Steadiness solutions

[John Adolfi]

You know super-8 has a bad rap for being unsteady. It's an almost dead give away it's S8, even if the footage is sharp, when the image wiggles up on the screen. My ideas for the steadiest framelines are as follows.

1.) Double Super 8 camera has a metal pressure plate built in the camera like 16mm

2.) Leicina Steady as she goes. Transport gate is narrow not allowing much wiggle.

3.) Single 8 camera which has a metal pressure plate built in the camera like 16mm

4.) Beaulieu or higher end cameras with a metal plate that slips in the cartridge.

 

Here's another idea. How about the Leicina with the pressure plate. Would this make the camera produce ultrasteady pictures? Also I'd make sure if Iever shot film in a Canon DS8 camera I would:

A.) Have the camera serviced as soon as I bought it.

B.) Never use Foma B&W. I did it was gittery, bad, and ended up selling the camera before I investigated it further.

 

Now I do believe that you can control the registration in post with some funky software, but I do not know what the pros and cons are.

[Todd Darling]

As to the post option I have the film fix plug in for After effects. It works ok at best. Besides agonizing render times I notice posterization of the footage if you use the flicker remover. I haven't tryed the stabalizer yet. Will let you know. The sample clip they give you works great, but then the sample clip they give you would wouldn't it.

 

I've seen a metal pressure plate for super 8 cartrages but I now it was kinda pricey and not sure how good it works. (not to mention I'd forget I put it in a cartrage and end up sending it to the lab with the film.)

 

Todd

[Bryan Darling]

I must say this has never been an issue for me. My Nizo has been great. More it's the fact the cameras are difficult to handhold hence jitter more in that sense.

[Darren Blin]

I have combustion v3 by discreet. It has a great image stabilizer.

[Rachel Oliver]

Hi;

 

Do the post stabilizing options reduce resolution? I have a Leicina and a GK pressure plate, I have never used it with my Leicina as something makes me think that would counteract it's own "special" gate design, plus it's never really had any jitter. I have tested the GK plate on my Nizo and it seemed to make a slight difference but I use that camera for weddings and events and messing about with the plate under time pressure just stops me from using it. On another note I have found that even if you have a stable camera gate S-8 tends to move around more in telecine compared to 16. However my personal theory is if the performance of a well serviced top of the line S-8 camera like the Special in combination with the latest Kodak stocks and professional telecine is still not giving the required results then 16mm is just one step up the money ladder and if a project deems it neccesary then taking more time to collect the pennies for 16mm would be better than trying to push S-8 into places that 16mm already covers, don't get me wrong I like S-8 to look as good as it possibly can but not into the realms of false economy.

 

Olly

[Stephen Williams]

Hi;

 

Do the post stabilizing options reduce resolution?

 

Hi Oli,

 

Yes they do.

 

Stephen

[Andrew Means]

Hi Oli,

 

Yes they do.

 

Stephen

 

Yeah, it would seem like they'd have to, as it tracks with the objects in the frame by moving the frame around... If it kept it at the same resolution you'd have these black bits constantly showing up on the edges.

[Douglas Hunter]

Talking to a camera teck last week here in LA, he seemed to think that it was the movement of the cartridge itself just as much as the moving of the filmstrip in the gate, that gave super 8 its jitter. That was an interesting perspective for me since like most people my thinking was always geared towards the lack of a registration pin and other elements gate elements. Espically since the film cartridge often gives the appearance of being tightly in place.

 

I don't think "fixing it in post" would effect resoultion. The way I would do it would be via motion tracking in AE. Even if it resulted in some black at the edge of frame here and there, this would never show up on an NTSC monitor or TV so there would be no point in doing a blow up to get rid of it. Motion Tracking its self has no effect on resoultion.

[Darren Blin]

Yeah, it would seem like they'd have to, as it tracks with the objects in the frame by moving the frame around... If it kept it at the same resolution you'd have these black bits constantly showing up on the edges.

 

Yeah but those black bits usually stay outside of TV safe.