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Hello, I am a student in my last year of college. As my thesis, I am focusing on the reemergence of Super 8. I was wondering if anyone could recommend any professional Super 8 shooters out there to me (ie. like music video director Anton Corbijn) Or if someone would like to contribute their experience or thoughts about Super 8's "new" life. I would greatly appreciate the help, thanks. As for myself, Im shooting on a Nikon Super Zoom 8. I believe its a 69' model. Everything works well however, the aperture dial seems to be sticking a bit. It no longer goes to 2 (the lowest aperture) When I start moving it, it will only go as low as between 2.8 and 4. Does this mean that it will only open up to between 2.8-4 OR it is actually opened up to 2 but the needle is only reading 2.8-4? I've noticed it can start on 2 but after touching it it wont go back to 2 until its been left alone for a period of time. Am I just fussing over nothing? Anyways, I welcome any thoughts at all, thanks,
Greg
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Hi GV.
I'm not bragging, but I've shot a full feature film on Super 8, as have some others on this board.
If you want to email me direct & ask any questions or whatever, I'd be happy to offer my very biased opinions!
Nikon Super Zoom, nice camera.
Really small, good for a spy cam!
I shot some second camera stuff with one on my feature film.
Unfortunately, I sold mine, then decided I really liked it, so I've bought another one, but I found out that apparently, these have a problem with the meter.
So far, I've bought 4 of them, hoping to get one with a good meter.
All four have been bad!
So I keep searching!
I tore one apart, to see if it was fixable, and let me tell you, that's a pretty complicated camera inside!
So my advice is to look for another one, but you may end up getting a bunch of them before you find a good one.
Matt Pacini
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Hi There
My personal opinion is that super8 will always have a following, so long as it is made, there will be very keen users trying their hand. Its the cheapest and most convenient way of making a movie using film. It exciting to wait for film to be returned and very satisfying (tangible) to edit together. I also think it tends to promote 'one man/woman movie making' - which might explain why people get so excited by it.
I think this is also one of its problems. Consider how long super 8 has been around and how many feature length films have been made using it, and how many you have ever heard of. I dont think it will ever be taken seriously by anything other than quirky arthouse house fesitivals and hobbyists. (Which is a shame). Think about it. If you want to make a film, and want a good picture then the only possible reason you would use super8 is because its the cheapest option (mostly). You can get a hugely better picture using 16mm.
When budgeting the cost of film for a 'normal' movie the actual film stock is probably the least problem you have. The money doesnt go on film stock, it goes on actors, costumes, catering, locations, props, script, all the rest. Its only in low budget films that the film stock itself is an important part of the budget.
I could rant on a bit more, but a lot of this stuff is covered in the archives of this forum, if you take a look you should find lots of discussion on the pros and cons.
For myself I love the simplicity and immediacy of super8. I like how small and light the cameras are. Its a great way to learn, but I dont think anyone will ever make a blockbuster on it.
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if you would like to have a tech type person who is in some circles a legend, talk to martin baumgarten: [email protected] he is one of the most interesting and articulate folks around. he is also instrumental in developing the original super8 board on the newsgroups. he has operated a hand processing business for years. i personaly have had him process much of my early shots from my last film. he knows cameras, a big part of filmmaking. he runs plattsburgh photo services out of plattsburgh n.y.
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Hello Greg
As you may know, Super 8 film
is being used on a number of
TV Spots and Music videos.
As a cinematographer I have
shot Super 8 for
Errol Morris http://www.errolmorris.com/
on a series of CitiBank commercials.
There is a TV Spot running
in November 2001 for
Jack In The Box
that was shot in 16mm and
Super 8.
I rigged a video tap up to my
Canon 1014XL-S for that
Jack in the Box Spot.
http://www.Super8Guy.com/Super8/S8VideoTap.html |
JOHN LONGENECKER
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Super8Guy
JOHN LONGENECKER
http://JL-Site.com/Super8/DirectoryII.html
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Hello Greg:
There is a PBS TV Program
on PBS on November 11, 2001.
