Super 8 mm film
Encyclopedia
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
film format released in 1965 by Eastman Kodak
Eastman Kodak
Eastman Kodak Company is a multinational imaging and photographic equipment, materials and services company headquarted in Rochester, New York, United States. It was founded by George Eastman in 1892....
as an improvement of the older "Double" or "Regular" 8 mm
8 mm film
8 mm film is a motion picture film format in which the filmstrip is eight millimeters wide. It exists in two main versions: the original standard 8mm film, also known as regular 8 mm or Double 8 mm, and Super 8...
home movie
Home movies
A home movie is part of the motion picture filmmaking process made by amateurs, often for viewing by family and friends. When the hobby began, home movies were produced on photographic film, but accessibility of video production with video cameras and low cost data storage devices has made the...
format.
The film is nominally
Real versus nominal value
In economics, nominal value refers to a value expressed in money terms in a given year or series of years. By contrast, real value adjusts nominal value to remove effects of price changes over time...
8 mm wide, exactly the same as the older standard 8 mm film, and also has perforations on only one side. However, the dimensions of the perforations are smaller than those on older 8 mm film, which allowed the exposed area to be made larger. The Super 8 standard also specifically allocates the rebate
Rebate
Rebate can refer to:* Rebate or rabbet, a woodworking term for a groove* Film rebate, the term for the border around photographic film- Money :* Rebate , a type of sales promotion used in marketing* Tax rebate, a reduction in taxation demanded...
opposite the perforations for an oxide
Oxide
An oxide is a chemical compound that contains at least one oxygen atom in its chemical formula. Metal oxides typically contain an anion of oxygen in the oxidation state of −2....
stripe upon which sound can be magnetically
Magnetism
Magnetism is a property of materials that respond at an atomic or subatomic level to an applied magnetic field. Ferromagnetism is the strongest and most familiar type of magnetism. It is responsible for the behavior of permanent magnets, which produce their own persistent magnetic fields, as well...
recorded.
Unlike other "super" gauges such as Super 16 and Super 35, the film stock used for Super 8 is not compatible with standard 8mm film cameras
There are several different varieties of the film system used for shooting, but the final film in each case has the same dimensions. By far the most popular system was the Kodak system.
The Kodak Super 8 system
Standard 8 mm film
Standard 8 mm film, also known as Regular 8 mm film, Double 8 mm film or simply as Standard-8 or Regular-8, is a film format originally developed by the Eastman Kodak company and released onto the market in 1932....
's 16 frame/s) for amateur use, for a total of approximately 3,600 frames per film cartridge. A 200 feet (61 m) cartridge later became available which could be used in specifically designed cameras, but that Kodak cartridge is no longer produced. Super 8 film was typically a reversal stock. Kodak makes two types of reversal film in this format today; one color (Ektachrome 100D/7285) and one black and white (Tri-X/7266). The Ektachrome 64T stock has recently been discontinued. In addition to reversals, Kodak also offers two negative stocks (Vision3 200T/7213 and Vision3 500T/7219). In the 1990s Pro-8 mm pioneered custom loading of several Super 8 stocks. Today Super 8 color negative film is available directly from Kodak for professional use and is typically transferred to video through the telecine
Telecine
Telecine is transferring motion picture film into video and is performed in a color suite. The term is also used to refer to the equipment used in the post-production process....
process for use in television advertisement
Television advertisement
A television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
, music videos and other film projects.
Film stock
Film stock is photographic film on which filmmaking of motion pictures are shot and reproduced. The equivalent in television production is video tape.-1889–1899:...
were generally available only in tungsten (3400K)
Color temperature
Color temperature is a characteristic of visible light that has important applications in lighting, photography, videography, publishing, manufacturing, astrophysics, and other fields. The color temperature of a light source is the temperature of an ideal black-body radiator that radiates light of...
, and almost all Super 8 cameras come with a switchable daylight filter built in, allowing for both indoor and outdoor shooting.
The original Super 8 film release was a silent system only, but in 1973 a sound on film version was released. The sound film had a magnetic soundtrack and came in larger cartridges than the original so as to accommodate a longer film path (required for smoothing the film movement before it reached the recording head), and a second aperture for the recording head. Sound cameras were compatible with silent cartridges, but not vice versa. Sound film was typically filmed at a speed of 18 or 24 frames per second. Kodak discontinued the production of Super 8 sound film in 1997, citing environmental regulations as the reason (the adhesive used to bond the magnetic track to the film was environmentally hazardous).
