nice now, can’t wait to put together another video. Although it’s hard to beat filming in Japan
Watching the video, with its 70s vibe and cool soundtrack, was already a great experience, and the colors and people of Shibuya, Shinjuku and Osaka look so much more interesting in 16mm. Only after I saw the gear that was used to getting that footage I really understood how cool your work is. Congratulations!
Just want to say I watched this short film last night and loved it so much I watched it this morning with my breakfast and coffee to get me ready for the day thank you for the vibes!
What is it about film that just behaves so differently from a digital sensor? I know that digital is much more pristine. The fidelity is higher. But the little flaws just look so much more pleasant, the way a painting doesn't look exactly like reality, but it's still beautiful. You can talk about the technical differences, but it's more than just that. God, I wish I had the ability, aptitude, or ambition to shoot on such wonderful stuff.
I loved it! I recognize some of the places and the feeling of the 16mm really made them stand out even more. It's incredible! As someone who's not familiar at all with Bolex and cinematography in general, I really like the BTS! It was really interesting.
Love documenting trips like this. I did a similar approach a few years back with super 8 when I visited Barcelona and Malaga, Spain. Used some Mile Davis for the edit, magical.
beautiful stuff...i just shot some 8mm footage for the first time and i've caught the bug, plan to shoot more soon and looking into 16mm possibly for a short film project.
Thanks for the memories. I shot on Bolex in film school and I remember those Kodak daylight reels. Few things were as exciting as getting the boxes back with the lab stickers on them. Also, you JUST. CAN'T. BEAT. That 16mil texture man. 35mm is great and all, but damn, 16 just feels a special way that can't be beat.
It's so interesting to think. This is the kind of aesthetic people at the time would know and anime directors and DoPs would in turn replicate in anime of the era. (35mm theatrical showings notwithstanding) It's crazy how tangible that influence is, and it's only appropriate that anime used to be shot on 16mm itself! (Again, 35mm theatricals and OPs/EDs printed on 35mm notwithstanding)
Absolutely looked like the beginning of a good 70-80s crime thriller. Or a montage in the middle. But then the reloading of the film reminded me of all the pain I had with mechanical cameras in school. Never again, haha!
Hahaha! It’s so nerve-racking when there is a problem. Especially when in the middle of a shoot. I was shooting in heavy rain with the bolex the other day (unwise I know), and experienced a new set of problems. Let’s just say it spent a couple days in a zip-loc bag surrounded by silicon packets 🫣
Totally. Thankfully these areas of Japan had a lot of light. I also pushed some of the film 1 stop to make it ISO 1000 instead of 500. Some of the footage you can visibly tell it was still too dark
I am mesmerized and insane at the same time. This is almost a dream with in a dream, if not another level deeper. It feels like a life like 80s anime. Thank you for your hard work and effort for this. This is truly legendary. Make more more more! Make one with the Bladerunner music !! I love you ❤️
Wow, beautifully done. It took me a few seconds to notice the modern elements beyond the beautiful film and music. I am 100% going to use my creative powers to mimic this digitally. And no, this is not an anti-film anti-analog statement. I just have so much digital footage that would translate well into showa era videos like this. But definitely loving the traditional workflow here. ❤ Also, props to digital for saving the film with stabilization. 🎉😅
