Blank film!?

pilotgirl2007 · Apr 10, 2008

I have a quick question. I know that I have discussed this and I don't remember the answer but... I developed a roll of film and it came out completely blank, the numbers aren't even on the film. I would just say that somehow I got mixed up and developed a roll of film that was never even exposed but I am not sure that absence of the numbers means (and I remember having this discussion in photo class a long time ago.. ahh) I guess part of me is worried that something is wrong with my developer...

Thanks for your help : )

Joxby · Apr 10, 2008

Sounds like developer, happened to me last week with a roll of snowscapes

If the developer doesn't develope, the fixer will remove everything, and you'll end up with completely clear film.
You could do it the other way, fixing before developer, yeah, I done that too same result.
Never shot a roll with the lens cap on though.

I miss-read your question, fixer will remove any un-exposed/un-developed material on the film.

christopher walrath · Apr 10, 2008

Clear film means NO EXPOSURE. If some of the sprockets are chewed up on one end then it was a camera loading problem. If they are all in good shape then the film was unexposed and probably unloaded, especially if the leader was still out of the cartridge. Dark film means light leak or some additional exposure of some sort.

nealjpage · Apr 10, 2008

Was the film clear or black? Clear is no exposure; black is total exposure.

Steph · Apr 11, 2008

If the film is clear with no markings on the edges, your developer was completely exhausted or you pourred the fixer before the developer.

pilotgirl2007 · Apr 14, 2008

The film was completely clear, not even the number markings along the top and bottom of the film were there. I know that the leader was not out and that why I thought I needed to develop it. I just took a bunch of photos at Yosemite and I am scared to death to dev them. The dev is pretty new, maybe only a month old so I am not sure as to why it would be no good. HOWEVER I am new to developing my own film (in my home anyhow) so I am not used to figuring out if the chemicals are still good (I can test the fix but I have no idea about developer) when I poured the dev I thought it looked a bit more yellow than it had in the past... I have some more I think I will mix up and shoot a roll of "unimportant" film and see if it comes out.

nealjpage · Apr 14, 2008

It's possible you developed an unexposed roll. I'd shoot a test roll. Did you rule out camera issues? Sounds like a silly question, but was your shutter firing? If the camera's shutter wasn't firing but the film was advancing you'd get the same result.

pilotgirl2007 · Apr 14, 2008

pretty sure it's not camera issues... I think I was just stupid and developed a brand new roll of film grrrr I am definitely going to do a test roll though before I develop my Yosemite pictures (so excited to see them!!)

nealjpage · Apr 14, 2008

Good luck, PG2k7! Let us know how it turns out.

Steph · Apr 14, 2008

nealjpage said:
It's possible you developed an unexposed roll.

No. Even with an unexposed roll you would see the markings on the film rebate.

Helen B · Apr 14, 2008

Steph said:
No. Even with an unexposed roll you would see the markings on the film rebate.

Exactly. There's an extremely slim chance that the film had no edge markings, of course, but I would consider that as the least likely explanation of their absence if the rest of the film is totally blank.

In your method, would any part of the exposed leader normally make it into the tank? If I developed an unexposed roll of 35 mm, the film end would be black, as well as the numbers.

What developer were you using? You can do a rudimentary test of developer by sticking a piece of film into the developer in the light, and watching it turn black (hopefully). This does not tell you if the developer is working properly, but it does tell you if it is working.

Is there any chance that the developer was contaminated by fixer or stop bath?

Good luck,
Helen

pjutz28 · Apr 14, 2008

I'm from California . Im currently taking up an immersion film course at the International Academy of Film and Television. What took me all the way to cebu was my genuine interest in filmmaking and since i visited the city in the summer of 2004, I've always wanted to get back for a longer stay. The training here is completely hands we work on professional sound stages, use state-of-the art High Definition filmmaking equipment, and make really tough creative and technical decisions. We basically eat, breathe and sleep filmmaking. Here are some snapshots of our sessions.

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pilotgirl2007 · Apr 19, 2008

OK so it must have been my developer. I mixed up new stuff and shot a roll of just "junk" and tried to develop it and it came out fine. Not sure what happened because the dev wasn't old at all. I must have somehow contaminated it! I probably did dump fix in there without realizing it... lesson: be careful!

nealjpage · Apr 19, 2008

Excellent! Glad we got it figured out for you!

Now, lets see those pics!

omtech · Apr 21, 2008

Frame numbers are pre-exposed on the edge of the film at the factory when film is being packed. If your film is completely clear and without these numbers, film was not processed correctly. Sounds like it was just sent through the fixer, wiping everything out. John, www.zuiko.com