Kodachrome
Kodachrome is the trademarked brand name of a type of color reversal film that was manufactured by Eastman Kodak from 1935 to 2009.-Background:...
due to the decline of facilities equipped for the K-14 process
K-14 process
K-14 was the developing process for Kodak's Kodachrome transparency film; the last version having been designated Process K-14M. The process differed significantly from its contemporary, the E-6 process, in both complexity and length. Kodachrome film has no integral color couplers; dyes are...
. Kodachrome was "replaced" by a new ISO
International Organization for Standardization
The International Organization for Standardization , widely known as ISO, is an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations. Founded on February 23, 1947, the organization promulgates worldwide proprietary, industrial and commercial...
64 Ektachrome
Ektachrome
Ektachrome is a brand name owned by Kodak for a range of transparency, still, and motion picture films available in most formats, including 35 mm and sheet sizes to 11x14 inch size. Ektachrome has a distinctive look that became familiar to many readers of National Geographic, which used it...
, which used the simpler E-6 process
E-6 process
The E-6 process is a chromogenic photographic process for developing Ektachrome, Fujichrome and other color reversal photographic film....
. The last roll of Kodachrome was processed on January 18, 2011 (although announced last date of processing was 12/30/10) in Parsons, Kansas, by the sole remaining lab capable of processing the format.
Super 8 film stocks other than Kodachrome—from color and black and white reversal, to color negative—can be processed same day in several labs around the world.
In April 2010, Kodak announced the discontinuation of Plus-X and E64T. In the same press release, they also announced that they would be replacing E64T with a super-8 version of Ektachrome 100D, a popular reversal stock available to 16mm and 35mm users. Previous to Kodak's announcement, the stock had been supplied by third-party vendors such as Pro8mm and Spectra Film and Video in the United States, and Witter Kinotechnik in Germany.
Kodak does not offer processing for its black and white Super-8 films, preferring instead to refer its users to third-party processors.
Kodak has also introduced several Super 8 negative stocks cut from their Vision film series, ISO 200 and ISO 500 which can be used in very low light. Kodak reformulated the emulsions for the B&W reversal stocks Plus-X (ISO 100) and Tri-X (ISO 200), in order to give them more sharpness. Many updates of film stocks are in response to the improvement of digital video technology. The growing popularity and availability of non-linear editing systems has allowed film-makers to shoot Super 8 film but edit on video, thereby avoiding much of the scratches and dust that can accrue when editing the actual film. Super 8 Films may be transferred through telecine
Telecine
Telecine is transferring motion picture film into video and is performed in a color suite. The term is also used to refer to the equipment used in the post-production process....
to video and then imported into computer-based editing systems. Along with the computer editing option a number of enthusiasts still choose to edit super 8 film with a viewer and rewinds and then project their edit master on a film projector and movie screen.
Some feature films have been shot on Super8mm and most that have current distribution today were edited on video. Some titles include Colony
Colony (film)
Colony is an Irish documentary film directed by Carter Gunn and Ross McDonnell. The film was produced by Morgan Bushe and Macdara Kelleher. It opened theatrically in Los Angeles on July 30, 2010 and opens in New York City on August 13, 2010 at the 14th Annual DocuWeeks....
, Brand Upon the Brain!, Things
Things (film)
THINGS is a 1989 low budget independent feature length B-movie grade horror exploitation film written and produced by Andrew Jordan & Barry J. Gillis...
, Since I Don't Have You, Beasties
Beasties (1989 film)
Beasties is a 1989 film, originally titled Bionaut, by Steven Paul Contreras.-Synopsis:The term "Beasties" is never used in the film, and is clearly designed to invoke Gremlins , although the creatures are not the main focus of the film.-Plot:The film deals with a "Bionaut" vessel having...
, Nudist Colony of the Dead
Nudist Colony of the Dead
Nudist Colony of the Dead is a 1991 horror-comedy musical film written and directed by Mark Pirro . The film was shot on Super-8 film and produced on a budget of $35,000.- Storyline :...
, Nekromantik
Nekromantik
NEKRomantik is a 1987 West German horror film directed by Jörg Buttgereit. This frequently controversial movie, banned in a number of countries, has become a cult film over the years due to its transgressive subject matter and audacious imagery...
, Bleak Future, and Curse of the Queerwolf
Curse of the Queerwolf
Curse of the Queerwolf is a 1988 comedy horror film directed by Mark Pirro and starring Michael Palazzolo and Kent Butler.The plot involves a man who is bitten by someone he perceives as being a "transvestite", thus making him turn into a "queerwolf"...
