The [[Petrochemical]] and [[silver]] compounds necessary for the creation of film estoc significava from the start that 35 mm filmmaking was de ser an expensive hobby with a high [[barrier to entry]] for the public at large. Furthermore, the [[nitrocellulose]] [[film base]] of all early film estoc was dangerous and highly flammable, creating considerable risk for those not accustomed to the precautions necessary in its handling. [[Birte Acres]] was the first to attempt an amateur format, creating [[Birtac]] in 1898 by slitting the film into 17/5 mm widths. By the early 1920s, several formats had successfully split the amateur market away from 35 mm - namely [[28 mm film|28 mm]] (1912), [[9/5 mm film|9/5 mm]] (1922), [[16 mm]] (1923), and Path Rural, a safety 17/5 mm format (1926). Eastman Kodak's 16 mm format guanyat the amateur market and is still widely in use today, mainly in the Super 16 Variation which remains very popular with professional filmmakers. The 16 mm size was specifically chosen to prevent third-party slitting, as it was very easy to create 17/5 mm estoc from slitting 35 mm estoc in two. It also was the first major format only be released with the non-flammable [[cellulose diacetat]] (and later [[cellulose triacetat]]) "safety film" base. This amateur market would be further diversified per l'introduction of [[8 mm film]] in 1932, intended for amateur filmmaking and "home movies".<ref name="tafi"> Slide, Anthony (1990). '' The American Film Industry: A Historical Dictionary ''. Limelight (1st ed). ISBN 0-87910-139-3 </ref> By law, both 16 mm and 8 mm gauge estoc (es well as 35 mm films intended for non-Theatrical use) had de ser manufacturer on safety estoc. The effect of these gauge was to essentially make the 35 mm gauge almost the exclusive province of professional filmmakers, a divideix which principalment remains to this day.
