[Frameworks] breaking down frozen film?

[robert at ontosmedia.com]

I would take the condensation warning seriously!  I live in Colorado, a 
relatively dry place, and even here unspooling frozen film can result in 
its getting wet, which is not something you want to spool!  I would 
definitely bring it up to room temperature first, though refrigerator 
temperature might be warm enough.

The other issue is how old is it, and when will you be shooting it?  I 
once had some Color Neg film that was more than 30 years old, but that 
had been frozen that whole time.  I thawed it and used it, and it was 
fine; it had a slightly elevated fog level, but worked great.  However, 
within some months (less than a year) the fog increased so much as to 
make it unusable for any representative application.

I doubt your film is that old, but do be aware that with older film, 
once you thaw it, the degradation clock starts ticking!  Better not to 
thaw it until you're about ready to use it.

-Robert Schaller

On 2023-01-10 09:26, Christopher Ball wrote:
> I have handled frozen film in the arctic before (-30 to -60C), both
> loading and shooting it, and never had a problem.  It is a bit
> stiffer, but it is still supple.  You may want to thaw it though
> before you open it in a warm room so you don't get condensation on
> it...or do your loading in a cold, dry room.
> 
> It is no problem letting it come up to temperature inside the can,
> then load it, and then refreeze the loaded 100 footers.
> 
> Christopher Ball
> 
> On Tue, Jan 10, 2023 at 11:25 AM Caryn Cline <carynycline at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> 
>> Hi Frameworkers,
>> 
>> I've inherited a 1000 foot load of 16mm film (50D) that I need to
>> break down into 100 foot daylight spools.  It has been kept in a
>> freezer.  I am not ready to shoot it, but storing it in a big reel
>> in the freezer is a problem.  How should I proceed?
>> 
>> Thank you for your advice.
>> 
>> CC
>> 
>> __________
>> 
>> Caryn Cline
>> 
>> Experimental Filmmaker & Teacherwww.vimeo.com/carynyc [1]
>> 
>> Film still from "Film Tattoo" (2020)
>> 
>> _Breathing: brought to you by plants._  --Robin Wall Kimmerer
>> 
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