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Dylan Gonzalez

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  1. Dylan Gonzalez
    I'm creating a Super 8 booklet for novice filmmakers. The idea is to explain what Super 8 is, showcase what it can do, and to cover all the basic steps, so that someone with no knowledge could come out with an understanding of how to film using Super 8. Also, since its been awhile since I've shot on Super 8, this is a way for me to get back into Super 8. Its for a college project, but I'm going to release it online as a free PDF afterwards, and hopefully it can be a help to anyone who wants to learn about Super 8. What I really need are stills and photos (of Super 8 cameras, film cartridges, etc.) for the manual, and I'm wondering if any of you would have material you wouldn't mind being used. I really want to showcase what Super 8 can do, so I want to have some stills/screenshots. Anyone who helps would get full attribution in the manual, plus a small byline or paragraph where you could plug a project, website or service. And...if you have any feedback or thoughts about this manual, I'd love to here your thoughts on it!
  2. Dylan Gonzalez
    I recently got my first reel of Super 8 footage telecined. It was shot on a Canon 514 XL-S using Ektachrome 100D Color Reversal. I just shot a bunch of random stuff handheld, as I've never used this camera or Super 8 footage in general before. I just wanted to make sure the camera was operational and figure out what I need to work on. I'm aware the footage is overexposed...and that's after being corrected. The 514 only has auto-exposure, so I believe I'm going to have to lock the camera at a lower exposure before I shoot outdoors. It's also out of focus at times. Part of that is my own fault, as I was fiddling with the focus while shooting, but I'm definitely going to have to put a bit more work into keeping everything in focus. The footage is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sf4e7FmjCSY. I'm just wondering if anyone has any other advice or sees any other issues with it beyond exposure or focus.
  3. Dylan Gonzalez
    Thanks for the help, Will. I ended up e-mailing the facility and asking them about this. According to them, there's no big difference either way and he reccommended I go with 23.98 fps, as most people do. I submitted my order and I'll see how the footage turns out.
  4. Dylan Gonzalez
    Thanks, Chris and Will. I e-mailed Frame Discreet and I think I'm going to go with ProRes. Right now, the only thing I'm a bit iffy on is the frame rate I should have the footage transfered to. Some of the feedback has been mixed.
  5. Dylan Gonzalez
    Thanks for the help, Matt and David. I think I'm going to e-mail framediscreet directly with some questions and see what they say - I would prefer to use them if possible, as I can deliver my film in person. I believe they only use Pro Res 422 at this facility though, so I'll have to look into this.
  6. Dylan Gonzalez
    Thanks David, Zachariah and Chris for the feedback. This is a huge help for me. I was looking at this facility: http://framediscreet.com/. It was reccommended to me when I purchased film stock at a local university film club. My only concern with the Pro Res codecs is that I edit on Adobe Premiere Pro CS5. I've had trouble using this codec before - the software doesn't export Pro Res and I believe there are bunch of hoops you have to jump through to import and work with Pro Res footage. I have one reel of color reversal (Ektachrome 100D) simply for testing/experimentation purposes and then two reels of color negative (Vision 3 200T and Vision 3 500T). I shot using a Canon 514 XL-S. Most likely, I'll just upload the film to the Internet, but I might send it out to festivals if it turns out OK. I will check out the facilities you have listed. Thanks very much for these suggestions.
  7. Dylan Gonzalez
    I have 3 rolls of super-8 film that I want to get developed now. However, being new to super-8 and film in general, I'm really lost when it comes to what I should do getting my footage telecined/transfered. I'm used to directly inputting my footage from my HD cam to the computer via USB, which is a pretty simple process in comparison. I have a few questions concerning this process: 1) What fps should I get my footage transfered to? It was shot at 24fps, but the facility I'm looking at offers 29.97 (typical SD), 23.98 (typical HD) and 24 fps. I'm a little confused as to what would offer me the best quality. 2) What should I have my stock transferred to? A harddrive? A data DVD? What is the best option? 3) Are there any other concerns I should have with this process? Anything I should look out for?
  8. Dylan Gonzalez
    I'm piggy-backing on the other recent post, but I was just wondering if I should be switching my filter to tungsten or daylight when using Vision 3 200T on my Canon 514-XLS, specifically for outdoor use. It is my understanding that the filter has to be switched to the daylight setting to make the film daylight-balanced, but I just want to be sure.
  9. Dylan Gonzalez
    Thanks, David. I'll consider it picking one up before I shoot more reversal. I think the facility that does telecine in my city has a projector and will allow me to view some footage on that too. I already went by once, as I was going to get one reel scanned - it was too cost prohibitive to get just one reel telecined (I could get 3-4 done for the same price), but the lady there mentioned they did have a projector that she could use to make sure it turned out.
  10. Dylan Gonzalez
    Wow, that's really night and day. Thanks for the information, David. Its a big help! I think I'm going to try to experiment a bit with both film stocks. Its good to know I could get the reversal feel using negative and a good facility. However, there are some scanning and processing facilities in my city, and since it will work out a lot cheaper for me to use them, I want to start with them and see their results before I ship out to a company like Pro8mm. I already have one reel of Ektachrome 100D shot and processed, so once I get it scanned, I can hopefully get a general idea of the quality of the scan (not that I know much, but as long as it looks good to my eye - I'll probably post it here for feedback too). My next couple projects I would actually want the negative feel, with more natural and muted colors. The white grain for me is a bit of a stickler though - I really dislike the look of it.
  11. Dylan Gonzalez
    Thanks, Adrian. Would you say that reversal generally has a more saturated and highly contrasted look, though?
