Matt Wells

I would stick with negative because Kodachrome and ektachrome both have very different solour saturation to the negative stocks (and to each other). Don't worry about overexposure, I would just have some neuteral density filters handy - although you could get away without any even in the brightest scene, but you will be working right at the smallest aperture. Matt

An excellent book to get hold of is Cinematography by Kris Malkewicz, find it: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/067...5593765-2593669 Although this deals predominantly with 16mm, the principles apply the same and I would strongly advise this as a purchase. It is easy to read too. Matt

I have now shot quite a bit of the negative films in Super8, both the Kodak and Pro8 branded films (although all of these are of course Kodak emulsions) My opinion is that if you know you are going to have the footage transfered via Rank or similar then you might as well shoot negative and take advantage of the larger variety of stocks, the degree of manipulation facilitated by the use of neg during telecine and the fact that the neg stocks play back better on TV screens than the traditional stocks like K40, although this is, to a degree, a matter of opinion and depends on what type of 'look' you are after. I have found the Vision 200T and Vision2 200T to produce excellent results without intrusive grain. The look is superb and very distinctive. The EXR 50D from Pro8mm is good for snowscapes etc and I have had some excellent footage of sking etc. - very low grain, etc. The Vision 500T from Pro8 is surprisingly low grain in good light, but if you take it to the limit in terms of low light then the grain can become intrusive. However saying this I have had some surprisingly good results from inside a very dark bar. All in all I would reccomend the use of the neg stocks because you have a much easier time lighting and I really don't think the grain is as bas as some make out. In a nutshell it has a very distinctive look which I believe compliments brilliantly other film and video formats. And I don't mean compliment in that it looks "bad" I mean compliment in that it looks a quality image, but with very different contrast and colour saturation. Matt

I dont see how it can alter the depth of focus. I mean the film is up against the gate with pressure from the plate inbuilt into the cartridge anyway, all the metal pressure plate does is push harder. I have to admit as to being sceptical about this product. As for the thickness of the different emulsions, Ektachrome is thicker than K40 which is in turn thicker than the B/W emulsions. The Negative stocks are thicker than Ektachrome. Therefore I dn't see why it should be particularly suited to Ektachrome. I Have to say that I have experieneced, on occasion, stability problems with super8, but it has only ever been a few occasions. Matt

I always use 25 or 25 fps. If you are shooting from a moving car then a faster frame rate will certainly help steadiness. Matt

I often think to myself: I wish all my problems had happened when I was a teenager, and knew everything! :lol:

I agree.

Hi, Another Super8 cam with variable shutter, the Nizo professional. It also has the excellent 80mm Schneider zoom lens (which has better coating than the 80mm lens on the Nizo 6080, apparently) The Beaulieu 4008ZM also has a variable shutter, and I absolutely love the 8-64 Angenieux zoom often found with these cameras. it produces beautiful images, but of course being interchangeable on these cameras, if you don't like it you can always use a different lens. The ground glass focusing is also a good feature, although I would say the Beaulieus are slower to use than many other Super8 cams. Matt.

Apparently the new Ektachrome 100D has a very saturated look - mabe just what you are looking for. I am keen to try some just as soon as Kodak Motion Picture in the UK get some 16mm stock! Matt

The reason I want to double expose if to create an interesting effect, however I am swaying towards shooting two pieces of film and then doing the rest in post. Matt

If your lighting is compromised in any way I would highly recommend the Vision negative stocks and there have been many good reviews of the Vsion2 500T recently. I have some being telecine transferred at present so I can report then as to how it looks in Super8. As regards auto or manual aperture setting, I almost always set manually, even if I am shooting off the hip home movies or something, then I know that my key subjects are exposed as I want them. In very low light you definitely want to expose manually otherwise individual light sources such as light bulbs etc, will close down the aperture if they come into frame. AS regards artifical light, it depends on what sort of look you want to give the finished product. This will determine how powerful the light needs to be and where you place it. It might be worthwhile placing this aspect of the question in the lighting section of the forum. Hope this is of help Matt

To me shooting film is like painting a canvas - you can imagine the light changing the emulsion and this is one of the reasons I enjoy shooting film so much.