.
Negative stocks, however, must be transferred to video in order to be viewed and edited properly. Unlike 16mm and larger formats, the capability to make a film-based work print does not exist for Super-8 in the US, as it would be cost-ineffective. The German company Andec Filmtechnik offers a printing service for Super-8 negative in Germany, but it is unknown how much longer it will continue to do so, given the relatively low usage of it. In addition, projecting the processed film would produce a negative image, and would also damage the film itself.
Kodak Super 8 mm cartridges cannot be reloaded; however, a reloadable cartridge was manufactured in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
.
Kodak discontinued reversal print stocks several years ago. Andec Film in Berlin now makes prints from Super 8 negative film, although optical blow-ups to 16mm or 35mm are available at other labs.
The Fujifilm Single-8 system
FujifilmFujifilm
is a multinational photography and imaging company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.Fujifilm's principal activities are the development, production, sale and servicing of color photographic film, digital cameras, photofinishing equipment, color paper, photofinishing chemicals, medical imaging...
of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
developed an alternative format called Single-8, which was released in 1965 as a different option to the Kodak Super 8 format.
Single-8 cartridges are of a different design from a Super 8 cartridge, resembling a cassette-style design (supply and take-up reels side by side) as opposed to Super 8's coaxial cartridge design (one reel on top of the other). Therefore, Single-8 film cartridges can only be used in Single-8 cameras. However, the film loaded in a Single-8 cartridge has exactly the same dimensions as Super 8 (though it is made of a thinner & stronger polyester
Polyester
Polyester is a category of polymers which contain the ester functional group in their main chain. Although there are many polyesters, the term "polyester" as a specific material most commonly refers to polyethylene terephthalate...
base, rather than the acetate
Acetate
An acetate is a derivative of acetic acid. This term includes salts and esters, as well as the anion found in solution. Most of the approximately 5 billion kilograms of acetic acid produced annually in industry are used in the production of acetates, which usually take the form of polymers. In...
base of Super 8 film), and can be viewed in any Super 8 projector after processing.
Although never as popular as Super 8, the format existed in parallel. On 2 June 2009 Fuji announced the end of Single-8 motion picture film. Fuji RT200N (tungsten balanced 200 ASA) will cease to be manufactured by May 2010. Fujichrome R25N (daylight balanced 25 ASA) will remain available until March 2012. Fuji's in-house processing service will continue to be available until September 2013.
Polaroid Polavision
An instant 8mm film released in 1977 by Polaroid, Polavision uses the same perforations as Super 8mm film. It can be projected through a Super 8mm projector if the film is transferred from the original cartridge to a 8mm reel. However, because of the additive process, the picture will be much darker.Double Super 8
Double Super 8 film (commonly abbreviated as DS8) is a 16 mm wide film but has Super 8 size sprockets. It is used in the same way as standard 8 mm film8 mm film
8 mm film is a motion picture film format in which the filmstrip is eight millimeters wide. It exists in two main versions: the original standard 8mm film, also known as regular 8 mm or Double 8 mm, and Super 8...
in that the film is run through the camera twice, exposing one side on each pass. During processing, the film is split down the middle and the two pieces spliced together to produce a single strip for projection in a Super 8 projector. Because it has sprockets on both sides of the film, the pin-registration is superior to Super 8 film and so picture stability is better.
Super Duper 8 (AKA Max 8)
Super-Duper-8, or S-D-8 was created out of the need for widescreen compatibility without having to use expensive optical adaptors or excessive cropping. Since magnetic sound-striped film is no longer available, the creators of Sleep Always experimented with widening the camera gate to expose into the sound track region to achieve this. The result is a 20% wider image than previously possible which also gives better clarity to the image. Pro8mm sells Max-8 widescreen cameras, which are remade Super 8 cameras. These cameras have an aspect ratio of about 1.58, so less cropping is needed to convert the image to widescreen than the traditional 1.33 ratio.Equipment
The last manufacturer to produce Super 8 cameras was the French company BeaulieuBeaulieu (company)
MAISON BRANDT FRÈRES, CHARENTON-LE-PONT is a French manufacturer of motion picture cameras especially well-known for its Super 8 and 16mm hand-held cameras, founded by Marcel Beaulieu. Marcel Beaulieu had earlier been associated with GIC cameras introduced in 1950. The company's first cameras...
. Beaulieu cameras have been the basis for several newer cameras offered by the US based Pro8mm company. Older Super 8 cameras are available from specialized retailers and auction sites such as eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
.
