The invention of Super-8 film...

[Alex]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Courier, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by capul8:
:
"Since 1949, Abraham Zapruder had operated his "Jennifer Juniors, Inc. of
Dallas," manufacturing women's and young ladies' clothing. In 1963, the
company ran out of the fourth and fifth-floors of the Dal-Tex Building
at 501 Elm, across Houston Street from the Depository. With his two
children, Henry and Myrna, now grown and with young children of their
own, Zapruder purchased a Bell & Howell Zoomatic Director Series 8-mm
camera, Model 414 PD in 1962 in order to record his grandchildren's
activities. Fortunately for history, it was one of the best-quality home
cameras then available." Film stock was 8mm Kodachrome II.
Gosh, I hope Ollie Stone doesn't think I'm part of the conspiracy... <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

We don't owe the birth of Super-8 to JFK's assassination do we?

The publicity that film caused, do you think it focused Kodak on the possiblity of making the 8mm frame more frame friendly ???

-Alex

[pcg]

Nope: don't think so.

You're off on a limb, Alex.

So, now. Back to earth w/ you!

/Pat

[Alex]

This cat needs more coaxing to down from his limb.

The first Super-8 Cameras came out in 1964 or 65, at least a year after JFK's untimely demise....or is my timeline off?

The Zapruder film must have been put under amazing scrutiny.

-Alex

[This message has been edited by Alex (edited April 08, 2001).]

[capul8]

That's right Alex: introduced in late 64, in stores for 1965...but the development (R&D) started a couple of years earlier...unless...Say, are you thinking what I'm thinking? And Paul (the Walrus) McCartney's wife was from the Eastman (Kodak) family...
Don't you get it!? JFK...Zapruder... Super 8...Kodak...Linda Eastman...The Beatles...Helter Skelter....which leads to MR. BIG: Charles Manson! I knew someone crazy was behind the development of Super 8.
Now it all makes sense.

Now that I've got that out of my system:
Today's Math Quiz:
The Zapruder family was paid $16,000,000 (yes:sixteen million) for the 28 second assassination footage.
That's $571,428.57 a second.
But how much per foot? (18fps)
After all, we're filmmakers not clockmakers!
Yours in paranoia,
Bernie

[Actor]

"The Zapruder film must have been put under amazing scrutiny."

It should have been but it wasn't. Zapruder sold rights and later sold the film itself to Time Magazine for $100,000. That's close to $1,000,000 in today's money. When the Warren commission got hold of it part of it was missing, supposedly due to mishandling by Time's people. The missing part was, of course, the interesting part.

Time eventually sold the film back to the Zapruder family for $1 and they gave it to the National Archieves "for safekeeping".

The film has been cleaned up as best as can be with current technology. Each frame has been photographed on 4 x 5 inch plates and digitized. The whole thing is available on the video Image of an Assasination.

[Alex]

I remember seeing that Time Magazine when it was reprinted in the 80's (I think).

Still, those photos appeared in Time originally in the 60's, everyone knew where they came from, Video for consumers didn't exist.

The timing is intriguinging, 8mm had been around for at least 20-25 years, a year or two after the assassination, Super-8 appears.

-Alex

[capul8]

Actor wrote:
"The Zapruder film must have been put under amazing scrutiny."
It should have been but it wasn't. Zapruder sold rights and later sold
the film itself to Time Magazine for $100,000. That's close to
$1,000,000 in today's money. When the Warren commission got hold of it
part of it was missing, supposedly due to mishandling by Time's people.
The missing part was, of course, the interesting part.

Time eventually sold the film back to the Zapruder family for $1 and
they gave it to the National Archieves "for safekeeping".

...and then asked the Smithsonian to pay $32,000,000. for it. The Fed Govt counter-offered 1 million, and a judge ruled the value at $16 mil. See CNN coverage at:
http://www.cnn.com/US/9908/03/zapruder/

BTW: I have the same B&H Director Series Zoomatic. It has a
"Perpetua Electric Eye: It adjusts Lens even while shooting!"
Varamat 1.8 Zoom lens, no focal length marked on lens, but I'd guess approx 8mm - 35mm?
Single frame, 18fps and a wild slo-mo.
Spring wind yields a fairly stable 1min10sec of shooting.
Paid $2.99 at Goddwill for it. Now if I could just talk the federal government into paying $16 million dollars for my last fiLm, I'll be sitting pretty!

Well at least it'll cover my Rank transfer expenses for about a month.

Soggy in Portland

[Alex]

Ok, I'm being silly, but, I'm being serious.

Kodak must have been in hog heaven, (and also quite depressed by the tragic nature of the footage) from all the attention the Zapruder film received.

There must have been a rush to buy 8mm cameras.

The best way to profit from this sudden curiosity from the public is with the introduction of something new...Super-8.

It would be cool if a Kodak R & D employee from the mid 60's could fill us in.

Oh Karma Gods, alight and let a Kodak Research and Development expert from the 60's see this post and give us answers.

-Alex

[capul8]

Thank you, Carlos; I forgot!

Then 16fps X 28sec = 448 div by 81 (?) frames per foot = 5.53 feet
16 million div by 5.53 = $2,893,309.20 per foot
It's even worse than I thought...

Now if Jim Carrey gets paid $24,000,000 for his next film and he's 6'1", how much per-

OK, OK I'll stop...

(But I still don't think I'm as bad as Alex...)

[Alex]

All I can say is I hope the karma gods did not alight, assumed you had the answer and that's why you were posting, and left without leaving the answer!

-Alex