Found film
Encyclopedia
Found Film is the most common name for the still film or movie footage found exposed but undeveloped; it is also often referred as Undeveloped Film, or Forgotten Film. The well known example of Found Film is the one found in 1930 at the shore of arctic island Kvitøya; the film had recoverable images of the last days of S. A. Andrée's Arctic balloon expedition
of 1897. The most famous not found film is the one from Kodak camera presumably left on the Mount Everest by vanished British expedition
in 1924.
of all types has the ability to hold the latent image much longer than any type of cassette film
.
S. A. Andrée's Arctic balloon expedition of 1897
S. A. Andrée's Arctic balloon expedition of 1897 was an ill-fated effort to reach the North Pole in which all three expedition members perished. S. A. Andrée , the first Swedish balloonist, proposed a voyage by hydrogen balloon from Svalbard to either Russia or Canada, which was to pass,...
of 1897. The most famous not found film is the one from Kodak camera presumably left on the Mount Everest by vanished British expedition
British Mount Everest Expedition 1924
The 1924 British Mount Everest Expedition was—after the 1922 British Mount Everest Expedition—the second expedition with the goal of achieving the first ascent of Mount Everest. After two summit attempts in which Edward Norton set a world altitude record, the mountaineers George Mallory and Andrew...
in 1924.
Found Film Sources
Old exposed films are rare finds; before introduction of online auction systems the common sources were family archives and antique stores. Today the online auctions is the main source. Most of the found films were discovered inside the old simple box-type cameras which were forgotten, lost, discarded or abandoned by the owners.Development of old films
Several photo lab services specialize in development of old outdated films. The self-processing by photo enthusiasts is common but not recommended since the latent image is not recoverable most of the time without special procedures such as use of high-contrast active developer at the very low temperatures (as low as 32F/0C). The two popular standard developers used to process outdated films are Kodak HC-110 and Kodak D-19. The old color film is often processed as black and white since color dyes usually decompose faster than silver-based layer. RollfilmRoll film
Rollfilm or roll film is any type of spool-wound photographic film protected from white light exposure by a paper backing, as opposed to film which is protected from exposure and wound forward in a cartridge. Confusingly, roll film was originally often referred to as "cartridge" film because of its...
of all types has the ability to hold the latent image much longer than any type of cassette film
135 film
The term 135 was introduced by Kodak in 1934 as a designation for cartridge film wide, specifically for still photography. It quickly grew in popularity, surpassing 120 film by the late 1960s to become the most popular photographic film format...
.
Further reading
- (Russian) Foto&Video 12/2008 p100-105 PDF version