Have you ever needed to the retrieve the film leader but you don’t have one of those film retriever doohickies? It’s more common than you might think but never fear… Caleb from Bad Flashes has the answer! Hit the jump to find out more!
It Happens More Than You Might Think
Have you ever been out shooting and you accidentally roll the film leader back in the cannister? You might think this is the kind of thing that only happens to complete idiots. But it happens to regular people of normal intelligence too! I’ve heard, anyway.
If you’re back at home you might have one of those film retreiver doohickies to get you out of this bind. The have a couple floppy bits that you can slide into the film canniser then physics or dark magic allows them to grip the film leader and pull it back out.
They’re fussy, but they definitely work. And for sure you’re not going to have one handy the very second you actually need it. So what’s a film photographer to do?
Never fear! Caleb from Bad Flashes over on YouTube has the answer!
First You Click It Then You Lick It
Kyle’s plan to retrieve the film starts with getting the film inside the cannister ready for retrieval.
Bring the cannister up close to your ear and spin the knobby bit to rotate the film until you ear it click. This is the sound the end of the film inside the cannister makes when it brushes past the felt opening.
Once you have the film positioned correctly inside the canninster set it aside and grab another piece of film This could be a piece of leftover film if you’re at home or the tongue of another roll of film if you’re out in the world. You just need some film. Any film.
Then You Stick It, Twist It And Pull It
Give the end of the film a lick and feed in inside the felt opening of your film cannister and give the film cannister a little twist. Not too much. But just enough. This will gently stick the film you licked to the film inside the cannister. And you can see where this is going!
Gently pull the extra bit of film you stuck into the cannister out and the the film leader from inside the cannister will come out a the same time. Caleb does this in one glorious sweeping gesture but you may need to experiement to find exactly the right speed to get both bits of film out at the same time.
And there you go! You’ve retrieved the film leader without one of those film retreiver doohickies. And you’ve saved the day!
The Last Word
I have to be honest here. I’ve been shooting for over 30 years. And I have a frikkin’ degree in photography. And I didn’t know this tip to retrieve the film leader if you don’t have a film retriever. So… ya.
Now, let’s be real for a second. If you’re out shooting the film leader probably isn’t going to get lost in the cannister all that often. But I suppose it “could” happen. So this is kind of useful information to have.
But there have been numerous times when I’m about to process film at home and I just can’t find my film retriever. I always put it in exactly the same place every time. So I’m convinced the cleaning lady hides it just to get me going. But that’s another story altogether.
However you look at it, this tip really strikes a cord. And could definitely come in handy!
What’s your take on Caleb’s tip to retrieve your film leader if you don’t have a film retriever. Helpful in a pinch? Or is this something that literally everyone besides myself already knew? Post your ideas in the comments below and keep the conversation going!