Learning path · Shooting on film
35mm cinematography
35mm the way features and commercials shoot it: ARRI and Panavision cameras, mags and threading, Kodak stocks, metering, film to digital.
Free films in teaching order, for one craft. Watch, tick them off and test yourself. It's practice that prepares you for an Academy course. This one prepares you for Camera department Foundation.
Lesson 1
How Movies Are Shot On Film In The Digital Era
In Depth Cine · 11:56 · original on YouTube
You will learn: Explain how films are shot on 35mm today, from camera to scan.
Note: Good map of the whole path; come back to it at the end.
By the end you will be able to
- Explain 35mm formats (4-, 3- and 2-perf, VistaVision) and their costs
- Thread cameras and load magazines on ARRI and Panavision bodies
- Rate Vision3 stocks and meter a scene for negative
- Prep a film camera and take a 35mm short through lab, scan and grade
Test yourself
Could you do it on a set?
4 real situations, one for each thing this path teaches. It's optional practice, not pass or fail, and your answers stay on this device.
Next: do it for real
This path prepares you for Camera department Foundation.
Eight lessons in the order a camera trainee meets the job: safety, who's who, prep, kit care, slates and camera reports, media, lenses and marks.
It's free and open in the pilot. Finish it to book a competency check, then a practical on our unit.
How learning with FIF works
Learning path. Free films in teaching order, for one craft. Watch, tick them off and test yourself. It's practice that prepares you for an Academy course.
- Learn onlineFree films, paths and Academy coursesYou are here
- Competency checkA short check with us, online or in person
- In-person practicalOn our unit at Pinewood or 3 Mills
- FIF CertificateFrom the practical only
The FIF Certificate comes only from the practical. How it works · Book a competency check
CUT | Side by Side: Super 8, 16mm, 35mm & 65mmKodak · Lesson4 min.
2-Perf and 3-Perf 35mm Motion Picture Film DemoKodak Motion Picture Film · Lesson11 min.
Film vs Digital: The Big Debate || SpotlightCooke Optics · Lesson11 min.
What Is VistaVision?In Depth Cine · Lesson13 min.
How To Load The Panavision PlatinumMinor MotionPicture · Lesson3 min.
Loading ArriCam Lite Magazinesfdtimes · Lesson3 min.
35mm Moviecam OverviewSchool Of Design FTV · Lesson47 min.
My first time shooting on Panavision (35mm film)Nkosi Roma · Lesson17 min.
How Cinematographers Set Their ExposureIn Depth Cine · Lesson13 min.
Why Movies From The 70s & 80s Look Like This: Kodak 100T 5247In Depth Cine · Lesson14 min.
Kodak Released A New Film Stock: Kodak Verita 200DIn Depth Cine · Lesson13 min.
Kodak Presents: A Conversation with Arseni Khachaturan on shooting THE DRAMA on filmKodak · Lesson1 h 2 min.
BSC Heritage Series - Billy Williams OBE BSCBritish Society of Cinematographers · Lesson1 h 36 min.
Go further
Beyond YouTube, labelled honestly. Free first. Paid options are labelled.
- 16mm / 35mm Camera Familiarisation (5 days) Paid (about £965 freelance rate)
NFTS. Hands-on with current 16mm and 35mm camera systems at Beaconsfield, including a rental house visit; next listed Feb 2027. - Assistant Camera: Focus Pulling and Loading Paid (about £7,950; NFTS bursaries not available for this course)
NFTS. Professional-level course that includes 35mm and 16mm loading; for people already working in camera. - KODAK Film Lab London (Pinewood Studios) Paid per foot; ask for a quote
Kodak. Kodak's own UK lab: colour and B&W negative processing and scanning for motion picture film. - Cinelab Film & Digital Paid; ask for a quote
Cinelab. UK lab handling Super 8 to 65mm: processing, scanning, prints and film-out. - Kodak camera films (technical data) Free
Kodak. Data sheets for every Vision3, Double-X and Ektachrome stock. - Panavision Free to browse; hire is paid
Panavision. Ask the UK office about film camera availability and prep days for students. - ARRI Academy Paid
ARRI. Manufacturer training; mostly digital cameras now, but the camera-assistant courses carry over. - British Society of Cinematographers Free to browse; events vary
BSC. UK cinematographers' society; BSC Expo is the best place to see film cameras and meet rental houses. - Prince Charles Cinema Paid (cinema tickets)
Prince Charles Cinema. London cinema that regularly screens 35mm and 70mm prints. - What film costs
Shooting film is expensive. As a rough 2026 guide, a Super 8 cartridge (about 2.5 minutes at 24fps) plus processing and a decent scan often costs £100+, 16mm runs at hundreds of pounds per 400ft roll (about 11 minutes) once processed and scanned, and 35mm costs more again. Always get a lab quote first.
For learners and trainers
Every lesson is a free video by its original maker, played from YouTube with privacy-enhanced settings. Found a broken video? Email [email protected].