Alan Brown

This is a continuation of the iphone app thread below but I thought the following deserved its own thread. I recieved the following email from Chemical Weddings Nic Sadler, the developer of the Toland app: "Alan, I was hesitant to add Super 8 to Toland. I thought there wouldn't be any demand for it. It's not especially difficult to add. I just need to compile the database of relevant information to make it work. If you would like to help to achieve that, let me know. I don't have any access to Super 8mm gear and my knowledge is pretty limited with regard that format. Let's start by establishing a list of Super 8 cameras and lenses you'd like us to cover. Once we have the data, I think it's possible to include the format. All the best Nic Sadler" I know Toland isn't free (and is somewhat expensive for an iphone app) but it would be a great app if it supported Super 8 so I replied Nic Sadler with the following message: "Thanks for the reply Nic. I think, with your approval, this would be a good topic to post on the Super8 forum at cinematography.com. Maybe the Super 8 enthusiasts on the site would be happy to pool their knowledge and contribute to the project. Let me know if this would be acceptable to you. Regards Alan" The question is, do you guys think it would be worthwhile compiling a Super 8 database for the Toland app?

I emailed chemical wedding recently to ask if their Toland iphone app supports Super 8 and while they said it currently doesn't they may look into supporting it in a future update (they're currently working on upgrading their other apps 'Artemis' and 'Helios' for full iphone 4 retina display). I was wondering if anyone knows of any other worthwhile apps for Super 8!

I too was impressed with the 'cleanliness' of this stock. I shot on a Canon 1014XL-S (24fps, 150 degree shutter angle) on a bright sunny day and the result (projected on an Elmo ST1200) was so impressive that even my ex film school buddies (used to shooting 16mm) were surprised to see Super 8 produce such a sharp, vibrant, and grain free image. Image was also rock steady with no jitters at all. I'd love to see what Fuji 25D single 8 film would look like when shot in good conditions. I've read, though I find it very hard to believe, that it produces a higher definition image than 16mm Kodachrome 40! Whether this is true or not though is another matter! Velvia 50D is a great stock and its a shame its not as cheap as, or as accesible as, 64T.

"I'd had the film in the fridge for a while. I only say this because it SEEMS like when I cold store film the carts end up a little buggy." After taking the cartridge out of the fridge did you remember to let it warm up to room temperature for a couple of hours before putting it in the camera? And its also a good idea to tap the cartridge a couple of times as well.

I've just watched my first roll of Velvia D50 and what can I say! I'm impressed!! The sharp image, deep colours and ultra fine grain (almost completely absent on the footage I shot on a 1014XL-S) make Ektachrome 64T look like a grainy mush in comparison. And I had no problems with jitter considering the thicker film stock. Its just a shame Velvia Super 8 isn't (to my knowledge) available in the UK.

Ektachrome 64T is balanced for artificial lighting. As someone said, to use it in daylight you have to use an orange 85 filter to avoid a colour cast. Black and white is generally immune to this problem. Don't know about the muddy issues but from the look of your picture it looks like the light is shining generally towards the camera and forcing it to shoot at high F stops (small apertures). This will give a silouette effect with strong 'back' lighting, creating an image with extreme light and dark areas. It looks like the camera was exposing for the bright light and consequently underexposing darker areas of the image. Lenses also tend to lose resolution when filming at high F stops (f16 to F32) and the picture can look soft. This may explain the overall quality of the image. Better results for the next shoot.

The Label states 220v 50hz. There is no switch on this particular machine to switch voltages between European and North American electrical systems. It appears to be a dedicated European machine. The test roll of Plus X I shot has come out beautifully steady. I'm impressed by the sharp image and lack of grain. That tiny Super 8 Frame still blows me away with what it can achieve. Now I'm just waiting for the Velvia D50 to get back to see if it jitters in my 1014XL-S.

