Last Updated 00/01/25 1200 PST
alt.movies.cinematography.super8 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), Version 0.03
Welcome to the wonderful, wacky world of Super8mm filmmaking. This FAQ is designed to provide a very basic overview of Super8mm filmmaking, answer the most common questions posted by new fimmakers on the alt.movies.cinematography.super8 newsgroup, and generally serve as a starting place for young Truffauts and Fellinis who've just picked up a Super8 camera at a garage sale and are ready to fulfill their filmmaking dreams.
Contents of this FAQ include sections on:
It's a wired world, video is going digital, and Super8 filmmaking has faded from the status it once held as the keeper of family memories. Film students, rock video producers, and a few die-hard home moviemakers keep Super8 alive, counting their blessings every year that Kodak decides to keep the few remaining Super8 filmstocks on the market.
The upside of using this semi-obselete technology is that there's lots of old equipment floating around, at flea markets, garage sales, and thrift stores, and what was once considered top-of-the-line stuff is available for relatively cheap. Plus, with the advent of the internet, Super8 fimmakers the world over are getting in touch, and finding places like Ebay to exchange equipment, and alt.movies.cinematography.super8 to exchange ideas.
Super8 cinematography has faded, but it's not going to disappear anytime soon. It's too cheap, too accessible, and too much fun!
Currently only a very limited number of high-end Super-8 cameras are being manufactured, notably the Beaulieus. In 60's and 70's, however, there were as common as camcorders are today, which makes them relatively easy to find used. So look for them is in your parents' attic, at fleamarkets, thrift stores, etc. Also, many shops selling second hand photo equipement will eventually have a few Super8 cameras and of course you can get them on several second hand markets on the web [such as Ebay movie equipment: http://listings.ebay.com/aw/listings/list/category628/index.html]
There is an excellent cross-reference of 259 Super8 cameras at the Small Movies site, http://www.city-net.com/~fodder/s8mm/cameras.html
You might try John S. Craig at Craig Camera. He has many manuals for all sorts of cameras and equipment. If he does not have one, he will probably search for one or let you know if he finds one. http://www.craigcamera.com/
NO! Super 8 film is available in the following types:
Either directly from Kodak (recommended for a better price per unit) or at a photo shop (some will stock Super 8, but at a markup, see previous). Call 1-800-621-FILM to order directly from Kodak in the US. See Kodak's WWW site for more info: http://www.kodak.com/ Kodak's direct price (summer, 1999) is $8.95 per cartridge for the B&W silent films. The color silent films are $9.82 for the Kodachrome and $17.84 for the Ektachrome. There may be a 5-cartridge minimum for color film orders. There is no minimum order for the black-and-white stocks. Shipping is extra on all orders. Students at qualified film schools may get a 20% discount.
Here is some more information about available films:
| Common Name | Type | Tech.Name | E.I. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kodachrome 40 | A* | KMA 464 | 40/17 |
| Ektachrome 125 | B# | VNF 464 | 125/22 |
| Tri-X Reversal | B&W | TXR 464 | 200/24 |
| Plus-X Reversal | B&W | PXR 464 | 50/18 |
* Type A means that the film has been made for use with Photolamps that have a color temperature of 3400K. Use the built in filter [85B] if you use it in daylight and set the E.I. to ISO 25/15.
# Type B means that the film has been balanced for lightsources with 3200K as provided by most movie lights. Use the built-in filter when filming in daylight. If you need very accurate color reproduction, use a external 85 filter instead. In both cases, set the E.I. to ISO 80/20.
"Could some kind soul give me a primer on manual metering for S8? Like what is the shutter speed at 18fps? 24? And why is the black and white film rated for different ASAs under sunlight and tungsten? Does this really affect the metering?"
Manual metering for super8 is not that complicated, there are some things to keep in mind though:
Use the correct exposure index [asa setting] on your meter. The information on the package is kind of confusing about this point, so here's a reference table:
| exposure index | plus-x | tri-x | k-40 |
|---|---|---|---|
| daylight w/out filter | 50 asa | 200 asa | * |
| daylight with filter | 32 asa | 125 asa | 25 asa |
| tungsten w/out filter | 40 asa | 160 asa | 40 asa |
| tungsten with filter | 25 asa | 100 asa | # |
* not advised, as there will be a blue colour shift
# not advised, as there will be an orange colour shift
Most super8 cameras have a shutter with an opening of roughly 180 degrees. This means the shutter time will be about 1/36 sec for 18fps and 1/48 sec for 24fps.