Kodak is the only company currently making Super 8 film stock, including some of their latest Vision 3 color negative stock. One or more other Super 8 specialists (such as Pro8mm, Spectra (both in Los Angeles), Wittner Cinetec (in Hamburg, Germany) and Kahlfilm (in Brühl, Germany) slit raw 35 mm film stock from Fuji, Kodak and ORWO
ORWO
ORWO was an East German manufacturer of photographic film and magnetic tape. The basis for ORWO was the Agfa Wolfen plant, where the first modern colour film with incorporated colour couplers, Agfacolor, was developed in 1936....
, perforate it, and repackage it in Kodak Super 8 cartridges. Due to Kodak's discontinuation of Kodachrome 40
Kodachrome
Kodachrome is the trademarked brand name of a type of color reversal film that was manufactured by Eastman Kodak from 1935 to 2009.-Background:...
in 2006, (the one stock that for four decades used to be almost synonymous to Super 8 as a medium itself,) the Super 8 market opened for new stocks and competing film manufacturers. There are now more varieties of Super 8 film available than ever before, but ironically very few retailers still stock Super 8 film, as there is virtually no demand from "ordinary" consumers.
One country where it remained widely available well past the 90s is the UK, where the chain Jessops carried one film: Kodak Ektachrome 64T. Until 2002 it was also available in Boots
Boots UK
Boots UK Limited , is a leading pharmacy chain in the United Kingdom, with outlets in most high streets throughout the country...
, a British high-street chain-pharmacy. In 2007 it was reported that Jessops are scaling back their film stocks and will no longer stock Super 8 film.
There were rumours of Super 8 cameras and films being manufactured and sold in North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
, partly to be found in specialty photography stores in a few Southeast Asian countries, by a company named Kim Chek, and indeed this has been confirmed by North Korean embassies, but the only way to buy such products is to visit those countries.
Packaged movies
Although the 8 mm format was originally intended for creating amateur films, condensed versions of popular cinema releases were available up until the mid 1980s, for projection at home. These were generally edited to fit onto a 200 ft (61 m) reel. Many Charlie ChaplinCharlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
films, and other silent movies were available. The Walt Disney Studio
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
released excerpts from many of their animated feature films, as well as some shorts, in both Standard and Super 8, some even with magnetic sound. New releases of material were not stopped by major studios until the mid-1980s in the US. Releases of trailers, shorts, and a few feature films still continues in the UK.
In-flight movies
Starting in 1971, In-flight moviesIn-flight Entertainment
In-flight entertainment refers to the entertainment available to aircraft passengers during a flight. In 1936, the airship Hindenburg offered passengers a piano, lounge, dining room, smoking room, and bar during the 2½ day flight between Europe and America...
(previously 16 mm) were shown in Super 8 format until video distribution became the norm. The films were printed with an optical sound track (amateur films use magnetic sound), and spooled into proprietary cassettes that often held a whole 2-hour movie.
Popularity
Amateur usage of Super 8 has been largely replaced by videoVideo
Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :...
, but the format is often used by professionals in music videos, TV commercials, and special sequences for television and feature film projects, as well as by many visual artists. For a professional cinematographer, Super 8 is another tool to use alongside larger formats. Some seek to imitate the look of old home movies, or create a stylishly grainy look. Many independent film
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
makers such as Derek Jarman
Derek Jarman
Michael Derek Elworthy Jarman was an English film director, stage designer, diarist, artist, gardener and author.-Life:...
, Dave Markey
Dave Markey
Dave Markey is an American film director.As a self-taught filmmaker and musician, Markey directed, produced, edited, and photographed most of his films, the majority of which has been self-funded and distributed. His work documents the punk scene in Southern California throughout the 1980s and 1990s...
, Sean Pecknold, Jem Cohen
Jem Cohen
Jem Alan Cohen is an award-winning New York City-based filmmaker known for his observational portraits of urban landscapes, blending of media formats and collaborations with music artists. He is the recipient of the Independent Spirit Award and many first place awards for feature filmmaking...
, Damon Packard
Damon Packard
Damon Packard is an underground American film director and actor. He currently lives and works in Los Angeles, California.- Early life :...
, Sam Raimi
Sam Raimi
Samuel Marshall "Sam" Raimi is an American film director, producer, actor and writer. He is best known for directing cult horror films like the Evil Dead series, Darkman and Drag Me to Hell, as well as the blockbuster Spider-Man films and the producer of the successful TV series Hercules: The...
