Identifying and Preventing Static Discharge on Your Film

WHAT IS STATIC DISCHARGE?

Static electricity can cause many problems with film. It attracts dust, and if it’s bad enough, it can even cause sparks. Static discharge will appear on your film as red or blue artifacts on color film, and white artifacts on black and white film, like this photo by Ryan Muirhead on pushed Tri-X 120.

These artifacts can present as several different shapes, from irregular blotches to distinct lightning bolts. Though uncommon, this anomaly can show up on any film, but is more evident on highly sensitive films such as CineStill 800T or other high-speed/push-processed films.

Now, as cool as it might look to some, most of us won't find the look enticing. We therefore take extra precautions when producing our film, preventing any static discharge from occurring in manufacturing.

WHAT CAUSES STATIC DISCHARGE

Static electricity is caused by friction, which can build up inside the camera as the film winds through it, the cassette as you pull the film out of it, and even in film processing equipment during loading. When enough static electricity builds up it will arc to the closest neutral or oppositely charged material. This discharge is most likely to occur in cool and dry environments where humidity is below 40%. Static discharge is highly unlikely if humidity is over 60%.

A famous example of static discharge under cold-weather conditions is the so-called "Ice Bowl" 1967 NFL Championship game between the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys at Lambeau Field. The lightning bolt marks on this image, courtesy of the Green Bay Press-Gazette, speak to how cold and dry it was that day. The Green Bay Packers defeated the Dallas Cowboys 21–17 on a game-winning quarterback sneak on The Frozen Tundra by Bart Starr with 13 seconds left, capturing their 3rd straight NFL title, and went on to win their 2nd back-to-back World Championship Game at Super Bowl II in Miami, FL (the final time Vince Lombardi coached the Packers).

Fun fact — The Super Bowl now must be held indoors if the stadium is located in a city where the historical average daily temperature during the week of the game is below 50 degrees. Blame it on static electricity, but there will never be a Super Bowl at Lambeau, The Ralph, or other iconic stadiums.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Bart Starr (15) looks to pass as tackle Forrest Gregg (75) blocks against the Dallas Cowboys during the NFL Championship game on Dec. 31, 1967, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. Marks on the photo were caused by the freezing temperatures. - Green Bay Press-Gazette

HOW TO PREVENT STATIC DISCHARGE

Now that we know what can cause static discharge, how can we avoid it? Well, it's simple really. If it’s cold and dry where you are shooting – slow down! Advance the film and eventually rewind it back into the cassette slowly, as this will reduce static buildup.

Cameras with very high speed/high torque auto-advancing/rewinding mechanisms or motor drives are more likely to build up lots of static and cause static discharge under very cold and dry conditions.

And when loading your film into a developing tank, pull the film out slowly from the cassette so as not to cause a lot of friction with the felt.

Avoiding static discharge is just one of the many positive reasons to slow down when shooting film, especially this time of year where the weather tends to be colder. It's easy to forget that it can happen, and we hope that the tips and tricks we covered in this video can help you shoot with confidence all year long.

Hungry to learn more? Check out our Film Tips playlist on YouTube here. If you have any questions, feel free to email us at support@cinestillfilm.com