“I am an avid collector of the very early motion picture cameras. I have wondered, for some time, if a small technical bulletin for cine equipment collectors might be worthwhile. This is my effort to start such a publication.” Wes Lambert, 1987
The Movie Machine Society
In November 1987, Wes Lambert sent a letter to over fifty friends and collectors outlining his concept for a technical bulletin focused on cine equipment collecting. Over the following months, he mailed three more bulletins detailing his vision. By summer 1988, the first issue of "Sixteen Frames" arrived in subscribers' mailboxes. The third issue announced that on October 15, 1988, The Movie Machine Society had been officially established at PhotoHistory VII in Rochester, New York, with Sixteen Frames as its quarterly bulletin. Within a year, membership reached 271.
The Society brought together collectors interested in optical toys, early cinema devices, and motion picture cameras and equipment. Its purpose was straightforward: preserve the technical artifacts of cinema history, share information among members, and build a community of collectors with common interests.
I met Wes early in my collecting journey. He was based in California and was remarkably generous with his time and knowledge. I remember how animated he became discussing the bulletin and his plans for the Society's future. I subscribed that same day. This was the early days of the internet, long before information was readily available online. Finding technical details about vintage cameras, especially early motion picture equipment, required effort and connections. Sixteen Frames provided access to expertise that simply wasn't available elsewhere. For me, it became essential to building my collection.
Sadly, Wes passed away just eight years later, after only nine volumes of Sixteen Frames had been published. The bulletin and the Movie Machine Society continued under President Alan Kattelle and later President Sandra Joy Lee. The last issue in my library is the Winter 1999 edition. If you have later issues, please contact me. I will be adding all of my copies to this site over time, along with a list of missing issues.
Bonus Wes Lambert humor.
Sixteen Frames- Vol. 7
No. 1- Summer 1994
No. 2- Fall 1994
No. 3- Winter 1994
Sixteen Frames- Vol. 8
No. 1- Summer 1995
No. 2- Fall 1995
No. 3- Winter 1995
No. 4- Spring 1996
Sixteen Frames- Vol. 9
No. 2- Fall 1996
No. 3- Spring 1997
No. 4- Fall 1997
Sixteen Frames- Vol. 10
NOTE: Vol. numbers disappear in 1988
No. 1- March 13, 1998
No. 3- Late Summer 1998
No. 4- Fall/Winter 1998 ??
Sixteen Frames- Vol. 11
No. 1- Summer 1999
No. 2- Winter 1999
Sixteen Frames- Vol. 12
No. 1- Fall 2000
No. 2- Winter 2000
Sixteen Frames- OTHER
The Best of Sixteen Frames Collectors Edition and resource Guide
Movie Machine Society Membership Directory 1998
Sixteen Frames
The quarterly bulletin of The Movie Machine Society.
Click on the issue number below to view each Bulletin. Ghosted issues are not available in my collection. If you have any of the missing issues and would like to share, please contact me at the link in upper left.
Pre-Publication Technical Bulletins
Sixteen Frames- Vol. 1
Sixteen Frames- Vol. 2
Sixteen Frames- Vol. 3
Sixteen Frames- Vol. 4
No. 2- Fall 1991
No. 3- Winter 1991
No. 4- Spring 1992
Sixteen Frames- Vol. 5
No. 1- Summer 1991
Sixteen Frames- Vol. 6
No. 1- Summer 1993
No. 2- Fall 1993
No. 3- Winter 1993
No. 4- Spring 1994
I found this handy index in Vol. 5 Issue 3 which covers all newsletters up to this date. Unfortunately, it appears it was never updated after this:
