Editing for the Beginner - Digital or the Good Ole' Way

[gregorvon8mm]

I now have:

Braun Nizo S2 - Super 8;
Eumig Viennette 2 - Super 8;
Quarz 2x8Super 1M - Double Super 8; and
Ekran 1 - Straight 8 (no, not double 8 - straight 8!)

I think that I will be using all 4 to make my films, especially the third camera - film is more economical. I have a minidisc recorder for sound.

My question is this:

Should I purchase a film editing marker and projector and other stuff to edit it - I think that I would prefer this;

OR

Do I just get it transferred to video and use a computer to edit everything? Won't this compromise quality, for ease of use? I am very patient, and wouldn't mind (I think) doing things manually.

And, by the way, do you think I will actually be able to use super 8 and straight 8 together in one film - will the straight 8 have problems with sound?

[BolexPlusx]

As they say "Listen to your heart"!

But seriously folks, it depends a lot on what you want to do with your films. I like projecting mine in front of small audiences, so it makes sense for me to edit manually (Besides, I just enjoy the process.) Somebody else might want to distribute their films in video form, so a transfer and digital edit makes more sense for them.

Some folks even like to edit manually and then transfer because this reduces the tranfer cost by eliminating footage they had no intention of using anyway.


Straight-8? Wasn't this the engine they used to put in the Packard? If you mean Single-8, it will intermix niceley if you do digital editing, but the thickness difference becomes a problem if you are projecting a mixed film. As far as sound goes, I don't believe it's better or worse off than Super-8 as far as sound goes.

[cameraguy]

Originally posted by Gregor von 8mm:
My question is this:

Should I purchase a film editing marker and projector and other stuff to edit it - I think that I would prefer this;

OR

Do I just get it transferred to video and use a computer to edit everything? Won't this compromise quality, for ease of use? I am very patient, and wouldn't mind (I think) doing things manually.

And, by the way, do you think I will actually be able to use super 8 and straight 8 together in one film - will the straight 8 have problems with sound?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I prefer the old fashioned way myself [img]cool.gif[/img] But for more complicated sound and stuff I will sacrifice the quality a bit and work with a video transfer.

I and probably Bolexplusx as well will recommend getting the Bolex bevel cement splicer. It requires time, pratice and patience but it gives the best splices for the money.

And no you can't edit Super 8 and Regular 8 together. Straight 8 is the same as regular 8 (double 8) after processing. It has different sprocket and frame sizes.

So your Nizo, Eumig and Quarz can all be spliced together but the Ekran is a solo. Of course if you do decide to transfer to video you can use them all together.

[Chezdigtlstudio]

What is a "double Super 8" camera like?

[gregorvon8mm]

Well, thanks for the advice so far guys, I would like some more if it's out there. You see, I want to make films, not videos.

I feel that if I use digital, avidxpress, final cut pro etc, that I will lose some quality in the footage - I guess that this happens whenever you convert film to video anyway.

So I have found a film marker (to view and mark film for cutting and cementing) and I have found a projector. I guess I need a good bevel cement splicer...but what else? I can edit sound on my computer and produce a cd - for use by sound imprinting.

So, what about double super 8? Well yesterday I took my Nizo (super 8) and my Quarz (DS8) to
take some film. I had K40 in my Nizo and Fomapan black and white film in my Quarz.

I have to say that even though my Quarz had black and white, I am looking forward to my DS8 film more for the following reasons:

1. I had 2x as much footage with this film
2. The cost of 2x the length of film as my Super 8 AND processing of it will be less than half of the cost of a Super 8 cartridge with processing - and you get 2x the footage back - that means that it's 4 times more economical than super 8.
3. I enjoyed the film craft employed in using this manual spool film, as opposed to using a cartridge.
4. There were some scary moments in changing the film over to use the second side, but with experience this should not be a problem. It's good practice for anyone who wants to shoot in 35 mm one day.
5. Having said that, S8 cartridges are convenient, easy to reload and the cameras are light.
6. One day, I will be able to process DS8 myself without having to wait 4, 7 or 14 days for it to come back and view it.

I am really looking forward to getting my film back and comparing the Fomapan 100 with the K40, It was a cloudy day [img]redface.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/umbrella.gif[/img] .

I have to say that for serious film-making, I will need a better camera or lenses for my camera.

You see the Quarz does not have through the lens focusing, you have to calculate it - you have the normal lens, wide angle x.5 and zoom up to 2x.

It would be a lot better if I could see and narrow the depth of field and produce filmic effects by focusing on the subject and having the background out of focus. Mind you, this camera did cost me $ 20 USD with lenses. At that price, I can put up with the lack of TTL focusing.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ December 29, 2004 09:12 AM: Message edited by: Gregor von 8mm ]</font>

[cameraguy]

Originally posted by Gregor von 8mm:
I have to say that even though my Quarz had black and white, I am looking forward to my DS8 film more for the following reasons:

1. I had 2x as much footage with this film
2. The cost of 2x the length of film as my Super 8 AND processing of it will be less than half of the cost of a Super 8 cartridge with processing - and you get 2x the footage back - that means that it's 4 times more economical than super 8.
3. I enjoyed the film craft employed in using this manual spool film, as opposed to using a cartridge.
4. There were some scary moments in changing the film over to use the second side, but with experience this should not be a problem. It's good practice for anyone who wants to shoot in 35 mm one day.
5. Having said that, S8 cartridges are convenient, easy to reload and the cameras are light.
6. One day, I will be able to process DS8 myself without having to wait 4, 7 or 14 days for it to come back and view it.

I am really looking forward to getting my film back and comparing the Fomapan 100 with the K40, It was a cloudy day [img]redface.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/umbrella.gif[/img] .

<font color="#a62a2a"><font size="1">[ December 29, 2004 09:12 AM: Message edited by: Gregor von 8mm ]</font></font>

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Its not really fair to compare Fomapan and K40 prices. K25 in DS8 was never really any cheaper than buying 4 K40 cartridges and processing.. Fomapan is cheap cause of the company that makes it. Its great for what it is (cheap) but its not as good as Kodaks B&W stocks, to me anyway.

There is another Quarz DS8 that does have a TTL focus zoom lens. Mine is called the DS8-3. I also have your version as well. They are nice but unfortunately neither of mine can drive film very well due to poor springs.