Title for Super8 book

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August 4th, 2003, 01:39 PM
Actor

I think the world needs a new book about super 8. The ones I find in the library are hopelessly out of date. The most recent seems to be Super 8 in the Video Age by Brodsky & Treadway. S8VA was written when super8 sound film was still available. Much of its advice and information is thus worthless. I could be wrong but Brodsky and Treadway do not seem to have plans to update it in the near future.

So what would be a good title for a book about super8?
<ul type="square">[*]Super 8 in the Video Age. Taken by Brodsky and Treadway.[*]Super 8 in the Digital Age. Sounds too much like the above and is likely to be confused with it. Plus it may imply an association with this forum that is non-existent.[*]Super 8 in the 21st Century. I like this one but doesn't it still sound too much like S8VA?[*]Filmmaker's Guide to Super 8. Taken.[/list]Any other suggestions?

[ August 04, 2003 02:19 PM: Message edited by: Actor ]
August 4th, 2003, 02:46 PM
Alex

I don't mind being associated with a book with a similar title. A book would be cool. "Super-8 filmmaking in the Digital Age" sounds good to me.

The problem as I see it is it has to be done by someone cool and successful, like Roberto Rodriguez! [img]tongue.gif[/img]
August 4th, 2003, 02:49 PM
cameraguy

[ August 29, 2003 05:26 AM: Message edited by: cameraguy ]

Original message reinserted by the operator to keep the topic thread intact.

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How bout something like:

"Super 8 Filmmaking: 1965-2005"

[ September 08, 2003 03:29 AM: Message edited by: Alex ]
August 4th, 2003, 04:24 PM
cameraguy

[ August 29, 2003 05:26 AM: Message edited by: cameraguy ]
August 4th, 2003, 05:10 PM
BolexPlusx

-Whew!

Good thing, I plan to be shooting Super-8 in 2005 and afterwards if possible.

It's kind of like that old commercial: "No cat ever walked away from Friskee's Buffet" Is it irresistable or just fatal? [img]graemlins/film.gif[/img]
August 4th, 2003, 08:17 PM
Greg Crawford

Quote:

Originally posted by cameraguy:
How bout something like:

"Super 8 Filmmaking: 1965-2005"

I don't think your suggesting 1965-2005 R.I.P.
August 4th, 2003, 08:38 PM
Actor

Quote:

The problem as I see it is it has to be done by someone cool and successful, like Roberto Rodriguez!

That's Mr. Roberto "There's nothing to love about film. It's a terrible medium" Rodriguez?
August 4th, 2003, 08:45 PM
Alex

Yes, that's why I put the silly icon at the end.

I actually know someone who knows him. Hey, let's make him apologize for his anti-super-8 comments! [img]tongue.gif[/img]
August 5th, 2003, 12:05 AM
Actor

Quote:

Hey, let's make him apologize for his anti-super-8 comments!

What exactly did he say?

Are we talking about this passage from Rebel Without a Crew?

Quote:

I tried to shoot a regular movie with my friends using the super 8 camera but it was completely discouraging. We'd shoot a $5 roll of super 8 film that lasted 2 1/2 minutes, wait several days for it to get developed, spend another $7 on developing, and then I'd view it, I was always disappointed. The footage was too rough looking, the automatic exposure was usually off, the footage looked primitive, and it up set me. Waste of money. I did it only a half dozen times more before hanging it up. It seemed that making movies required too much money. Money I didn't have.
August 5th, 2003, 01:46 AM
BolexPlusx

I don't think Cameraguy was predicting the demise of Super-8 either.

-just letting my twisted sense of humor out for some exercise.
August 5th, 2003, 03:11 AM
BolexPlusx

How about something lighthearted:

"What?, you still use that?!"

or

"Why don't you just use a camcorder?"

(Eh!, maybe those would be better titles for the first chapter)

"Super 8 Filmmaking: 1965-2005" sounds like a tombstone (Cameraguy: do you know something the rest of us don't?)