It appears my first post of the Elmo's untimely death may have been too soon. I've just taken the projector out of its case and to my surprise it has come back to life. Not only that but it is now running my films with a much steadier image. And the uneven throbbing hum that emanated from the machine seems to have gone also. Now this could be because I changed the fuse in the adapter plug from a 13amp to a 3amp fuse. Or it could be that during transport from Germany to England the machine may have suffered a few knocks and bumps that caused it to malfunction a little when first turned on. Either way it seems to be running fine at the moment (though still with a little picture wobble every few seconds) and I will keep monitoring the machine to see if anything develops. I'm happy with the bright image but wish I hadn't paid so much for the projector! I probably could have found it cheaper elsewhere. Still, I'm looking forward to watching my test rolls of Plus X and Velvia D50 when they return from development (to see if they suffer the jitter problem Ektachrome 64T always seems to have in my 1014XL-S).

I recently ordered an Elmo ST1200D projector (£250 - ouch!) from the Super8 Camera shop in Germany and it arrived this morning. How excited I was... First, after unpacking it, I was slightly annoyed to see that it came with a two prong power cord (the kind used for electric shavers and toothbrushes here in the UK). That meant a trip to the shops to buy an adapter. Upon switching the projector on to load a film (The Empire Strikes Back) the transport sound emanating from the machine seemed uneven and throbbing, not the constant, even, clank associated with projectors. Still, this could have been my imagination or a quirk of this particular projector. And then the image...bobbing up and down and weaving from side to side (I once owned a cheap Chinon that gave a rock steady image but had a habit of chewing up films) not to mention the fact the films soundtrack clearly hadn't engaged the projectors sound head properly and I had to switch the machine on and off a couple of times to get clear sound. This was a disapointing introduction to a well respected machine but things were about to get worse. After loading up another film the projector suddenly wouldn't run...or at least the shutter blade would only spin at around one frame every five seconds...before suddenly whirring into life. However, when you switched the projector off and on again it was about a one in four chance that the machine would run properly or crawl along at one frame every few seconds. And then the Elmo's lamp went dead and the projector functioned no more...it gave up the ghost. It became a 'late' projector. Deceased! Kaput! Well, now I have to go through the bother of contacting the super8 camera shop to let them know their £250 projector didn't live more than half an hour of being switched on. Oh...and don't even mention the hassle and cost of repacking the damn thing and sending it back to them... Maybe next time I'll take a chance on Ebay (:

I've just had a quote from Sendean regarding a full service for a Canon 1014XL-S: £169 + vat! After hearing the quote I didn't bother to enquire what the full service entailed but I'm sure as hell curious to know exactly what they do for that price (I originally asked for cleaning and re-lubrication).

If you havent already, check out the video tap made for a 1014 XL-S at ths site: www.super8guy.com

Anybody know if the new energiser lithium batteries work ok in Super 8 camera's? You know the ad blurb: "if normal alkaline batteries take 90 photograghs from a digital camera, energiser lithium batteries will take 600!" Sounds great if they work ok with the older technology!

$750 might seem expensive for a super 8 camera but it was advertised as being in absolute perfect condition "so new, it even smells new" - according to the seller. And he was right. Not a scratch or scuff to be seen anywhere. I'm very happy with it (though I have had 'jitter' issues, but I'm puting that down to a cartridge issue)

Yeah, I found it. Interesting but at $995 seems expensive though. I paid $750 for the camera!

According to issue 2/2008 of Small Format Magazine, Pro 8mm are now offering the max 8 conversion for Canon 1014XL-S owners. According to the news article: "The Max1014 modification is now available at a price of $950.00 for the gate, viewfinder and 85 filter. This is an opportunty to get Canon 1014XL-S owners into Max8 and Hi Def compatibilty." I've checked the Pro8mm website and can find little information on this. Anyone know anything about this?

It was meant to be shot one camera but because of problems during pre-production a two day shooting schedule had been reduced to just an afternoon, so I grabbed my own DV cam and shot reactions while the main actions were being filmed. I was wondering when someone would mention the Requiem For A Dream 'homage' (:

I'm not sure if I've managed to upload the film to this site but if you go on youtube and type 'breathless' and 'alan brown' into the search engine the first film I shot at film school will pop up for your examination (its about 4 mins). This was shot multi camera using both a Sony DSR300 and a Panasonic NVGS300. This film was a first year exercise at Bournemouth Arts Institute UK. I'd appreciate any comments. Thanks.

