Topic: Stored in the desert film - literally

[Bryan]

I'm working on a project in the high desert of the Navajo Nation in New Mexico.  The site is an old lumber mill that has been closed since 1997, we're removing asbestos contamination from the site.  Someone just brought me a roll of 35mm film that has literally been sitting out in the desert exposed to the elements for a few decades.  they want me to scan them to see if there's anything on them.  This could help them understand what went on at the mill when it was operating.  The site is going to be an ongoing cleanup for the tribe for several years.  The film is dirty, very brittle and from what I can tell so far from un-rolling a small amount of it, most of the emulsion is destroyed.  I think it was color film but the edge markings are far too faded to see what it was.  I'm not holding out much hope of getting any recognizable images off it.  Maybe deeper into the roll it will be better.  I'm letting it dry out right now, it got rained on yesterday. 

[Francois]

I wonder if there's a way to re-hydrate the cellulose?
But as you said, I wouldn't get my hopes up too high on this one 

[Bryan]

I wonder if there's a way to re-hydrate the cellulose?
But as you said, I wouldn't get my hopes up too high on this one 

There is a product called FilmRenew sold by Urbanski Film that I use for cleaning and lubricating movie film.  You can soak dried out film in it for up to a few weeks to re-hydrate it without causing damage to the film.  I have done this with some old dried out movie film with pretty good success.  I'm afraid that since this has been wet the emulsion may come off if I do anything to it.  It's flexible enough to get flat for scanning so I'll just scan it as is and see what I get. 

Filmrenew is the only film cleaner you can use for soaking.
How to soak a film print in Filmrenew: After cleaning your film wind it tightly tails out (reverse wind) on a steel reel. Fill a lab can with Filmrenew and submerge the print. Let it sit in the closed can for a few weeks. Take the print out and let it dry for several days before rewinding.  This process helps curl, shrinkage, and brittleness.

Filmrenew immediately kills mold and fungus. To remove mold and fungus soak the print for a minute or two to totally kill the mold and fungus. Immediately clean the print with a cloth moistened in Filmrenew as outlined in these instructions to remove dead fungus. If the film is on plastic reels it is recommended to replace the contaminated plastic reels. Steel reels, if not rusty, can be reused.

Filmrenew can be applied with a brush directly on the sides of a film for a quick protection application. The film may be immediately projected “wet” or allowed to dry.  Obviously dirt is not removed from the film using this method.

http://urbanskifilm.com/supplies.html

[Bryan]

I scanned the film and actually got some images!  Pretty much all that is left of the emulsion is the red and most of it looked like abstract art.  Most of the shots that I got something recognizable were the ones deepest in the spool, probably the best protected from the environment. 

These photos have nothing to do with the site, it's a commercially made Filmstrip reel.  I remember watching these in school before everything went to VHS/Betamax.  The film strip follows a tape or record and the photos are oriented like movie film.  At first I was thinking half frame camera.  This is a Filmstrip projector.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filmstrip

The first one is what most of them looked like, abstract art.
The second one I call faceless man. 
The last one is the best preserved.

[Bryan]

It looks like the Filmstrip was about investing in the stock market.  Was EK the old symbol for Eastman Kodak?

[LEAFotography]

These are wonderful! 

[Francois]

EK is the stock quote abbreviation for Eastman Kodak.
AMR is Alpha Metallurgical Resources.
PC is Pirelli.
ATT is AT&T.
OXY is Occidental Petroleum Corporation.

[Indofunk]

Oh these are GREAT! I love them. So glad you were able to resurrect these images 🙏🏽

[Indofunk]

Also, a real LOL at "literal" stored in the desert film 🤣 I guess we can't really make that joke anymore can we 😂