Question about the length of film

[JackMartinEF]

I have been looking on ebay at super 8 films, and I am confused. For example a film like Mary Poppins is on there and it says the length is 200 foot. How can this be right since 3 minutes of film is 50 foot - how can a whole film be just 200 foot.

Also, what is the avarage length of a full film (2 hours)

[bigmasi]

I don't know how long is Mary Poppins, but the films might also been shoot on 18 f/s. In that case the lenght would be about 18 minutes..? Could it be an animation film or something..?

[BolexPlusx]

What you are seeing is actually a digest copy: only the really key scenes are left in.

These films will only really work for you if you've seen the original and really liked it. Sometimes they are so chopped up they are just a mess! (When you've seen one of these you really can't claim to have seen the movie!)

There are some films where it works better than others. For example, "The Seven Ups" is known best for the car chase. I have a 400' digest which is basically just the chase and very little else, and this works. However, if you made a 200 footer of "Citizen Kane", it would be a disaster!

Are there full length Super-8 feature films? Sure there are! They are 4 to 6 reels of 400 or 600 feet in length, and cost several hundred dollars. I own one, a somewhat faded copy of Cattle Queen of Montana, which I mostly bought because it was on E-Bay for what the VHS would have cost. It is five 400 foot reels in a box. Watching a Super-8 feature is different: there are multiple reel changes plus all the rewinding at the end. It is a real labor of love for not just the movie itself, but the ability to see it on this format. (the more faint of heart will be happier with the DVD!)

Being that you live in the UK, you are actually in the Hollywood of Super-8, since you have two active producers of Super-8 films, and several conventions per year of Super-8 collectors.

This is one of my favorite companies on the planet:

http://www.derann.com/main.htm

They sell new films and used ones as well. You just have to love a company that is successful selling Super-8 films in 2004!

By the way: On the vast majority of commercial Super-8 films (especially sound ones) the projection speed is 24 FPS, so instead of 3 Minutes and 20 Seconds per 50 feet, you get 2 Minutes and 30 seconds.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ March 28, 2004 06:46 PM: Message edited by: BolexPlusx ]</font>

[JackMartinEF]

Thanks for the info.

[JackMartinEF]

I could get a film and splice it together and put it on one big reel couldnt I?

[BolexPlusx]

Sure you can,

Sometimes you almost have to. Among the commercial films I've collected are cinema trailers. They're a lot of fun, because you get a little taste of the movie they are about, but most of them are about 3 minutes. Showing them individually would be very choppy, but if you string four or five together they make a nice short film. (Interesting way to start a show too...)

Now the limiting factor is the reel capacity of your projector. The largest reels you commonly see are 1200 feet. Unfortunately there are relatively few projectors designed to handle these (very high end ones.) I have two sound projectors I'd describe as good machines, but not super ones. They are capable of 600 and 800 foot reels. So depending on the machine I choose, the most I can get is either 40 minutes at 24 FPS or 53+ minutes at 18 FPS.