For Bolex H16 reflex bodies.
Others to follow.
Feet 087 Lid on
Control the burn.
Perfect the imperfection.
You choose how much burn and what colour. The light comes in through a port in the side door. The lid stays shut, so the count stays.
Made by James and Simon Coote / small batches
01The problem
Every time.
You know the trick. Crack the door mid-roll, let the light in, get the burn.
You also know what happens next. On a Bolex, taking the lid off sets the footage counter back to zero. The camera thinks you just loaded.
So now the counter says 20 feet and the camera is empty. You find out at the lab.
02What it is
The lid stays shut.
BurnDoor swaps in for the side door on your Bolex.
It has a small port. Press it and light gets in. Let go and it snaps shut.
The lid never comes off, so the counter never resets. Burn without losing your count.
03How much burn, what colour
Your thumb decides.
We're building it so you choose how much burn and what colour. The test rolls will show what each ring and gel does.
- 8 mmPort ring / burn map after the first test roll
- 12 mmPort ring / burn map after the first test roll
- 16 mmPort ring / burn map after the first test roll
A slot over the port takes a gel. Or don't. We won't promise a colour until it's on film.
04How it works
Swap. Load. Press.
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1 Swap the door
Lift off the stock door. Hook the BurnDoor in and lock it, same as always.
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2 Load and forget the counter
It counts from zero like it always did. It just never gets reset halfway.
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3 Press to burn
Pick a ring, pick a gel, press. Let go and it's dark again.
The lock stops it opening by accident. It ships locked.
05Up close
Three things between the sun and your film.
Printed in black ASA, finished by hand. A steel blade on a spring.
Under the blade, a light trap. Under that, a seal.
Design intent. The numbered Founders door is milled metal.
- Gel cassette
- Port ring, 8 / 12 / 16 mm
- Port bush
- Return spring
- Steel blade
- Light trap
- Seal
- Shell, black ASA
06Dark when shut
Will it leak?
The first thing anyone asks. Fair.
Every door gets the same test before it leaves: camera loaded, port locked, an hour in direct sun, then the roll goes to the lab. We'll put the scans here before we take a single order.
Roll 000 / dark test / not shot yet
07Fits
One door first.
Starting with the late reflex Bolex H16: Rex 4, Rex 5, SB, SBM, EBM and EL, and Super 16 conversions of those bodies. Early reflex and non-reflex doors come next, if enough of you ask. Tell us your camera when you join.
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BurnDoor L / Counter Culture
Late reflex
Rex 4, Rex 5, SB, SBM, EBM, EL. Super 16 conversions of those.
To be confirmed on a measured door
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BurnDoor R
Early reflex
H16 Reflex, Rex 1 to 3, H8 Rex.
Next, if you ask
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BurnDoor N
Non-reflex
H16 and H8 turret and single-lens bodies.
After that
Compact 8mm cameras and Super 8 aren't on the list: they're different doors, or the film sits inside a cartridge.
08Made by
James and Simon.
I'm James. I've burned film like this for years. I've also shot an empty camera more times than I'd like, because the counter reset every time I opened the lid.
Simon is my dad. He's an engineer with a printer and a router. He drew the door, printed it, broke it, and drew it again.
Made in small batches in the UK. Every door is numbered.
09Prices / proposed / preorders spring 2027
Three ways in.
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The door
Counter Culture
Printed, one port ring, one gel.
USD 295
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The bundle
The Full Count
The door with six gels, three port rings and the cassette.
USD 395
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Founders
No. 001 to 050
Milled and engraved, numbered, full kit.
USD 570
Proposed prices. They may change before preorders open. The list hears first.
10Questions
Before you ask.
Why not just open the door?
Because the counter resets. On a Bolex, taking the lid off sets the footage counter back to zero, so it can no longer tell you what's left. That's how people end up shooting an empty camera. BurnDoor lets the light in with the lid shut, so you burn without losing your count.
Doesn't the frame counter keep count?
The frame counter is reset by hand, not by the lid, but it only counts to 1,000 frames, about 25 feet, before it starts again. The footage counter is the one most people read at a glance, and it's the one the lid resets.
Will it leak light when it's shut?
That's what we test first. Every door: camera loaded, port locked, an hour in direct sun, roll to the lab. We'll put the scans on this page before we sell a single door. If it fogs, it doesn't ship.
It's printed. Is plastic light-tight?
Layer lines and seams can leak, so we don't rely on the plastic alone. There's a blade, a light trap and a seal, and every door is dark-tested on film before it ships.
Will it damage my camera?
It's a swap for your stock door. It hooks in and locks the same way. Nothing reaches the gate, the pressure pad or the shutter. Keep your original door in the box and put it back whenever you like.
Which cameras does it fit?
We're starting with late reflex H16 bodies: Rex 4, Rex 5, SB, SBM, EBM and EL, to be confirmed on a measured door. Early reflex and non-reflex doors come next if enough people ask. Compact 8mm cameras and Super 8 aren't on the list.
11The list
Control the burn.
Get on the list.
First doors go to the list. Founders doors are numbered 001 to 050.
Next up: test footage. We'll send it when it's back from the lab.
You're on the list. Next up: test footage. We'll send it when it's back from the lab.
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