Can anyone tell me the top 5 most popular film stocks in use today for both 35mm and 16mm commercial cinematography, or know where I can find this information? Any details on why these stocks are the most popular would also be helpful. Thanks.

Hmm...I don't know if there are any schools or full time courses in the UK that teach only cinematography, at least I've never heard of any. Maybe someone else here knows different...

Damn, thats a shame. My cinematography tutor only three weeks ago demonstrated how to attach and use a follow focus system to an Arriflex SRII. The smooth and precise control the device gives over focusing is amazing. I never knew such things existed for Super 8.

I can't answer your question but could you elaborate more on why the follow focus system is unsuitable for a 1014XL-S! Do you know if it could be modified or adapted in some way?

The super 8 camera shop is selling a matte box (the EWA SK8 Compendium/Matte box) for $130 which it claims is compatible with Nizo, Bauer, and Canon super 8 cameras. I was wondering if anyone knows anything about this particular matte box (camera compatibility, filter use etc) and can reccommend if its worth buying for a 1014XL-S!.

Thanks for all the advice guys but something interesting has come up. When I finish my second year of film school I may take a gap year. I've just discovered that there are internship opportunities in the U.S. for British university students taking a gap year. What you have to do is find a U.S. company willing to take on a foreign trainee for a maximum of 16 months. The internship/workplacement has to be connected to what the trainee is studying in his native country and must pay a minimum of $750 a month. It sounds almost perfect. If I can find a film production company in either Los Angeles or New York willing to to take me on as a trainee for 10-12 months then I can take a break from my current course, go to the U.S. for a year and be paid to live and study in the city of angels or the big apple, and then return home to complete my degree. Now, where's that phone. There must be production companies in LA or NY who will sponsor me!!

"There will always be plenty of opportunities for you here in NYC once you finish your education. Then people can start paying YOU." I hope so. I don't want to stuck in the British film industry when I graduate. The U.S. is the place to be for people interested in making high quality, entertaining, films.

I?m having a problem setting up focus on the 1014XL-S. I can?t seem to keep the split image aligned between the telephoto and wide range of the lens. I believe this might be down to a problem with setting the viewfinder to my eye sight. To initially set up the viewfinder I adjusted the circle in the middle until it was dark and sharp. I assumed this correctly set the viewfinder to my eye sight. Then, to focus on an object or person I zoom right in, adjust focus until the top and bottom of the image are aligned and then pull back to the desired framing. Unfortunately, when I pull back the image becomes slightly unaligned in the viewfinder. I?ve tried pulling out to the lens widest setting, adjusting the viewfinder until the circle is dark and sharp, then zooming in to telephoto, adjusting the focus until the image is aligned, then pulling back to wide and re-adjusting the viewfinder (and repeating this many times) but I still cant get rid of the slight discrepancy between the telephoto and wide end of the lens. It?s driving me nuts. I?ve noticed that the top and bottom lines within the viewfinders circle don?t appear to be 100% aligned. The bottom lines are marginally to the right of the top lines. The manual mentions nothing about these lines having to be aligned but does show a picture of the circle with the top and bottom lines 100% aligned. I?m sure this must be the cause of the problem but I can?t seem to align these lines. I?ve also noticed an annoying effect of the viewing system. When focusing you need to use a vertical line or object to align the top and bottom of the image ? not usually a problem. However, I?ve noticed that if you slightly move your eye within the viewfinder the alignment of the image appears to drift accordingly. It?s like a bad mirror that gives an accurate image in one part but then slightly distorts as your eye moves away from this part. In other words, if you align an image with your eye dead center of the viewfinder and then you move your eye to the left or right then the image goes out of alignment accordingly. Have other 1014 XL-S owners noticed this? The bottom line is that I don?t trust the split image focusing system. Of course, if I?m doing anything wrong then any suggestions would be very welcome. Otherwise, what I really need to know is that if I set focus by the tape measuring method and the image appears to be slightly out of focus in the viewfinder will it be in focus on the film? I?d rather know this before I shoot a cartridge of film. Hope this post has made sense. I?m new to the split image focusing system.