exploring 16mm film
After working with Super8 and analog photography on 35mm and 120 film, Raphael wanted to understand 16mm as a serious filmmaking medium rather than simply use it for its aesthetic.
Instead of renting a modern camera, he restored an old Beaulieu R16 and worked through the format step by step. He tested exposures, hand-developed short strips of 16mm film and learned how the camera, stock and light behaved together before moving into the actual shoot.
The project also became an exercise in understanding the wider workflow around the medium. Raphael researched processing and scanning options, tested the available infrastructure and built relationships with labs and technicians so that 16mm could become a reliable part of future productions rather than a one-off experiment.
During the shoot, he worked with 16mm alongside Super8, 35mm and 120 still photography, exploring how different formats could be combined into one coherent visual language rather than treated as separate outputs.
The result is less about adopting a particular analogue look and more about adding another medium to his creative toolbox, understanding its possibilities, limitations and workflow well enough to make deliberate decisions about when and why to use it.