RELOADABLE CARTRIDGES: THE PROFFESIONAL OPTION

[Carlos8]

Hi folks,
I insist with the idea of using reloadable cartridges. Why a company like Kodak doesn't sell Super 8 film in 50 ft. or 200 ft. cans? (like 16 mm and 35 mm formats).
Well, as you can see, the fact of selling the material in small fractions (50 ft.), is more convenient for Kodak. (In Argentina we say the expensive thing comes in small packages). if to Kodak does not matter sell Super 8 film in 200 ft. cartriges, Why they don't design and sells a 200 ft. plastic reloadable cassette? If the Russians did it with their 50 ft. Kaccema reloadable cartridges, why don't Kodak?
50 ft. Plastic catridges continues being a remainder of the 60's and 70's slogan: point and shot! Today we should think in a more professional level, since the same Kodak considers today Super 8 film like a professional format. (more arguments to demand a new 200 ft. reloadable cartridge!!)
I believe that is a good news the idea of Kodak of introducing a new stock like Ektachrome 100 D. This means that there is trust in the Super 8 future.
But it would be better if Kodak or other Companies professionalized the product with the use of reloadable cartridges. (as makes it Kahl film in Germany).
This will allow that other little companies manufactures Super 8 film, from U.S.A. to Russia, since they cannot make it today because they cannot produce plastic cartridges. (it would be very expensive for them and for the consumer).
I invite you to think about this point.
Carlos.

[roxics]

persaonlly I like the way kodak does it. One of the nice thigs about super 8 is that you don't have to load a camera in any sprocket weaving fashion. Just pop in the cart and shoot.
Also I don't think there is any need for 200ft cart's. Those who shoot super 8 now do so for fictional work or short spots. If you want to record long drawn out segments then shoot video. I think super8 has become a story telling format and when telling stories you generally cut to a different angle before 2.5 minutes is up. I think teh carts are good as they are.

My only complaint is that Kodak doesn't make more film stocks compatible with super 8. It would seem logical to me that Kodak who keeps telling people to shoot film over video would do something to make that more of an option. After all not everyone who plans to shoot a movie chooses video just for kicks. It's a budget issue. Not everyone has a ton of money to just shoot 16mm the way kodak seems to think.

They should be doing everything they can to make super8 viable for indie filmmakers. They should be finding a way to record digital audio directly to super8 stock. They should be releasing negative stock like super8sound does. They should be doing something to modernize and advertise super8 so people realise it as a real option to digital video.

[Carlos8]

I agree with you with about demanding Kodak to increase the Super 8 film stock. But a way to obtain this is that Kodak really professionalizes the format. It is known by the super 8 community the fact that the Pro 8 stock obtains images near in quality to the 16 mm format. Consequently, the profesionalization would perpetuate the life of the Super 8 format.
Carlos.

[#Pedro]

I really?d like the idea of reloadable cardriges for 50 and 200 ft. The 200 ft just exists in superb quality for a superb price, too superb for me.
The 50 ft cardrige exists, too, but there is no infrastructure to get the film developed. If I purchase the UT18 stock (50 ASA) from Kahl, cut it down to 50 ft pieces to load the russian cardrige (or the $25-Kahl-cardrige), I can only do home developing, Kahl won?t develop this cutted stock, I?d phoned them!
And I don?t want to do home developing of color reversal stock!

I really would like to load my own cardriges with have a metal pressure plate. I would purchase, let?s say 10 items and carry with me pre-loaded. This way it would also be easyer for Kodak to offer different stocks, (like a high resolution low speed daylight film), perhaps on 200 or 400 ft reels. But the labs should have to acept 50 ft reels from the cardriges in cans!

The 200 ft cardrige would not be so important for me, as the equipment becomes very large and heavy this way. I like the 50 ft films, and the cutting process is much easyer, if you have your film divided in various reels, you can pick up the szene that you need to splice in, without hours of winding forward and backward.

Pedro

[Alex]

The least amount of times the super-8 film is handled, the better.

Dust particles and film abrasions appear 4 times larger on Super-8 as the same dust particle or film abrasion would appear on 16mm, and I believe 12 times as big on super-8 as compared to 35mm.

If we are to believe that the film is loaded and unloaded in pristine conditions...I will happily stay with a pre-loaded cartridge.

Just tonight I rented some batteries and portable DC lights to a 16mm shoot.

When I showed up..they were in the midst of reloading the camera...the changing bag was on the table...and everyone on the set was waiting for new film to be loaded into the camera magazine.

I just can't see doing that with Super-8...the film is small enough to not be easy to handle.

If you're going to pre-load it ahead of time....I know for me, it would be a clunky way to go.

-Alex