the super-8 aesthetic

[tuna]

I'm wondering how many super-8 people out there use super-8 for it's raw and rough personal look versus how many are using it as a cheeper means of shooting on film....meaning instead of 16mm? And why?
And, for those of you out there, who are true super-8-ers, ...do you look at this "dv revolution" as enhancing super-8 use and appreciation or as detracting from it all together?
I'm curious as to the different opinions out there.
Thanks.

[tuna]

The reason I brought all of this up was because I was running into a lot of filmmakers whose opinions are splitting down the middle.

It seems that many folks want to abandon film altogether because, in their minds, it is a thing of the past, and the future lies ahead in video. That economics, technical abilities, and quality are heavily slanting towards this "dv revolution"....and super-8 and film should just be forgotten.

On the other hand, I am also running into filmmakers whose ideas about super-8 and 16mm will not budge away from the celluloid medium. That video will never look like film and that the whole act of editing video is less personal and interactive. Film prints will survive longer than videos and the technology, for super-8 at least, is cheap, easy to use and accessable. And also that those who abandon film for video are, in a sense, traitors.
It has become a politics among many filmmakers as to what side of the fence one sits on.
I certainly understand both viewpoints very well. And probably agree with Mike's viewpoint more than one or the other of the viewpoints listed above. We have invented a new medium (dv), the way that super-8 was once a new medium. And one does not and should not override the other...they are both valid forms of expression.

[MikeBrantley]

I enjoy shooting Super-8 film because the cameras are small and cheap, and so are the projectors and just about anything else associated with the medium. For my purposes, it's a good choice, and economics is only one factor. Compared to video, it's expensive, of course.

I feel like a traitor for saying it, but then I am also quite excited about the DV revolution that's going on: I believe MiniDV and the other "small" digital formats will further erode 8mm and 16mm filmmaking the same way that "big" high-definition formats eventually will largely displace 35mm shooting and distribution.

But it's going to take a while before film completely disappears, if ever, IMHO. In the meantime, I intend to use and enjoy Super-8, 8mm, 16mm and MiniDV. I'm presently looking at ways to get my film footage into my computer for editing as digital video. But I also still splice bits of film together and project my camera original.

No, I am not a professional filmmaker, so your mileage will certainly vary if you are approaching this from a different place than me.

As far as the looks of it all, I don't think Super-8 looks like 35mm, nor does DV look like 16mm. But they can all look good, depending on your tastes and needs. So many people are trying to make DV look like film, but I don't see the need to bother. To me, that would be like trying to make watercolors look like oils. I say paint in whatever medium works for you on a particular project (and within your budget).

Interesting topic. Thanks for raising it!

[Lil Scorcese]

I once belonged to a film co-op where someone there said "if you want to work in film, you work in film. If you want to work in video, you work in video." I think that was a little narrowminded on his part.

I beleive also, that we can continue to use Super 8 for it celluloid asthetic, but can also cash in on the technological advances that digital video (especially on the editing end) now affords us as filmmakers. But really, as far as shooting goes, film IS film and video IS video! No matter how many effects you apply in video post to make video look like film. For that, you just can't beat the magic of Super 8!!

That is all..

-Lil'S

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[Alexx]

The magic of film, including super-8, is that it becomes whatever video format you want it to be while still looking like film!

Shoot in film, transfer to DV....and edit in a computer. (be warned...the mini-DV format is not archival quality...the tape is too thin and fragile, but it is an excellent
low cost hi quality looking format for transferring to from Super-8

Alexx