How to Use a Kodak Brownie Movie
Camera (Turret f/1.9)
By M. S. Blair
For Dr. K. O’Donnell’s Advanced Composition Course (ENGL 3130)
At East
Contents
1.
Introduction
to the Camera
1.1.
Home Movies
– p. 2
1.2.
My Brownie
Turret f/19 – p. 3
2.
Preparation –
p. 5
3.
Film
3.1.
Finding Film
– p. 6
3.2.
Loading Film
– p. 6
3.3.
Reversing
Film – p. 7
4.
Shooting
4.1.
Lenses – p.
8
4.2.
Lighting – p.
9
Figures
Figure 1. The Parts of the Camera. - p. 4
Figure 2. Cleaning the Gate. - p.5
Figure 3. Film Loading. - p. 7
Figure 4. Sighting with the Viewfinder. - p. 8
1. Introduction to the Camera
1.1. Home Movies
The need to document is one of the most pervasive and potent of all human urges. Since the beginning of civilization people have been passionately seeking ways to capture and preserve memory. Tens of thousands of years ago, ancient humans engraved and painted their lives onto cave walls. In the twenty-first century we use everything from writing to photography to simple hoarding to keep records of our experiences. In the past century filmmaking has earned a place as one of the most ubiquitous forms of documentation, especially with the recent introduction of digital recording that makes amateur filmmaking cheap and easy. Today, very few first steps, graduations, weddings, or anniversaries escape the focused lens of a camcorder.
Motion pictures first entered the
public consciousness through the work of Thomas Edison in the
The introduction of 8mm film in 1932 again revolutionized the motion picture industry by making film production possible with a more modest budget and less expertise. Home movies truly became mainstream, though, with the release of the Kodak Brownie in 1951 and the Kodak Brownie Movie Projector in 1952. The accessibility and low price of this 8mm movie equipment made the production and viewing of films a possibility for an unprecedented number of people, and made the private use of 16mm film obsolete. The Brownie may now be an impractical antique because the technological advances that followed it, beginning with Super 8mm and ending with today’s digital cameras, have made filmmaking even less costly and cumbersome, but its place in the history of personal filmmaking is notable.
1.2. My Brownie Turret f/19
My parents bought their first video camcorder in 1990. I was eight years old at the time. Four years later, their hunger for technology had grown and the old camcorder sat in the basement, replaced by newer, shinier equipment. I eventually stumbled upon the abandoned camera, and it quickly became one of my prized possessions. I do not remember what model or brand the camera was, such information did not matter at the time, but it helped me develop both my love of filmmaking and my appreciation of antiquated equipment.
In the fall of 2004, ten years after that initial discovery, I first encountered the Kodak Brownie. My hobby had become an obsession, and I planned to make it a career. I was an undergraduate at the time and was making a short film to serve as my senior thesis and to help in my application to film schools. The film included a flashback sequence that I wanted to have the look of an old home movie. Digital footage can, of course, be altered to give it the grain and imperfections of video or film, but I had never used actual film and the idea appealed to me.
I spent a couple of weeks looking at cameras available on eBay and finally settled on a Turret f/1.9 Brownie, a camera that was sold between 1955 and 1963. I was attracted to the history of the camera. I wanted the scenes to have the feel of mid-twentieth-century home movie, so it made sense in the context of the story that I use the camera that made home filmmaking popular. I was also interested in the camera because of its reputation for being less than reliable. Brownies were inexpensive, which means they were also less durable and of somewhat poorer quality than their pricier counterparts. As a director, I wanted the film I shot to be imperfect and the picture to be marred a bit. So the Brownie seemed like a safe bet, considering what I needed it for.
Unfortunately, I was so enamored with the age and history of the camera that I forgot to consider how impractical it would be to use. Once it came time to actually load some film and start shooting footage, I relied on websites, some email correspondence with the camera’s previous owner, and trial and error to get started. Hopefully, the following information, which I have gathered through experience, will help you successfully use your Turret f/1.9 Brownie.
Trigger Footage Indicator Wide Angle Lens Telephoto Lens Standard Lens Aperture Control
Figure 1. The Parts of the Camera.
2. Preparation
Because I ordered a camera that had been previously owned and operated, as is any Brownie you are likely to find, I had to first be sure that it was in operating condition. Here are some things to do to ensure your camera is performing properly:
- Wind the motor and press the trigger to make sure it runs smoothly and steadily.
- Cleaning is especially important. Wipe all three lenses with a dry cloth to remove dust and smears.
- Clean the inside of the camera. Make sure the empty spool can turn freely and wipe the film chamber with a clean cloth.
- Remove the spring and pressure pad to make sure the gate, the area behind the lens, is free of dust (see Figure 2).
- Because the camera is new to you, you may also want to shoot one roll of test film and have it processed to be sure that everything works as it should.
A. B C.
Figure 2. Cleaning the Gate. Remove the spring and pressure plate (B) to expose and clean gate (C).
3. Film
3.1 Finding Film
The internet makes it easy to find companies that sell and process 8mm film. Any search engine will return a number of websites dedicated to selling and processing a variety of motion picture films. For example, I was able to buy twenty-five foot rolls of black and white film with processing included from Film and Video Services (http://filmvideoservices.net/).
3.2 Loading Film
Loading film is relatively easy, although it took some practice before I could do it quickly without damaging the film. To load film, follow these steps:
A.) Before loading film, be sure that the motor has been wound.
B.) Take off the cover of the film chamber and place the unused spool of film on the metal rod marked “Full Film Spool” (A in Figure 3).
C.) Unwind about a foot of film and thread it into the gate so that it sits under the pressure pad (B in Figure 3). The film should follow the arrows printed on the camera (C in Figure 3).
D.) Place the end of the film into the slot on the empty spool, then wind the film onto the spool by turning it in the direction of the arrow printed on the spool.
E.) Put the previously empty spool onto the metal rod labeled “Empty Film Spool” (D in Figure 3) so that the instructions printed on the spool are facing up.
F.) Press the trigger to make sure that the film is flowing correctly.
G.) Wind the wheel that controls the footage indicator until the indicator is at the “L” position.
H.) Replace the cover and run motor until the footage indicator reads “25.”
D A C B
Figure 3. Film Loading.
3.3 Reversing Film
Once the footage indicator reaches “0” there is no film left to be exposed. Run the motor until the indicator reads “E.” Once one side of the film has bee exposed, you can rethread the film to expose the other side. You can reverse the film by following these steps:
A.) Remove the cover of the film chamber and remove the empty spool.
B.) Place the full spool on the rod marked “Full Film Spool” with the instructions facing down.
C.) Thread the film through the gate again and into the slot on the empty spool and place the spool on the rod marked “Empty Film Spool.”
D.) Run motor to be sure that the film is flowing correctly.
E.) Return the footage indicator to the “L” position and replace cover.
F.) Press the trigger until the footage indicator reads “25,” and then film until it reads “0.”
4. Shooting
Filming with this camera can be tricky, and I still have not mastered its intricacies. However, I have discovered, through trial and error, some useful tips for capturing a decent picture. Hopefully, the following advice will help you avoid wasting as much film as I did.
4.1 Lenses
The Turret f/1.9 Brownie comes with three lenses, a 13mm standard (red), 24mm telephoto (yellow), and 9mm wide-angle (green). Each lens has a unique field of vision represented by the colored boxes printed on the viewfinder. To sight a scene, first select and lens and then look through the finder and move the camera to or from your eye until the edge of the finder aligns with the box that matches the color of the lens you chose. No focusing is required with this camera, but I have found that it is best to stand at least five to ten feet away from your subject in order to avoid a fuzzy picture. When using the telephoto lens it may be necessary to stand even further away.
Standard Telephoto Wide Angle
Figure 4. Sighting with the Viewfinder.
4.2 Lighting
It is essential to consider lighting when shooting with this camera. There is an aperture control dial near the lenses of the camera that can be used to adjust the amount of light entering the camera. The numbers on this dial correspond to a small chart located on the side of the camera, but I have found this chart to be relatively useless. The descriptions for lighting conditions are vague and not very helpful. I have found it best to stick to the middle settings (4-8) and to make sure that there is plenty of light when filming. It is very difficult to get a clear picture when shooting in normal indoor light or cloudy days.
Contributor’s Note: Mr.
Blair will be graduating ETSU in May 2005 with a B.A. in English. After leaving
ETSU he will be attending film school to earn an MFA and hopes to one day earn
a living as a writer and/or director. He is not, however, holding his breath.