Help Chosing Film

Jeremiah Perry-Weed · December 25, 2014

I'm shooting a short film this summer using a Super 8 for the first time and was hoping someone could give me a bit of advice as to which film I should look for.
I'll be shooting most shots outdoors during the day, and I'm trying to get a kinda lo-fi feel.
things get a bit tricky though as I'll also have take some shots at night near a campfire, I feel like a different kind of film might be more appropriate for a shot with such low light. I might also want some sunset shots. Is there any particular film I should look into?
Thanks!

David Cunningham · December 26, 2014

Vision3 50D is by far the best super 8 film for fine grain, color and sharpness in outdoor light, even light shade. Vision3 500t is perfectly suited for a well built campfire. It's amazing lattitude and shadow detail will give you a great look shot wide open or stopped down just a hair. However, it will be considerably more grainy than well lit 50D so you might have some continuity issues making the scenes match in post. But, it is still the best way to go and will be worth the sacrifices.

David Cunningham · December 26, 2014

Oh. And 200T and 250D are both great for sunset scenes. The 200T will look more naturally colored in yellowish sunset light where 250D will look more yellow and orange, possibly a good thing for a beautiful sunset. It's really a color preference issue.

Jeremiah Perry-Weed · December 26, 2014

Great thank you!! I heard 50D was pretty good.

--I know this is a basic question, but what's the projected recording time of a Super8 film cartridge? I'm trying to judge how much I'll need to buy.

Anthony Schilling · December 26, 2014

I would use the Vision3 200T set for daylight (125D). It will have a little extra grain over the 50D. For the late shot, i would use the 500T also set for daylight (320D), that will work fine.

Leo Garcia · December 26, 2014

I know this is a basic question, but what's the projected recording time of a Super8 film cartridge? I'm trying to judge how much I'll need to buy.

Super 8 cartridges hold 50' of film, which equals to about 2:40 mins at 24 fps and a little over 3 minutes at 18 fps.

Edited December 26, 2014 by Leo Garcia

Jeremiah Perry-Weed · December 26, 2014

I would use the Vision3 200T set for daylight (125D). It will have a little extra grain over the 50D. For the late shot, i would use the 500T also set for daylight (320D), that will work fine.

Ok thanks! I'll check 125D out.

Super 8 cartridges hold 50' of film, which equals to about 2:40 mins at 24 fps and a little over 3 minutes at 18 fps.

WOW! This is seriously going to break my bank then, that's like $30 for 3 minutes? That's like $300 for film if I'm making a 30 minute movie. Probobly like $700 in addition to digital processing. Do any of you know a place to buy film for really cheap or get film processed affordably?

Edited December 26, 2014 by Jeremiah Perry-Weed

Mark Dunn · December 26, 2014

Ok thanks! I'll check 125D out.

WOW! This is seriously going to break my bank then, that's like $30 for 3 minutes? That's like $300 for film if I'm making a 30 minute movie. Probobly like $700 in addition to digital processing. Do any of you know a place to buy film for really cheap or get film processed affordably

You can't expect to use every foot you shoot, taking into acount retkes and coverage, so you'll need a lot more than 30 minutes of film for a 30 minute picture. Film and processing don't really get cheap- a few pounds here and there, but not the factors you appear to be looking for.

You 'd probably want to shoot at 24fps. Super-8 has 72 frames/ft so the cartridge lasts two and a half minutes. I don't know about prices but I'd be surprised if you could buy, process and telecine one for under £50.

David Cunningham · December 26, 2014

Believe it or not, when talking a 30 minute film, you might not spend much more if you can find enough short ends in 16mm and the results would be far superior, unless you are truly going for "the super 8 look" including all its short comings.

Bill DiPietra · December 26, 2014

If this is your first Super 8 film, maybe 30 minutes is a bit too ambitious. What I used to do in college was experiment with different stocks and put together little montages (usually in-camera.) I made one on a single cartridge. Think about dialing down your project and just get used to the format before you jump into something that will cost you a lot of money.

Not to say anything against Super 8, but you might find that this project may be more suited to 16mm as David said, and decide to shelve it for a bit. I did that with my first short. I wrote a short story in high-school and planned to shoot it on video, but I wound up making it my first 16mm short 4 years later.

Also, if this is the short you were talking about in reference to Tarkovsky in another thread, I would purchase the amount of Super 8 film you can afford and just practice your compositions. Look at the color saturation for different stocks, etc. You can create some very nice images on Super 8 these days.

Jeremiah Perry-Weed · December 26, 2014

You can't expect to use every foot you shoot, taking into acount retkes and coverage, so you'll need a lot more than 30 minutes of film for a 30 minute picture. Film and processing don't really get cheap- a few pounds here and there, but not the factors you appear to be looking for.

You 'd probably want to shoot at 24fps. Super-8 has 72 frames/ft so the cartridge lasts two and a half minutes. I don't know about prices but I'd be surprised if you could buy, process and telecine one for under £50.

I'm thinking of making rough outlines of each shot using a camcorder before shooting with the Super 8 in an attempt to get things perfect and cut down on wasted film, but yeah you're probobly right, I'll certianly need extra rolls.

If this is your first Super 8 film, maybe 30 minutes is a bit too ambitious. What I used to do in college was experiment with different stocks and put together little montages (usually in-camera.) I made one on a single cartridge. Think about dialing down your project and just get used to the format before you jump into something that will cost you a lot of money.

Not to say anything against Super 8, but you might find that this project may be more suited to 16mm as David said, and decide to shelve it for a bit. I did that with my first short. I wrote a short story in high-school and planned to shoot it on video, but I wound up making it my first 16mm short 4 years later.

Also, if this is the short you were talking about in reference to Tarkovsky in another thread, I would purchase the amount of Super 8 film you can afford and just practice your compositions. Look at the color saturation for different stocks, etc. You can create some very nice images on Super 8 these days.

I am kinda in love with the Super 8 look and would be hard pressed to find a cheap 16mm camera (though it could possibly pay itself off due to film costs?)

I'm planning on experimenting quite a bit before starting work on the 30 minute film. I like the idea of some basic montages, quick videos practicing the Tarkovski-esque elements that I'll use later, or demos of planned shots just to get a hang of things, it's just going to be a bit pricy but I guess that's how it goes!

Bill DiPietra · December 27, 2014

I'm planning on experimenting quite a bit before starting work on the 30 minute film. I like the idea of some basic montages, quick videos practicing the Tarkovski-esque elements that I'll use later, or demos of planned shots just to get a hang of things, it's just going to be a bit pricy but I guess that's how it goes!

Pricy, yes. But experimentation & testing pays off when it comes time to shoot.

Edited December 27, 2014 by Bill DiPietra