Overview Sometimes a film can have an extreme exposure. For example I just had a 16mm film that was shot in B&W and the subject was highlighted by a "bright" light and the rest of the frame was black.....(you know, sort of like the interrogation under the bright light routine).

Problem:

Using the automatic settings caused the subject to blow out and the black to go gray and grainy. Not good!

Test Solution:

When you have a film that you know is going to be difficult, test and process a small section so that you can view the result.

Solution:

In summary, the solution is to go manual on the camera exposure settings and/or the LED light source.

I tried using the LED light source and bringing the brightness down to just above off. The processed film showed horizontal rolling lines in the black. This is probably due to the LED's not working well at such a low level. The blacks and contrast looked good though.

Next I tried setting the camera's exposure on manual and knocking it down to -3 of -6. At the same time I also put the LED's on manual and turned them down a little. It was a balancing act between the LED's and the exposure setting. I tried not to turn the LED's too low to make sure i did not get the horizontal rolling lines....I just took the edge of the light. I did a test section and viewed the results before doing the whole film.

Here's a link to moviestuff's instructions on manual exposure.