It took 1970’s holidaymakers by storm and now major film and television directors want it. I’m talking about ‘that look’ of Super 8mm.
Created by Kodak in 1965 as the more affordable alternative to using 16mm and without the loading, exposure, and image quality problems of the original 8mm, the Super 8mm camera was every independent filmmaker’s dream. No need to thread, flip and slit film with this little beauty. The Super 8mm takes a single-pass 50ft. cartridge, which automatically sets film speed and filter and prevents light leaks, making it possible load and unload in daylight. This also allows for steadier registration, as the film perforations are located in the centre on the frame, rather than at the frame line and most cameras come equipped with their own light meter, making image exposure more filmmaker friendly.
And you thought shooting on film was painfully expensive and time consuming…
In fact, there has never been a better time for shooting on Super 8mm. Second hand cameras can be found at bargain price from Internet sites such as Amazon and Ebay, and from a number of dealers in London. These include The Widescreen Centre, Pro8, The Film Stock Centre, Jessops Photo Centre, Four Corners Film Workshop and The Camera Exchange, to name but a few. Seeing that super8 was so popular with holidaymakers in the 60s and 70s, there may even be one floating around in your parents’ or grandparents’ attic. The chances are that if there is, there may also be a home projector, so it is always worth asking.
‘But what about the astronomical expense of transferring footage for editing’, I hear you cry. Admittedly, transferring Super 8 to high quality digital can be costly and in some cases, troublesome. The experts, Bolex, are based in Switzerland (http://www.bolex.ch/NEW/index.php) and supply a whole host of services from reel-handling to digital copying, all of which are priced individually, either by the reel or by the meter. The Video Conversion Experts in Arizona boast being “the only film transfer company in the USA that can restore Super 8mm film to it’s original clarity or better” and offer competitive rates for converting Super 8mm to HD. Companies in the UK such as the Video Studio in Sussex can transfer Super 8mm footage to DVD, charging £25.00 for the first 50ft reel then £6.00 for each additional 50ft reel, or £4.25 if the 50ft of film is on a reel larger than 50ft.
Thankfully however, one of the lesser-known facts about wonderful Super 8 is that you can actually edit inside the camera. Super 8 cameras with the lap-dissolve feature will fade the current shot to black and then back-wind the film to the beginning of the fade. The next shot to be filmed is then faded in over the top. Naturally this requires some skillful shot planning and arranging. Such skill, it should be noted, is very highly regarded, particularly by the Bentely (http://taosbentley.org/) and Straight 8 film festivals, which require that directors submit films undeveloped, thereby disallowing any editing.
But Super 8 is even more super than that. In addition to the lap-dissolve, cameras with a frame-by-frame shooting feature make Super 8 a classic choice for cell or stop animation. Even shooting 3 frames per movement, as opposed to the preferred 1 frame, creates a fluid motion and great image quality on Super 8mm. There’s no need to even touch a computer, let alone the editing and after effects software normally required.
Is it any wonder then that the likes of Oliver Stone, Sam Raimi and Dogma producer Kevin Smith are all crazy for Super 8? Cannes Film Festival loved it so much that in 2005 they awarded Ben Crowe’s Super 8mm film, The Man Who Met Himself with the Palme D’Or. Other festivals such as the Flicker Film Festival exist to provide Super 8 filmmakers with screening and distribution and many other festivals hold events and screenings dedicated to the life and times of Super 8 film.
One such festival is Raindance, who, in addition to screening winners for the Straight 8 film festival, have recently started the Hands-On Super 8mm film-making course. This will take place for the first time in April this year and will teach filmmakers everything about shooting on Super 8mm, including how to avoid those pesky processing costs.
So what better time to get Super? Just take a look at the up-coming Super 8mm events and resource bank posted below to find when, where and how. You’ll soon find that Super 8mm opens up new realms of possibilities and gives filmmakers of the digital era a new appreciation for cinematography and visual story telling, making it much more than ‘look’.
