8mm help(not super 8)

**thelaughingduck2001** · November 9th, 2003, 09:53 AM

Can anybody tell me what kind of quality 8mm is? As I'm only 15 and starting out I'm told this is the best to get, but I've also heard that the next step up, Hi-8, is twice as good.

Is 8mm (the tapes) that bad? Can you distinguish one characte from the next (bluriness etc) and does it have the amateur effect that recording on video has?

Thanks for your time, and any help you might offer

Joe

**lowtek** · November 9th, 2003, 07:10 PM

Hi you are really in the same boat as me i decided to make movies durin the summer but it took so long to convince a couple of friends to join me that the weather turned so i can't really do to much until next summer

as for your question i think it depends entirly on your price range i've only got the families video 8 camcorder but thats perfectly good to muck around with only thing is that you can't edit digitally without having sh*t loads of wires and other ****

it would be best if you just find any old camcorder that works and just play around with it for a bit

you don't want to fork out ?200 to find that you are not really interested in filming for a career

good luck

**belovedmonster** · November 9th, 2003, 07:48 PM

im completely confused by what on earth this question is asking... but follow lowteks advice... just get what ever you can to mess around with to decide if film making is your thing. If you decide it is then the next step is to get a DV camera which will set you back about ?400 and then you can use your home computer to do editing.

A few people will suggest to try using film not video but just ignore them. Film is far too expensive to make mistakes on and the benefits are nominal at this stage in your development as a film maker.

**Alex** · November 9th, 2003, 08:05 PM

Originally posted by belovedmonster:

A few people will suggest to try using film not video but just ignore them. Film is far too expensive to make mistakes on and the benefits are nominal at this stage in your development as a film maker.

Flamer. [img]rolleyes.gif[/img]

Nobody suggests exlusively shooting film and no video. But Digiheads suggest shooting video and no film.

**Kev Owens** · November 10th, 2003, 07:05 PM

completely confused by what on earth this question is asking

Same here I'm afraid Joe.

Alex, I took Belovedmonster's advice to be specific to Joe and meaning that a total beginner should avoid film, not everyone.

Originally posted by Alex But Digiheads suggest shooting video and no film.

Isn't that a 'flamer'? [img]graemlins/hmmm.gif[/img]

**GREATwarEAGLE** · November 10th, 2003, 07:40 PM

Like Alex, I used to be a hardcore super 8 advocate. I still am, but for the most part agree - the average teenage beginner is better off starting on video. I say teenage because of the patience and precision factors required for film. Whereas an older adult, late 20's and beyond, will most likely have the patience and more respect for the precision involved.

I myself do not own much equipment. And I never once owned a video camera. Still don't. But I do however own a super 8 film camera that cost me about $1100. But there are many times when I wish I had a ready-to-go video camera at my disposal. The super 8 camera requires a certain amount of light (because I only like to shoot K40), it requires that my film is fresh and thawed as I keep my film stored cold. And it requires that I'm absolutely sure about what it is I'm shooting as each 2&1/2 minute roll of film is roughly $30-$50(raw cost, developing, transfer, etc) and there's no readily available image of what I'm exposing on film. I gotta trust my calculations and equipment - there's no LCD screen.

Such responsibilities and time-consuming concerns are probably too much for most teenagers.

[ November 10, 2003 03:42 PM: Message edited by: GREATwarEAGLE ]

**Nigel** · November 10th, 2003, 08:09 PM

I have to agree with G-W-E. I also don't own a video camera, Actually I am pretty stupid in the digital realm.

Some suggestions I have are this....

1. Shoot video-But don't limit your learning to video.

2. Get a manual camera and shoot 35mm stills whenever you can.

3. Have fun

Good Luck

**Alex** · November 10th, 2003, 08:42 PM

Originally posted by Kev Owens:
<blockquote>quote:<hr />completely confused by what on earth this question is asking

Same here I'm afraid Joe.

Alex, I took Belovedmonster's advice to be specific to Joe and meaning that a total beginner should avoid film, not everyone.

Originally posted by Alex But Digiheads suggest shooting video and no film.

Isn't that a 'flamer'? [img]graemlins/hmmm.gif[/img] <hr /></blockquote>So calling a comment that IS flaming is flaming? As an editor, I can tell you that shooting too much footage can be worse than not shooting enough.

A bigger concern than whether one is shooting film or digital is the thought process one goes through BEFORE any footage is shot.

Digital filmmaking is an incredible tool when one doesn't have a clue what their end result will be.
However, the more a person understands their final goal/vision, the less it matters whether one is shooting film or video. At that point, it pretty much becomes merely an issue of sync dialogue and available money.

Perhaps another topic question could be "should a newbie ever pick up a camera and shoot without a goal or vision"?