There are a large number of loopy concepts available in the market in the case of experimental pictures. More than one exposures. Movie Soups. Taking pictures your rolls backward. However have you ever ever heard of anyone loading two rolls of movie right into a digital camera on the identical time? Me neither, and that’s precisely why I’m going to do it!

The theory in a nutshell is to determine a approach to get a colour roll and a black and white roll of 35mm movie loaded into my Nikon F3 in order that each and every press of the shutter exposes each movies on the identical time. When they had been advanced I might be able to stack or layer the advanced negatives for a groovy impact. Confidently.

Going into this experiment I figured I’d have some issues to unravel. The primary could be getting the right kind publicity for the again roll since the gentle has not to simplest disclose the entrance roll but additionally commute throughout the entrance roll to show the second one roll at the back of it. After studying how a lot gentle relief happens when it travels thru movie, I’ll offset each and every movie’s iso to check on the other hand many stops I want.

Some other glaring downside is that movie cameras are designed to care for one roll at a time, and neatly, that’s no longer what I’m doing right here. So going into this I expected some binding problems, or perhaps even some ripped movie. It’s price noting that the winder at the F3 is so diesel I’ve torn movie leaders off a unmarried roll earlier than let on my own including the extra resistance of 2 rolls.

In the end, I believed that doing this is able to mess with the picture sharpness of each the back and front rolls in some capability. Sandwiching two movies right into a digital camera will transfer the entrance movie reasonably out of alignment from the aircraft of center of attention, and the again movie will likely be obstructed by means of the entrance roll in all probability turning in mush photographs.

So let’s simply set the bar great and coffee right here; do I be expecting tack-sharp footage? Nope. If I come away with a couple of frames that had been coated up and uncovered right through, I’ll believe {that a} win.

Loading the Two Rolls

If cramming two rolls of movie into one canister sounds truly awkward and prefer a large ache, you’d be proper. It’s.

I attempted a couple of other ways of having each movies rolled into one canister. I figured one of the simplest ways to stop the 2 sandwiched movies from getting stuck when advancing used to be to verify the sides coated up completely. Doing this at nighttime could be just about inconceivable, so I needed to get a hold of a approach to get started the rolls into the canister with the lighting on.

What I finished up doing used to be the use of an empty canister to switch the roll of Fujicolor 200 into briefly whilst nonetheless hooked up to its personal canister. This brief switch used to be executed in a dismal closet so the movie wasn’t ruined, however then I may just get admission to the tip of the Fujicolor’s roll within the gentle to line up and tape on the second one movie. This different roll could be T-Max P3200 black and white, and when within the digital camera will likely be positioned at the back of the roll of Fujicolor 200, towards the force plate.

After the whole thing used to be coated up and taped in combination, I went again into the darkish closet and wound as a lot of the 2 movies into the only canister as I may just have compatibility and bring to a halt the surplus. The usage of this system I used to be in a position to load about 20 frames into the canister the use of two 36-exposure rolls. Strangely, turning the spindle with two back-to-back rolls used to be just a little stiff, however no longer inconceivable.

With each movies loaded into one cassette, it took a couple of makes an attempt to get the chief proper. In the beginning, I attempted reducing a double-leader beginning each movies at the winder, however that ended up growing an opening on the advancing spindle and a ripple between the movies. What ended up running used to be reducing the rear movie chief off instantly and taping it simply at the back of the opposite chief of the entrance roll.

The explanation I selected to position the colour movie within the entrance and the black and white movie against the again is that I assumed this is able to ship a greater finish end result. I wouldn’t have to fret about colour transferring like I’d have if the sunshine traveled throughout the black-and-white roll first.

OK, so the digital camera is loaded, and the arduous section is whole!

There Have been Some Screw ups

After some preliminary checks with my gentle meter, I measured a couple of 3-stop gentle relief thru movie.

For my first strive, I grabbed a roll of Kodak Ultramax 400 and Fomapan 400 to stack. To get my 3-stop distinction between the movies I made up our minds to shoot the Ultramax at field velocity and pull the roll of Fomapan (Holga) to iso 50.

