Super8 for Christmas?

[Jon P]

I think super 8 is a great gift! It will teach him to think about what he is shooting rather than hosing stuff down on DV and then asking for a computer to edit it on.

[calgodot]

1. Impatience is often a quality of youth.

2. Shooting film, and especially editing film, requires a lot of patience.

3. Shooting video is much simpler than film. One can see the results immediately.

4. Editing video via desktop computer rulez.

5. The 'cool' factor - Super8 is only cool in the retro sense. Scenario: Teen A and B ask for DV cams for Xmas. If Teen A gets DV cam for Xmas, and Teen B gets S8 cam, then the former is cooler, hipper, etc. ('Retro as cool' generally manifests itself in old farts like us. For the oyung, what's new and now is hip and cool.)

In my view, giving a Super 8 camera to a beginning filmmaker (especially a teen) is simply impractical. If you want him to pursue filmmaking, give him the easiest tools to use. As he grows into the craft, he may want and accept greater challenges like film. Otherwise he may become overwhelmed by all the detail of shooting on film (shutter, f-stop, light, emulsion, limited film stocks) and simply give up in frustration.

With a DV cam, he & his friends can shoot endlessly - he could have a dozen little films done before his 15th birthday. They can try and re-try, take and re-take, without regard to cost (which is coming out of your pocket).

(And you can find a cheap beginner's DV cam for less than $500, if you look hard enough.)