https://peertube.dngr.us/videos/watch/2e42f3a7-97e2-4c1e-a16e-d1e3ed89faeb This extremely rare silent film provides an inside look at the Central Gun Camera Film Processing Laboratory and likely dates to the Korean War. The role of the CGCFPL was to process tens of thousands of feet of gun camera footage obtained by U.S. Air Force pilots.This footage was shot primarily on 16mm motion picture film by cameras that were typically mounted in the wings of airplanes, and which were activated when combat or bomb drops were initiated. Gun camera films were used during WWII, Korea and elsewhere to verify kills, show target hits, and also to instruct pilots as to how to become better in their jobs as marksmen and tacticians. The film provides an overview of the GCFL's operating procedure. At :41, raw footage is delivered to the lab by an armed courier. At 1;20 the courier turns over the film to receiving, where it is logged in while the courier has a smoke (thankfully 16mm was safety film so there was little chance of fire). At 2:40 the raw film is put into processing. Here the exposed cartridges are seen put in a loading room (3:05) where the covers are unscrewed and made ready for opening. The next step will take place in the dark or with a red safelight, with the 100' rolls of 16mm negative motion picture film being assembled into a long roll for processing. At 8:58 the film is shown in the chemical processor, moving at a speed of 20 feet per minute. So a 100' roll would be processed in about five minutes. At 9:30 the processed film is placed on a reel and at 10:50 a pair of rewinds and a splicer are shown. Films are identified by writing on the "head" of each one. (A log has been maintained from the get go, allowing the technician to provide this information in the proper sequence.) At 12:40 the film is seen being spliced with appropriate leaders so that it can be projected. It's also hand inspected to make sure there is proper exposure and any problems are identified. At 16:00 the process of converting the negative into a positive print is shown. This is done using an optical printer or duplicator seen at 17:30. The printer or duplicator has adjustable exposure and the operator can change the "timing" of the prints to get a better result as needed. At 18;43, loading of the positive takes place in red safelight. At 20:20, the print is developed at a speed of 15 feet per minute. Finally at 21:30 the print is projected to check for any errors in processing. This particular print shows (22:04) an enemy sampan being strafed and what appears to be a MiG shootdown (22:22). The print will then be shipped back to the unit where it originated for analysis. To read more about 16mm gun cameras visit the C.E. Daniels Collection: http://www.danielsww2.com/page40.html We encourage viewers to add comments and, especially, to provide additional information about our videos by adding a comment! See something interesting? Tell people what it is and what they can see by writing something for example: "01:00:12:00 -- President Roosevelt is seen meeting with Winston Churchill at the Quebec Conference." This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWPxVvn3BsY Mirrored from Periscope Film (https://www.youtube.com/@PeriscopeFilm) Sat, 13 Jun 2026 13:14:46 GMT https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html PeerTube - https://peertube.dngr.us https://peertube.dngr.us/lazy-static/avatars/41a6fee9-7f57-42d0-a5fc-5db4f1af2e31.png https://peertube.dngr.us/videos/watch/2e42f3a7-97e2-4c1e-a16e-d1e3ed89faeb All rights reserved, unless otherwise specified in the terms specified at https://peertube.dngr.us/about and potential licenses granted by each content's rightholder.