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Super 8 Film

RAJRAJ tenacious local 7,779 Posts
edited May 2009 in Strut Central
Anybody ever shoot with a Super 8 camera?The local thrift has a gang of them for like $2 / each. It seems like it could be fun.Worth the hassle?

  Comments

  • SupergoodSupergood 1,213 Posts
    Used to do this back in my college days. Very fun, and the images you get are unlike any other, IMO.

    For me, editing Super 8 was the most entertaining part of the process.

    Film, editing tape, and the cost of developing are expensive, though.
  • johmbolayajohmbolaya 4,472 Posts
    I used to shoot on 8mm and loved it, I like the "home movie" feel of things. I have yet to do any recently, but if you can find a camera that works, it will be worth it. As said, finding film and getting it developed and transferred to digital (if that's what you want to do) can be costly, but there are resources (Craigslist) where you can often find unsold film stock for cheap.


    I know there are programs where you can just use an 8mm-type filter for videos, but that's not quite the same. I'd love to get into it again, especially to be able to do that digitally and do some interesting things.

    I did a quick Google search and I remember going through this site a few years ago:
    http://www.littlefilm.org/

    I'd still like to transfer some of my old skateboard movies to digital, back when I was 5 and 8 (also back when I could skateboard).


    In other words, if you love the look of film and are serious about getting into it, do it. Cameras are a crapshoot since you don't know what you'll get until after the film comes in. If you do a sample shoot and it looks nice, then work with that.
  • SIRUSSIRUS 2,554 Posts
    Will try to mention it here if anyone's interested.
    am very interested in this.
  • grandpa_shiggrandpa_shig 5,799 Posts
    i think kodak stopped making super8 film but there is a company in burbank that makes their own. its $30 for 1 roll and that includes processing. transferring to digital is about another $100.

    http://www.pro8mm.com
  • AKallDayAKallDay 830 Posts
    i think kodak stopped making super8 film but there is a company in burbank that makes their own. its $30 for 1 roll and that includes processing. transferring to digital is about another $100.

    http://www.pro8mm.com


    that is the only place to get it. my brother filmed a movie on super 8 and got all of his film there. it is very, very expensive. but the client paid for it. i think there was a minimum and it cost about $1700 and that was for about 2 hours worth of film but also included the service of processing. still not cheap. anyway my brother knows all the sources for that stuff including repairs and so on.
    pm me if you want to query him, he is always into nerding out about equipment. the film was just selected and screened last week at the marfa film festival he can tell you about that too.
  • lizardinthspringlizardinthspring 17 Posts
    Transferring a single 50ft reel of super-8 to digital shouldn't cost more than $20. I know a guy who does it for $0.15 per foot plus a flat fee for media (DVD or MiniDV).
  • grandpa_shiggrandpa_shig 5,799 Posts
    there is no minimum. u can buy 1 roll and go straight to digital for like $140. i think theres a pdf pricelist on the website.

    a cheaper alternative is to get the $30 processed roll and then take it to a telecine transfer spot. if you can find one. i know echo park film center does it for like .25/ft minimum 100 ft (2 rolls). its substantially cheaper but prolly not as digitally crisp as the pro8mm transfer. there is likely a spot in someplace like philly if you check around.
  • grandpa_shiggrandpa_shig 5,799 Posts
    Transferring a single 50ft reel of super-8 to digital shouldn't cost more than $20. I know a guy who does it for $0.15 per foot plus a flat fee for media (DVD or MiniDV).

    this sounds like telecine.
  • lizardinthspringlizardinthspring 17 Posts
    Transferring a single 50ft reel of super-8 to digital shouldn't cost more than $20. I know a guy who does it for $0.15 per foot plus a flat fee for media (DVD or MiniDV).

    this sounds like telecine.

    Yeah, I think the only other way to transfer film to video is to use a film scanner? Not even sure if that's an option for super-8. The guy I'm thinking of is Skip Elsheimer, who does A/V Geeks:

    http://www.avgeeks.com/
  • grandpa_shiggrandpa_shig 5,799 Posts
    yes, this is why pro8mm costs so much. they have "3 distinct scanning systems" of which i have no idea what theyre talking about most the time. but its listed on their website. but again, this is for quality professional imaging. i think telecine is just hunky dory for messing around with super8. although both scanning and telecine rob you of the experience of hand editing your super8 film.

    for hand editing youll need the editing tape, if you can find it. otherwise im sure clear plastic tape will work but test it because it may come apart from the heat of a projector tube. i use a super8 viewer to cut mines but if you have patience and a well trained eye, you could just eyeball where you want to splice. there are super8 guillotine splicers that are relatively cheap when available on ebay. this makes everything easier. i have a cache of super8 editing tape which is key cuz theyre already perforated and it goes on like a bandaid. and the last thing youll need is a projector. id say theyre around $40, not sure though. i dont have one.
  • lizardinthspringlizardinthspring 17 Posts
    I work in archival film preservation and I have to say DO NOT use just any clear tape for splicing; Some adhesives will actually destroy the emulsion over time, and 50 years from now someone like me may be trying to clean the adhesive residue off your film so it can be respliced with proper tape.
  • johmbolayajohmbolaya 4,472 Posts
    I have a roll of undeveloped film, most likely something my dad shot in the late 70's. It's a Kodachrome 40 (process K-14), and have been wanting to get it developed and tranferred. It will be a few months, but if there's any images left on it, I'll upload and post it.

    Would be great to get into it again, and perhaps shoot some stuff in B&W.
  • SelinaKyle83SelinaKyle83 1,042 Posts
    When i was younger i worked at a video copy place and i used to transfer super8 to vhs and dvd and the mini kids stop motion films from the 70's i got to see were awesome!! I also saw some guy skinning a rabbit on a family trip back to italy which i could have lived without....but meh, what can you do.
    that is all.
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