The Beauty of 16 - An Introduction to a Format

T H E S U P E R 1 6 R E N A I S S A N C E

In recent years the tools for shooting Super 16 film have made revolutionary advances. New Super 16 cameras, lenses, film stocks, telecines, scanners and the emergence of the Digital Intermediate process have elevated the Super 16 format to unprecedented levels of image quality and production efficiency. This new Super 16 is the ideal recording medium for high definition television content, independent features, commercials and documentaries alike. It combines the advantages of film with the creative flexibility of film equipment and economic production costs.

Shooting on film has many inherent advantages, including the organic film look, its unsurpassed exposure latitude, natural color reproduction, long term archivability and the fact that film is the only globally accepted standard format.

Creatively, Super 16 film equipment offers the greatest flexibility and superb image quality. Super 16 cameras are extremely portable and robust, while at the same time easy to operate. Their optical viewfinder allows by far the most comfortable, accurate and efficient way to work when capturing images. Film cameras are fast, reliable and provide a trouble-free shooting environment on the set. They are capable of variable speeds, ramping and variable shutter angles, plus they accept a vast selection of prime, zoom and specialty lenses.

R E G U L A R 1 6 In its long history, every conceivable subject or genre has been captured on 16 mm film. Developed by Kodak in 1923 as a format for hobby cinematographers, 16 mm soon dominated the market with a huge number of diverse cameras. After the Second World War, the 16 mm format became one of the most successful professional formats ever. The 16 mm cameras were the backbone of the quickly growing television industry as they became the standard tool for capturing sport, news and documentaries. The portability and reliability of 16 mm assured a steady stream of content that allowed television to ascend to its current popularity.	S U P E R 1 6 In the early 70s, 16 mm evolved further with the introduction of Super 16, invented by Rune Ericson. By utilizing the area previously occupied by a second row of perforations on camera negative and reserved for the soundtrack on release prints, Super 16 uses the maximum image area available on 16 mm film. A Super 16 frame is 20 to 40% larger than a regular 16 mm frame depending on the aspect ratio chosen. The native aspect ratio of a Super 16 frame is 1.66:1, which is a good fit for the HDTV aspect ratio of 1.78:1 (19 x 9) or the theatrical release format of 1.85:1.

Regular 16 Frame	Super 16 Frame