Why did you choose super 8 over video?

[8th Man]

Speaking of Blair Witch,
I saw it in the theater and was it not a visual sigh of relief when they cut to the 16mm film footage?
A little randomly placed grain goes a long way toward keping the eye mesmerized.
That's why I shoot the 8 del super.
BTW it sure is fun to read this group on a lap top and be able to open i movie and watch some footage at the same time.
P

[Levi]

Just thought I'd bring this to the top for the newer members.

[BolexPlusx]

Why do I do Super 8 instead of Video?

When I was in High School, I bought a super 8 camera and started making films. I learned to go beyond leaving them on the 50 foot reels they showed up on, and then edit them for content and sequence. I had a great time with it for years until I wore that camera out in my mid twenties and stopped. In my late thirties I got on the internet and tried to find out if super 8 was still alive, and it was far more alive than I ever could have hoped, so I went back in, not as an alternative to video, but because it WAS Super 8, and a chance to go back to making films the way I learned to love in the first place. Now, with my aledgedly matured and mellowed 40 year old brain and hard earned education (?!), I'm trying to take my films in directions I wouldn't have even guessed at in my teens, and don't you know it's more fun than ever!

Why wouldn't I go video?

1) "You can get a zillion hours of content on a tape, as opposed to 3 minutes and 20 seconds on a cartridge."

A)That doesn't matter to me. I've never had a subject I needed more than 15 minutes screen time to cover. All the rest is just begging to be edited out. I was just In Europe and kept a close watch on my fellow tourists with the video cameras: They "film" everything! I'd be there with my S8 camera with Kodachrome and I'd watch my subject for just the right moment of action and then get a really nice 15-20 seconds, and feel satisfied that I "got it". Meanwhile, Spielberg over here just layed down 5 minutes of dead air. I'll come home with a 200 foot reel that I'll enjoy watching and showing, they'll have a six hour prison sentence for their friends and relatives.

2)"You get sound"

A) Take a listen around sometime at the ambient sound around you on a day to day basis: Cars, Planes, Some guy on the next block yelling that he can't find his keys. If I want sound, I'll add music. Sync'ed sound is a beautiful thing in a scripted, controlled environment, but In the real world I shoot in it's too likely to wreck the mood I'm going for.

3) "It's cheaper"

a) If I really cared how much it cost I probably wouldn't do it at all. Besides, I'm a guy with a mortgage, a car loan, taxes, repairs, fees and surcharges and a wife that loves to shop. Placed against that background the minimal cost doesn't count for a whole lot. Beyond all that, I enjoy the results I'm getting; Just call it cheap therapy.

4) "You get to see the results instantly"

a) What?!! You mean you'd deny me the thrill of having newly processed footage show up in my mailbox? Friends, this is a great feeling! Half the time I haven't even looked at the rest of the mail before I've screened a new roll of film!

5) "Everybody else is doing it"

a) Isn't this the worst reason in the world to do anything??

Why don't I go 16mm or higher?

Well, there you've got me. I guess I would if I could, but I can't, so I don't!!

I try to be a little bit of an artist, but I'm still just an amateur doing it for fun. If I got a chance to help out on a professional film in a big gauge, I'd take it in a heartbeat for the experience (Not to say that they wouldn't regret it) However, for the little kitchen table wonders that I enjoy making Super 8 is just fine.

I'm in perfect agreement with the comments above on the quality of the results and the choice of materials available as well. Plus the opportunity to try animation, plus time lapse (etc, etc.,etc.....)

[technicolour]

Because its fun mainly!

With film it seems as if your doing so much more, and its a lot more "hands on". Kodachrome has such a beautiful look, and video is flat and does nothing for me.

It may not be a cheap hobby for a student, but its one i find enjoyable enough to want to spend my money on! [img]wink.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/film.gif[/img]