But Seriously Folks:

how about:

"Super-8 Filmmaking for (or at, or beyond) the Millennium"

[ August 04, 2003 12:51 PM: Message edited by: BolexPlusx ]
August 5th, 2003, 03:56 AM
Alex

I didn't think of cameraguy's idea as a tombstone until you mentioned it! Perhaps it's a glass half-empty, half-full situation. I saw Cameraguy's title as the 40th anniversary of Super-8.
August 5th, 2003, 12:25 PM
Mike Buckles

Title suggestion: "The Super 8 Guide To Excellent Filmmaking."
August 5th, 2003, 01:05 PM
BolexPlusx

The Super-8 Experience: Real Filmmaking for Everyone.

(When we finish making the title, is someone going to write a book to slip behind it?)

[ August 05, 2003 10:07 AM: Message edited by: BolexPlusx ]
August 5th, 2003, 11:33 PM
Actor

Quote:

The problem as I see it is it has to be done by someone cool and successful

I don't think anyone "cool and successful" would be interested. Oliver Stone or Steven Spielberg would be naturals. Stone has actually used super8 in some of his mainstream films and Steven made his early indie films on double 8. But why should they spend time writing a book that might make them a few thou' when they could be writing a screenplay that will make them a few million.

Quote:

When we finish making the title, is someone going to write a book to slip behind it?

I thought it was obvious from my first post that I was thinking of writing it. Maybe not.

Anyway, at this point it's just a thought. It would be another iron-in-the-fire and I have enough projects. When I would get it done would depend on how much time I devoted to it. If I dropped everything else and went at it full time I might get it finished in 2 or 3 months (that may be optimistic). If I just worked on it in my spare time (what spare time?) it might take 2 or 3 years or longer.

I don't think any mainstream publisher would be interested so if I got it finished I would self-publish. I would have to find out what vanity publishers charge or just make it a cheap thing with cardstock covers and a coil binding. I would print only enough books to cover orders. I'd try to sell them on eBay or my own website.

Another thing is that I don't think my super8 knowledge is extensive enough. I'd want to get some co-authors to write some appendices to cover some aspects of the super8 experience. For instance I don't have any experience with post striping film nor do I have any intention of experimenting with it in the near future. However, I think this is an aspect of super8 that a book should cover. I would have to either [1]wing it, writing what I do know about it and hope I don't make any mistakes or leave anything out, [2]research it, including tacking a project in post striping (expensive and time consuming) or [3]find a co-author to help me out.
August 6th, 2003, 03:20 AM
cameraguy

[ August 29, 2003 05:26 AM: Message edited by: cameraguy ]
August 6th, 2003, 05:28 AM
Alex

Perhaps there is plenty to go around.

Sounds like you could have Super-8 Specialists write individual Chapters in which they talk about their Super-8 speciality.

You could do the forward for each chapter. You probably could get a famous someone or a few famous someones to pose with a Super-8 camera for the cover of your book, afterall, they grew up with the cameras.
August 6th, 2003, 05:53 AM
seekaee

Here's a few titles I thought up:

"Super 8mm Cinematography"

"S-8: Small Gage filmaking in the Digital age"

"Shooting Super 8 film"

"Super 8 guidebook"

"F-digital!Super 8 for the Guerilla
Filmmaker! [img]wink.gif[/img]

[ August 06, 2003 02:58 AM: Message edited by: seekaee ]
August 6th, 2003, 07:59 AM
TA 152

[ August 28, 2003 05:03 AM: Message edited by: S8 Booster ]
August 8th, 2003, 12:00 AM
Mike Buckles

Yeah, "Super 8 Filmmaking in the Digital Age" is a great title!
August 13th, 2003, 04:36 AM
Actor

I've just discovered a thread on Brantley's forum about a new super8 book, The Super 8 Guide : Traditional and Emerging Media for the Small-Gauge Filmmaker by Giles Musitano. It was supposed to be published in May 2001. Amazon does not have it so either it did not make it to publication or sales fizzled.
August 13th, 2003, 04:42 AM
Alex

I remember that topic! I think somewhere else (perhaps on that forum) you'll find an announcement that the book was cancelled at that time.

I don't know the book publication date was actually cancelled or postponed. Either way, If you get various Super-8 mavens to contribute a chapter, (along with your knowledge) you'd probably have a good Super-8 book.
October 22nd, 2003, 07:03 AM
Alex

How about Super-8 can look good digitally projected!