RELOADING GAMI CASSETTES

1. Memorize these instructions since you can't refer to them in the dark; better yet, run through the steps with the lights on with scrap film.
2. Gather all your items together -- 16mm film, Gami cassettes, scissors, and film template.
3. Wash your hands thoroughly, or use film gloves (obtainable at most camera shops) in order to avoid getting oil or dirt on the film.
4. With the lights on, remove the caps from the cassette. The film-feeder end is the end of the cassette with a solid cap.   The cap on the film-takeup end has a hole in it to allow the camera to advance the film.
5. Completely check the cassette for any loose dirt or film scraps.
6. Turn off the lights.
7. Cut a 19" length of film, using a template, ruler or whatever you can device. A yardstick with a notch or piece of tape at 19" will work fine. (Any type of 16mm film, regardless of perforations, will work with the Gami model, but the useable image size will vary. For example, you'll end up with a 10x17mm useable image on double-perforated film since the perforations will cut into the image.
8. Wind the film tighly into a roll and pull out a 1-2" leader. Make sure that the emulsion in wound in toward the center of the roll.
9. Slip the leader through the film outlet while dropping the roll of film into the film-feeder end of the cassette. The film slot can be difficult to find in the dark, so you may need to practice with the lights on with a scrap piece of film.
10. Place the cap back on the film-feeder end of the cassette.
11. Turn on a dim light.
12. Check to make sure that the film is loaded correctly -- emulsion toward the lens.
13. Line up the leader of the film with the film takeup spool. Make sure that the open end of the film-takeup spool is facing in the right direction. The film and the spool are exactly the same height and the film must line up exactly with the edges of the spool. This will help prevent the film from detaching in the camera.
14. Tape the film to the spool so that the tape loops around the spool and attches to the film on both sides of the film.  The Gami take-up spool has a clip/slot to attach the film, but you'll find that tape is easier and more secure.
15. Slide the film into the takeup film slot (which is as difficult to find as the feeder slot was) while slipping the takeup spool into the cassette.
16. Place the cap back on the film-takeup end of the cassette.
17. Place the reloaded cassette in its protective case and tape shut with black tape.
18. Mark the outside of the case with the type of film.
19. If the film won't advance once it's in the camera, most likely it was not properly aligned to the film-takeup spool.

This may sound like a lot of work, but once you get used to it, you can reload a cassette in a matter of seconds.

FRONT DESK.

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