, Jesse Richards
Jesse Richards
Jesse Richards is a painter, filmmaker and photographer from New Haven, Connecticut and was affiliated with the international movement Stuckism.-Early life:...
, Harmony Korine
Harmony Korine
The story is told from the perspective of a young man suffering from untreated schizophrenia, played by Ewen Bremner, as he tries to understand his deteriorating world. Julien's abusive father is played by Werner Herzog...
, Teod Richter, Nathan Schiff
Nathan Schiff
Nathan Schiff is a Long Island, New York filmmaker best known for receiving a major DVD release of low-budget features he shot in Super 8mm while in his teens...
and Guy Maddin
Guy Maddin
Guy Maddin, OM is a Canadian screenwriter, director, cinematographer and film editor of both features and short films from Winnipeg, Manitoba...
have made extensive use of 8 mm film. Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone
William Oliver Stone is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Stone became well known in the late 1980s and the early 1990s for directing a series of films about the Vietnam War, for which he had previously participated as an infantry soldier. His work frequently focuses on...
, for example, has used it several times in his more recent films, such as The Doors
The Doors (film)
The Doors is a 1991 biopic about the 1960s-1970s rock band of the same name which emphasizes the life of its lead singer, Jim Morrison. It was directed by Oliver Stone, and stars Val Kilmer as Morrison, Meg Ryan as Pamela Courson , Kyle MacLachlan as Ray Manzarek, Frank Whaley as Robby Krieger,...
, Natural Born Killers
Natural Born Killers
Natural Born Killers is a 1994 crime/black comedy film directed by Oliver Stone about two victims of traumatic childhoods who became lovers and psychopathic serial killers, and are irresponsibly glorified by the mass media...
, Nixon
Nixon (film)
Nixon is a 1995 American biographical film directed by Oliver Stone for Cinergi Pictures that tells the story of the political and personal life of former US President Richard Nixon, played by Anthony Hopkins....
, U Turn, and JFK
JFK (film)
JFK is a 1991 American film directed by Oliver Stone. It examines the events leading to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and alleged subsequent cover-up, through the eyes of former New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison .Garrison filed charges against New Orleans businessman Clay...
where his director of photography Robert Richardson employed it to evoke a period or to give a different look to scenes. The PBS series Globe Trekker
Globe Trekker
Globe Trekker is an adventure tourism television series produced by Pilot Productions. The British-based series was inspired by the Lonely Planet travelbooks and began airing in 1994...
uses approximately 5 minutes of Super 8 footage per episode. Says creator Ian Cross, "it gives our show a particular look." In the UK, broadcasters such as the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
still occasionally make use of Super 8 in both drama and documentary contexts, usually for creative effect. A recent example of particular note was the 2005 BBC2 documentary series, Define Normal
Define Normal
Define Normal was a BBC documentary series, first broadcast July 2005....
, which was shot largely on Super 8, with only interviews and special timelapse photography utilising more conventional digital formats.
Thanks to over a dozen film stocks and certain features common in Super 8 cameras but unavailable in video camcorders–notably the ability to expose single frames and shoot at several non video standard frame rates, including time-exposure and slow motion–Super 8 provides an ideal inexpensive medium for traditional stop-motion and cel animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
and other types of filming speed effects not common to video cameras.
Another visual effect uncommon in video cameras that certain high-end Super 8 cameras can do in-camera is the lap-dissolve. Upon activation of the lap-dissolve feature, the shot being filmed fades to black, the camera back-winds the film to the beginning of the fade and, at the beginning of the next shot, fades in.
Film festivals
To give further support to filmmakers dedicated to shooting on Super 8 mm film, many film festivals and screenings - such as the Flicker Film FestivalFlicker Film Festival
Flicker Film Festival is an ongoing film festival that happens in many cities around the world. This non-competitive film screening series is dedicated to giving local filmmakers an outlet and forum for their Super 8 and 16 mm short films.- External links :...