Look out for these up-coming Super 8mm events:
Hands On Super8mm Workshop with Julian Hand and Douglas Hart
Super 8mm Resource Bank:
Web
homepage.mac.com/onsuper8/
This little blog site is a surprising goldmine for all things Super 8mm. It offers advice on screenings, festivals, processing, up-coming events and much more.
www.super8camera.com/
This is a great resource for technical aspects of shooting on Super 8mm which will help you make the most of your camera and keep it in tip-top condition.
www.explodingcinema.org/directory.htm//
This web page lists all of the London Super 8 suppliers. On the main site you will find advice on everything from shooting to making your own underground cinema!
nomediakings.org/animate.htm
This page of the new media kings offers explains the technicals on using you Super 8 camera to do cell and stop animation.
www.super-8mm.net/9.html
Too much Super 8 is never enough for Super-8mm.net.
www.super8.nl/english/e_index.htm
This site offers advice, information, up-dates and links to the Super 8 world in French and English.
Books
The Super 8 Film Maker’s Handbook [Illustrated] (Paperback)
Myron A. Matzkin’s Super 8 Film Maker’s Handbook takes you right through the process of shooting on Super 8. An avid Super 8 fan herself, Matzkin has written several books on the subject, describing everything you need to know in interesting detail.
Moviemaking: A Worktext for Super 8 Film Production (Comed) (Paperback)
David Coynik’s book really aims to get you shooting. It contains information on photo composition, equipment, planning, shooting, lighting, editing, sound, and special effects.
It also includes exercises and projects, great for getting you going.
Handbook of Super 8 Production by Mark Mikolas
This handbook covers everything from production systems and super 8 shooting and editing systems through budgeting, cinematography, sound recording, printmaking, treatment, projection, videography and broadcast techniques and even underwater filming.
It is also illustrated which makes it easy on the eye.
A Super 8 Filmmaker’s Journal: A Guide to Super 8 Filmmaking in the Age of the Internet
The book provides good information on where and how to start shooting on Super 8mm.
Most of the information given is America based, however, it gives a modern perspective that reads well to filmmakers today.
Super 8 Filmmaking from Scratch (Hardcover)
This book takes you from basic to more complex Super 8mm shooting and provides good, detailed information to keep you going once you’ve started.
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Films
The Man Who Met Himself by Ben Crowe
Suppliers
Camera exchange
by Notting Hill Gate tube
Market Stall
(just off Portobello Road … nearest tube Westbourne Park), on the odd number side
Four corners film workshop
113 Roman Road,
London E2 0HU
Tel: 020 7981 4243
Nicholas
15 Camden High Street,
London NW1 7JE
Tel: 020 7916 7251
Jessops Photo Centre
67/9 New Oxford Street,
London WC1
Tel: 020 7240 6077
The Film Stock Centre
68 Wardour Street,
London W1
Tel: 020 7494 2244
The Widescreen Centre
47, Dorset Street
Lee’s Cameras at 281/2 High Holborn
Pro8 1-6 Falconberg Court,
open Monday to Friday, 9.30am till 5.30pm.
This is the best article that puts all the info together for Super 8. Just what I needed! Hoping to shoot a couple of things on Kodaks vision3 film stock. If its good enough for Dark Shadows, its good enough for me!
I just got a good, cheap, very quick telecine from http://www.cinenostalgia.co.uk/Cinenostalgia/Welcome.html.
Though we had so much footage when we shot our Super 8 musical
a few years back we HD'd it off a white wall to save money. Not ideal but hopefully adds something to the homemade aesthetic.
Awesome
I guess this article is a few years old now, but I thought I should add the importance of making sure your cine film is scanned in at least HD. My company has been providing cine film transfers in the UK for 15 years, and the technology today for scanning in 2K and above is astounding. I have comparisons between DVD and Blu-ray (SD Vs. HD) on my website if anyone wants to see 🙂 http://www.alivestudios.co.uk/cine-film-to-dvd.php Nice article though – thanks Charlotte.
In addition to scanning at HD standard, all films should go through DVD Infinity's enhancement process. This uses multiple frames to extract maximum detail. It improves detail, contrast and colour as well as reducing dust scratches and where the projector has taken some of the emulsion off. See http://www.dvdinfinity.com.au/film_restoration.htm
@AliveStudios I’ve been using https://www.supaphoto.com/cine-to-dvd.html for a while and they’re quality is amazing, your business looks great too I’d love to get in touch!