Sadly, this primary run grew to become out to be a bust. Whilst the colour Ultramax photographs grew to become out wonderful, the black and white roll didn’t have any photographs uncovered. It seems like I would wish extra gentle to make it throughout the entrance roll of movie.

I will be able to see from the publicity at the Fomapan negatives that there used to be unquestionably a subject with the 2 movies no longer staying flat or aligning correctly within the digital camera as neatly.

Let’s Take a look at This Once more

K, so spherical two. I wished extra gentle to hit the again movie so I larger the iso distinction between the back and front movies. This time I used a roll of Fujicolor 200 and Kodak T-Max P3200. I rated those pictures at 100, overexposing the Fujicolor reasonably whilst creating the roll of T-Max at 3200.

To mend the binding factor, I reduce the rear movie so there used to be just one starter chief (the Fujicolor) getting complicated by means of the sprocket wheel. I believe the issue used to be that after each movies had been hooked up to the winder it used to be making a bow and an area between the back and front rolls.

After loading and capturing 18 frames of the Fujicolor/T-Max rolls I used to be glad to peer this time used to be a luck! Roughly…

With this strive once more the entrance roll of colour movie got here out wonderful, however now with a 5-stop distinction between the 2 rolls I had exact photographs at the again roll of black and white. Those photographs had been nonetheless a number of stops underneath a “right kind” publicity, however nonetheless, they got here thru!

Within the sharpness division, I didn’t see that a lot of a distinction within the Fuji photographs, however the T-Max used to be a special tale. There used to be vital blurring blended with over the top blotchiness of the grain from underexposure. Principally, the black-and-white pictures seemed like I used to be like capturing a pinhole symbol with out the use of a pinhole digital camera.

Additionally, I used to be given a pleasing reminder that I wish to alternate the door seals on my F3…

Combining the Photographs

To merge the 2 negatives in Photoshop I stacked them in combination as layers after which used the change into instrument to get the alignment as shut as I may just. I positioned the colour layer on most sensible and altered the mix mode to “colour” to composite the photographs in combination.

The ‘colour’ mix mode in Photoshop ignores variations in luminosity between your adjustment layer and your base layer so it transfers the colour from the Fuji detrimental onto the T-Max detrimental, simply love it would had been within the digital camera.

Alternatively, since the T-Max pictures had been underexposed, without delay merging the 2 movies lowered the total brightness. The shadow spaces regarded just a little bizarre and soft from making use of colour on most sensible of one thing that had no element.

I were given a a lot better end result the use of probably the most contrast-based mix modes as a result of they modify the luminosity of the merged photographs. ‘Cushy gentle’ regarded very similar to the ‘colour’ mix mode when merging the 2 movies however helped even out the adaptation in exposures between the 2 rolls. ‘Pin gentle’ and ‘Onerous gentle’ mix modes created one thing that just about jogged my memory of a cross-processed symbol.

An alternative choice I attempted that regarded attention-grabbing used to be no longer the use of mix modes however simply adjusting the opacity of the colour layer all the way down to about 50%.

Going Ahead

When I used to be to begin with making plans this experiment I puzzled if the general stacked photographs would create some more or less neat separation or 3-D impact. Whilst the methodology didn’t ship very best effects that soar out of the body I’d nonetheless believe it a luck.

It’s price noting that there’s most definitely a extra technical approach to pass about doing this, however I revel in tinkering round and simply messing with issues till they paintings. A large a part of the joys for me with any movie experiment is all about trial and mistake.

In fact, there’s nonetheless a variety of room for growth right here, however after only a few makes an attempt, I’m in a position to get photographs on each rolls with out them jamming up the digital camera. In order that’s a terrific place to begin in my guide.

Concerning the writer: Chris Kuhn is a photographer and YouTuber who creates content material about movie pictures. You’ll be able to in finding extra of his paintings on his web page, Fb, YouTube, and Instagram. This text used to be additionally revealed right here.