, and Super Gr8 Film Festival - exist to give filmmakers a place to screen their Super 8 mm films. Many of these screenings shun video and are only open to films shot on film. Some require film to be turned in undeveloped and thus not permitting any editing, providing an additional challenge to the filmmaker. These include such the Bentley Film Festival
Bentley Film Festival
The Bentley Film Festival, also known as The Bentley's, is a film festival held annually on December 3 in Kansas City, Missouri. The festival encourages short, uncut films to be shown as original productions.-History:...
and straight 8
Straight 8
straight 8 is an independent filmmaking event founded in 1999 and based in the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the medium and editing style used to create the short films...
http://www.straight8.net, which runs screenings at the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
and many other festivals and events worldwide, where a sound track is required to be supplied with a completed but unprocessed cartridge. In the 2005 Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
, a Super 8 short film (The Man Who Met Himself) by British filmmaker Ben Crowe, shot on the now discontinued Kodachrome 40 format, was the first Super 8 film to be nominated for the Short Film Palme D'Or
Palme d'Or
The Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival and is presented to the director of the best feature film of the official competition. It was introduced in 1955 by the organising committee. From 1939 to 1954, the highest prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du...
in the Official Selection.
In the UK, the Cambridge International Super 8 Film Festival, with the support of the film industry, runs a competition programme of more than 60 films every year. The festival also features work of Super 8 filmmmakers, industry talks, and a workshop.
The United States Super 8 Film + Digital Video Festival receives close to 100 Super 8 entries every year.
Until 1999, the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
's famous School of Cinematic Arts
USC School of Cinematic Arts
The USC School of Cinematic Arts, until 2006 named the School of Cinema-Television , is a film school within the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. It is the oldest and largest such school in the United States, established in 1929 as a joint venture with the Academy of...
required students to shoot some of their projects using Super 8, but digital video
Digital video
Digital video is a type of digital recording system that works by using a digital rather than an analog video signal.The terms camera, video camera, and camcorder are used interchangeably in this article.- History :...
is now favoured instead. The University of North Texas
University of North Texas
The University of North Texas is a public institution of higher education and research in Denton. Founded in 1890, UNT is part of the University of North Texas System. As of the fall of 2010, the University of North Texas, Denton campus, had a certified enrollment of 36,067...
' Radio, Television and Film Department still requires students to shoot on Super 8, which leads them into the Regular16 and Super16 films shot in higher level courses. This experience gives students the basics of film production and editing.
A number of Experimental film
Experimental film
Experimental film or experimental cinema is a type of cinema. Experimental film is an artistic practice relieving both of visual arts and cinema. Its origins can be found in European avant-garde movements of the twenties. Experimental cinema has built its history through the texts of theoreticians...
makers continue to work extensively in the format and festivals such as the Images Festival
Images Festival
The Images Festival is a yearly event devoted to independent and experimental film, video art, new media and media installation that takes place each spring in Toronto. It was founded in 1987, originally conceived as an alternative to the Toronto Film Festival...
(Toronto), the Media City Film Festival (Windsor, ONT), and TIE (based in Colorado) regularly project Super 8 films as part of their programming.
In June 2010, the 'Super8 Shots' film festival was launched in Galway
Galway
Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, the first Super 8 festival to occur in Ireland, and included classes on basics and uses of film through to processing your own film.
Chicago 8: A Small Gauge FIlm Festival started in 2011, and will feature yearly programming of small gauge film from around the world.
In popular culture
The backdrop of the 2011 film Super 8Super 8 (film)
Super 8 is a 2011 American science fiction action film written and directed by J. J. Abrams and produced by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, and Kyle Chandler and was released on June 10, 2011 in conventional and IMAX theaters...
involves a group of children in the fictional Ohio town Lillian filming their own Super 8 movie in the summer of 1979.
Some of the sequences in the film were actually shot in Super-8, using Pro8mm stock and cameras.
See also
- List of film formats
- List of silent films released on 8 mm or Super 8 mm film
- Super 8 film camerasSuper 8 film camerasA Super 8mm camera is a motion picture camera specifically manufactured to utilise the Super 8mm motion picture format. Super 8mm film cameras were first manufactured in 1965 by Kodak for their newly-introduced amateur film format, which replaced the Standard 8 mm film format. Manufacture continued...
- Wedding videographyWedding videographyWedding videography is a video production that documents a wedding on video. The final product of the videographer's documentation is commonly called a wedding video it is also being referred to as a wedding movie or a wedding film.-History:...
- Super 8 (film)Super 8 (film)Super 8 is a 2011 American science fiction action film written and directed by J. J. Abrams and produced by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, and Kyle Chandler and was released on June 10, 2011 in conventional and IMAX theaters...
External links
- All about Super 8 — News and list of Super 8 suppliers.
- Super 8 database — detailed information on cameras, projectors, viewers, splicers, movie films, etc.
- www.super8camera.com DIY processing instructions and tons of info on cameras, ASA and filmstock.
- Film formats history
- Little Film - Brodsky and Treadway's small format support site
- Adventures in Super 8 and Regular 8 filmmaking