  12. Dylan Gonzalez
    I realise there are many differences between different types of stock, but I'm wondering if generally, as a rule of thumb, reversal film has a more retro, highly-saturated look than negative, as outlined here: http://hellosuper8.com/blog/12639806/.
  13. Dylan Gonzalez
    Thanks for the tip, Miguel. I still have to look into this, but it might be the answer for me.
  14. Dylan Gonzalez
    I've been meaning to volunteer there, but I don't think they have Super-8 film anyway. I bought my previous cartridge from a UofT film society.
  15. Dylan Gonzalez
    Thanks for the help, David. That list is exactly what I was looking for. I live in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. There's actually some processing options I have here in the city, so, unless it worked out cheaper, I wouldn't have to ship it back to be processed. I'm new to super-8 and have a very basic understanding of film stocks. I don't have to shoot reversal. I started with reversal because - after reading about super-8 cameras - I thought it seemed like a good starting point. The reason I wanted to continue too was because I already shot a couple cartridges on reversal and they turned out, so I'm kind of comfortable using them. I also dislike the white grain flecks on some of the negative film stocks I used I've seen footage from, although this isn't a huge concern at the end of the day. Maybe it does make a lot more sense to switch to a negative, like Vision3 50D.
  16. Dylan Gonzalez
    Thanks, Heikki. 22.90 euros isn't as much as I thought I saw on that site before, especially since the euro is probably down a lot now. I'd still have to pay shipping. However, I didn't know you could use refillable cartridges. That might be the best option for me - I'll have to look into it. Thanks a lot for the suggestion!
  17. Dylan Gonzalez
    I just started getting into super-8 last year. I had an old Canon 514 XLS. Late last year, I started experimenting with Ektachrome 100D for outdoor use. As someone with no experience working with actual film, it seemed like the easiest, most affordable film stock to use for outdoor filming. I had to take a break for a bit, but now that I'm coming back, it seems like this stock has been discontinued. I've been trying to figure out what some other good film stocks would be. Does anyone have any suggestions or even a list of different super-8 film stocks? Since I don't know much about film stock, I've been having trouble even figuring out what I should get next and what I should experiment with. I see Wittnerchrome being mentioned a lot on forums, but, besides being unable to make sense of their website, it seems like their cartridges are going for upwards of $30, which is a pretty big jump over what I paid for Ektachrome. Right now, I'm just looking to experiment and figure super-8 filmmaking out, preferably affordably as possible.
  18. Dylan Gonzalez
    Yeah, it is worth the expense, although I'm going to limit myself to certain projects. I definitely don't want to do extensive experimentation or improvisation on Super 8, considering my limited funds. What I was planning on doing is rehearsing and blocking out scenes with my HD camera - that way, I can figure out and adjust aspects of the shoot without spending extra money on film. And I agree, there was something more exhilerating about using the Super 8 camera. Something about that whirring sound felt really food.
  19. Dylan Gonzalez
    Eh...if I could get a deal on one like I did for my camera, I'd be all for it, but I think I'd rather just wait the extra week or so to get the footage back. Its already about a weeks wait to get the film processed (at least at the place I went to), so I'm going to be waiting in anticipation for some time either way.
  20. Dylan Gonzalez
    Thanks for the help, guys! I suppose reels on their sides in a drawer or a box will suffice in that case. I guess I can just keep them in my basement. I will be getting all my footage telecined and storing that too, so if these are going to last upwards of a few decades, that's awesome. And that's great you're still shooting Super 8, Bill. I kind of wish Super 8 was still as ubiquitous now as it was then (well, I guess it was already out of favor by the 90's). I've been having to unearth and find places in the city where I can buy my film, process it and telecine it. There are so few left - I think there's only one last place in my city that processes Super 8. And its expensive too! Altogether it's going to run me about $70 for every three minutes of footage. Its going to force me to be more economical and organized, at least!
  21. Dylan Gonzalez
    Yeah, part of the scratchy, grungy look of Super 8 is what appeals to me. I think the wear and tear is part of its charm: the grain, the choppiness, etc. However, I bought this camera at a garage sale for $20, so I need to make sure there isn't something horribly wrong with it.
  22. Dylan Gonzalez
    I was wondering what the protocol or standard practice is on storing processed Super-8 film. Bagged and in the refridgerator seems to be the concensus for undeveloped Super-8 film, but I've been having trouble finding any specific mention of what to do with processed Super-8 film. What do you guys typically do with your processed film?
  23. Dylan Gonzalez
    Thanks Bill! I did have fun and everything seemed to go smoothly - however, I have to wait to see how the footage turns out. It has been processed and I will be taking it to get telecined tomorrow. I basically just shot a bunch of different things around the city - cats, interesting grafiti, rundown buildings - so while the footage won't be breathtaking by any means, hopefully it will help me see if there are any problems with this camera (abrasions or dust on the lens, etc, etc).
  24. Dylan Gonzalez
    Nevermind. Like a doofus, I had the batteries in wrong. I need the positive-negative symbols to guide me. The camera is up and working and I'll be testing it tomorrow.
  25. Dylan Gonzalez
    That's pretty amazing for something you shot all in sequence with only first takes and with no prior testing. It looks good - the underground scenes particularly looked great, although I'm going to avoid anything underground, high-contrast, or sihilouettes when I shoot until I'm more comfortable with Super 8. And even though its off-topic to Super 8 cinematography specifically, knowing you shot this all in-camera and in-sequence I had to go back and watch that "push" sequence again to see how the hell that worked. Anyway, my own plans have been put on hold. I haven't been able to get my camera to work. When I opened the battery compartment, I found one of the batteries from the previous owner had corroded in there. I tried putting some new ones in, but either I didn't manage to put them in correctly or the cameras broken or the corrosion ruined the compartment - I'm going to have to clean it out and see.
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