Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

What does the '16' in ciné16 refer to?
Why don't you show new 16mm or independent films?
The projectors make too much noise... can't you shield them?
Can you save me a seat?
Why can't you mail me a schedule, or provide information by phone?
Can you make me a video, or may I borrow a film?

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What does the "16" in ciné16 refer to?

16mm was the standard for art/experimental/avant-garde/educational film. 16mm is the width of the stock, including optical area and sprockets. The picture area for normal 16mm is about 7.6h x 10.5w mm -- approximately 13mm. (By the way, there's a "super 16mm" format that removes the optical track area and extends the width of the picture so it can be blown up into wide screen 35mm format.)

Smaller and less costly than the 35mm used in movie theatres, yet possessing good picture resolution, 16mm allowed films to be shown on less costly portable projectors, thereby attracting audiences away from theatres themselves (as John Grierson, founder of the National Film Board of Canada once said, "there's more of an audience outside the theatres than inside".) Another gauge you'll hear about is 8mm, used --- generally for reasons of low cost --- for experimental and home movies, but with a resolution not generally acceptable to many audiences. Introduced in 1923, 16mm film brought moving images to schools, small-town discussion groups, and library associations for the first time.

Why don't you show new 16mm or independent films?

Lots of other venues do. We're not familiar with any other site in the US that focuses on historically significant educational films from 1950-1985.

The projectors make too much noise... can't you shield them?

No. The mighty Bell & Howell 552 sprocket noise lets you know they (and your projectionist) are working. Like a french polish on a fine Francois Linke bureau-plat, projector sounds provide the patina that ciné16 fans have grown to expect.

Can you save me a seat?

We're usually too busy fumbling with splices and parking spaces to even get a seat ourselves. Please try to arrive 15 minutes early to guarantee choice in seating.

Why can't you mail me a schedule, or provide information by phone?

We'd rather spend our time previewing films and creating shows for you. Email is the least time-intensive way of providing information, and also allows us to make last-minute program changes. In addition, mail is expensive, and we prefer to spend money on keeping our mighty (and temperamental) Bell & Howell 552 projectors running, and on acquiring more film.

If your friends wish access to schedule information and do not have a computer, why not suggest they visit the nearest public library providing access to online services, and set up a free email account via a free email service such as Hotmail?

Can you make me a video, or may I borrow a film?

My position is that videotaping 16mm is illegal without written permission from copyright holders. This keeps me out of court, and legal. Educational film companies have been very cooperative with ciné16, and I encourage interested parties to contact distributors directly, who will gladly sell videos. When films are out of distribution, I'd be happy to have anyone contact the filmmaker directly to discuss royalties, as many of these people are older, and could use the money.

Duplication costs today are roughly 16 cents per foot, and ciné16 will charge something for running films to the dupe house. Another alternative is to use a traditional stock footage company, which will do all the work, including royalty checking, for a fixed fee per foot.