DP Neil Reichline and
director Robert Kenner
shot some scenes with a
Canon 1014XL-S camera.
I think they shot black & white.
WAR LETTERS: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/warletters/ |
Here is a link to a Music Video
shot in 16mm and Super 8:
on a John Mellencamp song
I'M NOT RUNNING ANYMORE http://www.IndieFilmsOnline.com/Musi...mp/videos.html
Here is a page for a recent
Music Video shot by a USC
Film Student with a Canon 1014XL-S
and a Beaulieu 6008S.
| http://www.Super8Guy.com/Super8/MusicVideo.html |
JOHN LONGENECKER
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Super8Guy
JOHN LONGENECKER
http://JL-Site.com/Super8/DirectoryII.html
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Greg, I second the motion that you drop a line to Martin. I don't know of anyone who knows more about Super 8 than Martin.
John, impressive work on that videotap! Nice work on your Web site, too. I've gotta leave the house now, but at some point this weekend I hope to update some links on mine, I'll be certain to put up a link to yours.
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--Mike Brantley
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Hi gv ,I too am preparing a end-school thesis about Super-8 .We could exchange some informations & contacts !
Matt ,french guy
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For exemple ,here is some of some features shot in super8 ( informations from an old post )
Bleak Future available from www.anarchy101.com
A 100% super8 feature filmed in Death Valley National Park on some of the last of Kodak's super8 sound film. The sound sucks but according to Anarchy101's site it has been upgraded. Telecine done by Super8Sound in Burbank. Music is great.
Flatliners
JFK
Natural Born Killers
JET BENNY by Roger Evans, available from www.artistic-license-inc.com
I plead guilty.
We did Jet Benny for fun oh so many years ago. Our goal was to make it look cheap without looking like we didn't know what the hell we were doing (which we clearly didn't or we would NOT have chosen comedy in the first place).
At any rate, it won the Lawrence Kasden Award at the Ann Arbor Film Festival in '85, I believe it was. Then on to distribution, etc. It's actually been written up about twice in American Cinematographer and will probably be the epitaph on my headstone: "Here lies the man that made Jet Benny".
We had originally started to shoot on 16mm Kodachrome for that classic "Kodaychrome 50s" look, but then figured we could save money by shooting in Super 8 Kodachrome, instead. With all the effects and things, that was a fateful decision, to be sure. Oh well, not the best example of my work, but it was a lot of fun to do.
For what it's worth, Jet Benny was blown up to 16mm internegative by Interformat and then Ranked to 1 inch. At the time, there was no Super 8 Rank that we could find. No one wanted to even screw with it. So, for anyone that wants to know what Super 8 looks like blown up to 16mm, Jet Benny is a (relatively) good example.
The Dead Next Door availabler from Tempevideo.com
KILLER by Tony Elwood, T&T Entertainment. I have not been able to find a copy.
Nudist Colony of the Dead. (A comedy, horror, musical)
Don't ask how I know about this one.
5 DEAD ON A CRIMSON CANVAS by Joseph Parda.
NO SKIN OFF MY ASS by Bruce LaBruce.
DARKNESS by Leif Jonker.
LAST CHANTS FOR A SLOW DANCE by Jon Jost.
THE CELEBRATION by Thomas Vinterberg (outdoor scenes were shot with Super-8 film, while indoor scenes were shot with DV).???
HARDCORE vol #1 & 2 by Richard Kern (okay, not a feature, but both tapes consist of mostly b&w Super-8 shorts).
A POLISH VAMPIRE IN BURBANK by Marc Pirro
DEBBIE DOES DAMNATION by Eric Brummer http://www.artisticunderground.com/m...icro_film.html http://www.draculina.com/debun.htm http://www.supersphere.com/TV/CuffAr...ME=ericbrummer
Eric Brummer
U.S.A., Short, Video, 45 min., 1999, U.S. Premiere
Political turmoil in hell. No, hell really, not Washington D.C. The slaves have overthrown the Devil and cut off his horns, which are where his power resides. Soon hell is a battlefield with warring armies fighting to claim the horns. Enter Debbie, a porn star who committed suicide and is now doomed to cart around the severed head of the Devil as it frantically tries to regain its horns and lost power. Intense and transgressive in style, featuring lots of naked lost souls, torture, bondage, violence and gore. Hey, it's hell... what did you expect?