For those who want to do some mathematics:
T = (1/R) * (A/360)
where T: exposure Time in seconds, R: Running speed in fps, and A: shutter Angle in degrees
Some light will get split to the viewfinder and some to the built-in exposure meter, which means that not all light that enters the lens will reach the film in the end. usually that's about 20% - 30% that gets lost in this way [check your manual for exact numbers, however it's not certain that it's recorded there]. So, you'll have to add 1/3 - 1/2 f-stop to what your external meter says.
Also note that if you're using other filters you'll have to adjust the metering, the filter package should tell you how.
If you're shooting at 18fps, the running time is 3 minutes 20 seconds. At 24fps, it's 2 minutes 30 seconds.
You have two choices for processing Kodacrome:
That is it for now....all other labs have closed down. Average turnaround time in America is 10 to 15 days by standard means. The only way to speed up is to send film directly to the lab, and then only Fuji is faster, within a week if you pay the shipping.
Kodak Premium Processing
16-31 Route 208 Fairlawn NJ 07410
Contact: Kathie Bacctala
Tel: 1-800-345-6973
Price per 50ft Super 8 or 25ft Double 8 Kodachrome is $9.13 each (no extra for shipping).
Fuji Tru Color
3259 E. Harbour Dr. Suite 200 Phoenix AZ 85034
Contact: Michelle
Tel: (602) 470-1048
Price per 50ft Super 8mm Kodachrome cartridge or per 25ft Double Regular 8mm Kodachrome Spool is $7.59 each plus $3.00 Priority Mail
shipping (regardless of one or more rolls.....so best to send in more than one if you can).
Prices will generally be cheaper if you send your film in to Kodalux through Wal Mart, Target, etc. It has been recommended that you mark the envelope "Movie Film: Send To KODAK" so the Kodalux drones know what to do with it.
There are several labs. Have a look at the Super8 Metadirectory to find one close to you: http://lavender.fortunecity.com/lavender/569/#Processing
Again, there are many labs which process B&W film, with prices ranging from about $6.50 to $15 or more per reel plus postage. Visit the Super8 Metadirectory for a listing: http://lavender.fortunecity.com/lavender/569/#Processing
There's a really good article from Martin Baumgarten on the metadirectory: http://lavender.fortunecity.com/lavender/569/homeprocessing.html as well as some useful info on this site: http://www.city-net.com/~fodder/hand/index.html
Tape splices are good if you're working on a cut the old fashioned way and are going to be changing your edits all the time. If you want to cut your camera original and get the perfect splice, then cement is the way to go - solid, durable, and nearly invisible if you do it right. Tape is a mess, if not double spliced (both sides), it will jam in the projector, and can even jam with double spliced films (some projectors don't take double splices at all). Never tape splice anything that is going to be in an optical printer.
See:
"An Overview of Film Sound" by Clive Tobin©, http://www.blarg.net/~tobin/page2.html
The bottom line is that you are going to need to record sound separately from your camera, using a tape deck of some sort. Synch between the film images and the sound will not match perfectly unless you use a pilot tone or similar system to synch the tape recorder and camera.
Thrift store and flea market projectors are abundant in the US, but be careful not to thread your most precious film into that $3 projector until you've tested it out first, a lot of the el-cheapo models tend to be film shredders, especially the auto-thread models. Since you're probably shooting reversal film and ending up with a single copy of your work, it's worth it to invest fifty or a hundred dollars in a decent projector, and to keep your film cleaned and lubricated.
Test a new projecter: blow out the film path with some canned air. Take a piece of lense-cleaning paper, wrap it around the tip of a Q-Tip, moisten it with film cleaner, and gently clean/lubricate the film path. Then run a piece of Super8 leader, or a piece of scrap film, through the projector, and carefully inspect it for scratches or wear.
There is a very good chance that the film was never lubricated in processing. Everyone used to do this but now even Kodak doesn't bother. Unlubricated film has a high and inconsistent friction level. Lubricate it with candle wax or beeswax dissolved in film cleaner, methyl chloroform or Freon TF if you can find it. The general rule of thumb is a lump of wax about the size of a pea, dissolved in 8 oz. of solvent. Moisten a clean rag with it, and pull the film through slowly enough that it is dry before it takes up.
Several newsgroup members have suggested methods of shooting Super8 off the screen with video cameras using slower-than-normal video shutter speeds (eg. 1/30), and "dialing out the flicker" using a variable-speed projector. Post to the group for suggestions.
________________________________________________ FAQ Maintained/edited by Tom Furtwangler, moondog@drizzle.com, and written by members of the Super8mm Newsgroup, alt.movies.cinematography.super8 This is Version 0.03, 1/00 ________________________________________________