Q&A: How to make a pre 1920 movie camera replica?
Question by Brian S: How to make a pre 1920 movie camera replica?
can anyone here link me or tell me where i can find information on making a pre 1920 movie camera replica
Best answer:
Answer by gatewaycityca
Do you want it to actually be a functioning replica, or just a model?
That would be a really neat project to build your own movie camera…but it would be incredibly difficult. The mechanism has to be timed just right so that the film is advanced to the next frame just as the shutter is open. Then each frame has to be exposed for the right amount of time to properly expose the film (without underexposing it OR overexposing it…around 1/40 of a second was typical of early movie cameras). AND it has to capture at least 16 frames-per-second in order to record the movie smoothly without too much flicker.
I think trying to build your own movie camera from scratch is just going to be crazy, and pretty much impossible to do. You’re better off buying an old 8mm or 16mm movie camera, and then using the parts from it. You can find a bunch of antique 8mm movie cameras on eBay for pretty cheap.
By the way, 8mm, 16mm, and Super-8 movie film is still available. You can easily order it online. I have a collection of vintage movie cameras and I shoot with them sometimes as a hobby. The oldest movie camera I have is Kodak Cine 8, from the 1930’s. It works great, and in fact I have shot a couple of rolls of film with it.
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