Circus of the Damned
YEAR OF THE HORSE by Jim Jarmush
Featuring Neil Young and Crazy Horse.
Not a music video, a feature documentary.
Island of Lost Realities...by Bruce Heinsius
?In My Image? http://www2.one.net.au/~scot/articles.htm
how about diego risquez's trilogy, bolivar, orinoko and america, shot in 1980/84/88 respectively: three full-length features recounting the history of latin america, all 100% super 8: the monument of venezuelan cinema, and shown at cannes to boot! http://www.analitica.com/va/entreten...sa/7533399.asp
unfortunately, his last two were made in 35, but what the hell... no one's perfect!
it would seem that if you go to this page, you can buy two of the three on video: but i wouldn't like to swear to it, my spanish is not that good... http://www.comala.com/buscar.asp?sec=31&dir=4802
SUPER STAR: The Karen Carpenter Story by Todd Haynes.??
"WHERE'S MARLOWE?"
It's a mockumentary --starring Miguel Ferrer --pretty decent. About two filmmakers trying to make a documentary about private investigators...
Anyway, there's a section that I could swear was shot in Pro8mm negative. In the credits, it shows that there was a Super8 blowup as well as Super8Sound as the credit for developing the negative.
The Super8 is pretty damn impressive... almost as clear as the rest of the pic... I can't tell if the rest of the flick was shot in 16mm or 35mm although the credits say PANIVISION.
I just saw "Sound and Fury" last night, a documentary that was nominated for an academy award this year. It is about deaf culture and cochlear implants. It was shot in video, but there were some scenes where it showed some of the people in their childhood that were *definitely* shot on super 8, but I also noticed that there were a few current scenes that looked like they were shot in super 8, mostly non interview footage (shots of houses and stuff).
I didn't check the credits for anything because there was video playing while the credits were playing.
Lost Tribes by matt Pacini -- and also Dawn of the DMF's - an Australian sci-fi film at: http://home.alphalink.com.au/~dmfs/
Canadian rock band M+M (Martha and the Muffins) shot a rock video on black and white S8 around 1986 ("Only You"). There must be others; some of the earliest Police videos look very grainy
Most Depeche Mode music videos from the mid/late 80's into the early 90's were shot on both color and B&W super 8 by Anton Corbijn
Veruca Salt's SEETHER was shot with (mostly) color Super-8
David Fincher's "The Game"
"The Mexican" ???
David Fincher's music video for "Aperfectcircle"'s song "Judith" ???
BECK(loser)..Superchunk...Ben folds five Davod Fincher
"Appleseed Lake" by Peter Hearn, just completed, and Shot entirely on Super 8 Sound's color neg film. For info on festival screenings you can e-mail Hearn directly at [email protected]
"Perfumed Nightmare" may be the best feature film I've ever seen, it was shot entirely on super 8. The maker,Kiolat Tihimik is Filipino, the film, however was produced by French television.
I think "Omelette " & "Yeux brouill?s " have not been mentionned .These are full lenght cin? journal ( like jonas mekas ) Remi LANGE did when he decided to announce his family that he's gay & live with a guy for three year .I've been told these are very good !
"Passion" by J?rgen Reble too ( experimental S8 movie ) .All two are available at www.re-voir.com
"Eternity by Calvin Klein " commercial shot on plus X with a 4008 ZM2 .Download available at : http://www.fproductions.com/f-eternity.html
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PS : All the " I " or " We " are not mine
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Hi Greg - just updating Basstruc's link to my feature film the site is now http://www.mango-a-gogo.com/inmyimage/image.htm -- that was the old address he had (you've probably got more than enough to look at anyway!)
Scot
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I'd like to thank everyone who offered their information and help. That was a very good list Basstruc and I'll get back to you with my progress.
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