I love the 16mm look more than Super 8—but I’m wondering if it actually makes sense at weddings.
I’m a wedding videographer and I’ve been getting increasingly interested in incorporating real 16mm into my films. I absolutely love the look, but I’m very new to shooting actual film and I’m trying to figure out whether this is even realistic alongside my normal digital wedding coverage.
Full disclosure, I’m not particularly film-camera savvy. I even found loading Super 8 a little intimidating the first time, so the idea of loading/threading 16mm during a wedding makes me nervous.
I’m currently looking at a Krasnogorsk-3/K3 as a relatively inexpensive way to experiment. I wouldn’t charge the couple the first time. I’d probably shoot one 100 ft roll just to see whether I can realistically incorporate it into a wedding while still handling my digital cameras.
For those of you who have actually shot 16mm at weddings, especially while also responsible for digital coverage, how practical is it?
Do you normally shoot these cameras handheld, or do you find yourself using a tripod a lot because of the weight? How disruptive is loading/changing a roll during an actual wedding timeline? And is juggling 16mm plus your normal digital gear by yourself realistic, or does it really work better with another shooter covering digital?
I know a 100 ft roll is only around 2:45 at 24fps. If I’m making roughly a five-minute finished wedding film and using the 16mm selectively throughout it, does one roll realistically provide enough usable footage to give the film a meaningful 16mm feel?
I’m also really curious about the creative side of mixing formats. Super 8 feels obviously different from digital to me, which almost makes it easier to mix because it has such a distinct vintage character. 16mm is different. I personally prefer the 16mm look, but good 16mm can also look much closer to polished digital footage.
So for people making hybrid digital + 16mm wedding films: do the two formats actually work well together in the same film? Or do you find that 16mm only really makes sense if you commit to shooting a much larger portion of the day on film?
I’d especially love to hear from people who started as digital wedding filmmakers and then added 16mm. If anyone has hybrid digital/16mm wedding films they’re willing to share, I’d really love to see examples and hear how much of the day you actually shot on 16mm.