Best Advice for Combining Super 16 with Video/Super 8

[Mazin Elfehaid]

I am currently working on a film that will combine Super 16 footage with video footage.

 

The idea is that certain sections of the film are told through "home video" footage.

 

As it currently stands, we will telecine the S16 footage and finish on DigiBeta.

 

In terms of the video footage we have come up with the idea of shooting the "home video" sequences on Super 8. We will then project that footage and capture it with a DV camera (most likely a DSR 500). This, we hope, will give us the combination of film/video look that we are striving for.

 

Does anyone have thoughts on this? Or perhaps a more effective way of achieving the same thing?

[Scott Fritzshall]

If you want the home video portions to look like video, why not just shoot them on video?

[Mazin Elfehaid]

If you want the home video portions to look like video, why not just shoot them on video?

 

 

That option is also on the table. However, we also want to maintain the "warm" look that super 8 can give.

 

In any case, the question pertains more to the procedural issues of mixing a DigiBeta signal with other video standards, and the issues that may arise from that.

[Scott Fritzshall]

In that case, then why not shoot Super8 and then find a post house that can transfer that to DBeta for you?

[John Brawley]

I am currently working on a film that will combine Super 16 footage with video footage.

 

The idea is that certain sections of the film are told through "home video" footage.

 

As it currently stands, we will telecine the S16 footage and finish on DigiBeta.

 

In terms of the video footage we have come up with the idea of shooting the "home video" sequences on Super 8. We will then project that footage and capture it with a DV camera (most likely a DSR 500). This, we hope, will give us the combination of film/video look that we are striving for.

 

Does anyone have thoughts on this? Or perhaps a more effective way of achieving the same thing?

 

 

Hi Mazin.

 

This is exactly what I had to do for the feature film Lake Mungo. Except I had to create home movie footage over a 5 year period, that had it's own distinctive look, within that time period.

 

I settled on 3 video cameras that the family had to use. One was an old panasonic VHS-C camera. I then used an older Mini DV camera (PC 7) and a TRV 900.

 

The cameras also had to appear in the footage as well.

 

 

So I was shooting a documentary on a family that was contemporary, and observational. It was shot super 16. I shot re-creations of their story and mood footage on 35mm. I shot the family's own archival material on a plethora of cameras, but faked that the family had three separate home movie camera personalities (and a super 8). After I shot the super 8 I then filmed that projected off a wall on 16mm.

 

I also had to shoot other footage on consumer cameras that happened during the making of the doco and even stuff that was captured on the mobile phone, plus all the stills !!!

 

I shot with over 40 cameras.

 

Although some VFX were required, we decided against the advice of VFX and post house to shoot everything on HD and then cook the looks, because even the way you handle a smaller camera means it will look different to a shoulder mounted camera. We found some mobile phone camera varied their shutter speed as a form of exposure control because they don't have aperture's in their little lenses. Everything is also in focus with their DOF, You could see DOF differences with HD footage that was passed through the same codec that the phone's used.

 

So we just decided to make it as real as possible and do it that way for the look.

 

Once we got into the grade, the director felt that there wasn't enough distinction between all the home moview formats.

 

So I started coming up with recipes. With one sequence, i dubbed the footage 9 times through a pair of VHS recorders. Another sequnce i dubbed to 1" several times and started yanking the tape and pulling on the takeup and feed reels. I also firmy placed my hand on the drum as it spun around. Another sequence i just simply filmed off a monitor (on video) and then dubbed it a few times though VHS. I then took the tape out of the cassette, scrunched in my hands a few times before spooling it back on and then dubbing again.

 

It was very hands on :-)

 

We then dubbed everything back to HDCAM SR ( or in your case Digibeta) and then eye matched it back into the edit.

 

it's a very very authentic look, mainly because, by and large, all the footage was shot with the actual cameras.

 

jb