Anyone got any thoughts or experiences of Vision2 100T 7212 in standard 16mm? Matt.

Hi there everyone, A good friend of mine is getting married this weekend and I'm shooting a video originating much of it on Super8 and 16mm negative and then cutting this with some DV. One of the things I'm planning is to use my R16 for a timelapse sequence of people arriving at the reception venue. I plan to shoot a 100ft reel at 2fps, then completely backwind it (with the lens cap screwed in place of course!) and shoot it again at 64fps, with the camera remaining in exactly the same position on a [sturdy] tripod. The questions I have are: Has anyone tried this? Does it work? Should I underexpose 1 stop each time, for each pass of the negative? Which would be a good stock? I'm thinking Vision2 100T or 200T? (the super8 I shoot will be on the 200T and 500T) Should I just do it in post rather than in camera? (but not sure my software will do this) Anyone got any thoughts on these questions? Many thanks Cheers Matt

Hi there, I have used Andec and they are very good, and everything is done properly. Have just received some processed super8 negative back from them today. Matt

Another thing I have noticed too is that Analogue terrestial TV has a much sharper picture than digital sattelite or other digital. I know that this is probably not supposed to be the case, but there is a noticable difference. Matt

One of the main reasons scope came along was to entice people back into the cinema and away from their newly acquired television sets. We are seeing, to an extent, a similar strategy with regard to "widescreen" televisions. The chief objective is commercial and to sell more televisions in a market saturated with 4X3 TV's. However the public at large have no concept of how these different aspect ratios work. A friend was complaining the other day that a movie they were watching on their new 16X9 TV was letterboxed. There was an advert recently before the European Football Championships "get your new widescreen TV ready for the football" when it was broadcast in 4X3. In the UK the majority of people, at present, watch analogue terrestial television. The figure I heard quoted the other day on Radio 4 was 7 million people having access to digital sattelite or other digital TV. My own view on the 4X3 frame is that I think that it is suddenly going to become fashionable again, and I personally like it very much. I feel the 16x9 ratio will suddenly seem very passe. Matt

John, pity there is no mention of the "Straight 8" event in the Cannes sponsorship link. I entered for this (didn't get my film through though :( ) and I am sure it was to be held in the Kodak pavillion. I think that the "Straight 8" guys have had an excellent idea which really promotes super8 and film generally as a medium that requires skill and judgement to get right. I think that they had 94 entries for the Cannes event, and they are also doing it in Canada and London, amongst other festivals planned. Matt

Interesting about the Angenieux and the colour rendition.

How long will it be though before there are ISO500 films that approach the resolution of today's ISO40 films? With the increasing market pressures I would expect even faster and finer grained emulsions to appear soon. Matt

I assume you are talking about your own footage here? Regardless of how many lines of resolution the super8 frame can or can not provide, the reality is properly exposed super8 [negative] just looks great with excellent colour and with the texture and latitude associated with film. Even K40 compensates for loss of latitude with beautifully saturated colour. If you are getting "abysmal registration" I would get your gear checked out. Matt

The cost of servicing my 4008 was £275 including delivery back to the UK. Obviously every repair job is different, and prices can vary depending on what he has to do. However it is great knowing that the camera has been properly cleaned and lubricated and then set up by someone with Bjorn's level of experience. The service on my 4008 consisted of a full overhaul including the Angenieux 8-64 zoom lens cleaned lubricated and collimated, all mechanical components in the camera were cleaned and then lubricated and the frame rate switch was changed for one with a 'click' for 25fps. All frame rates were set. All internal optics were cleaned and set from the ground glass to the last lens in the viewfinder. The Nicad battery was also re-celled. I prefer having the original recelled as this eliminates the use of an 'umbillical' cord between the camera and battery. Basically everything. The problem with a lot of these cameras is even if they appear to have had little use all the lubrication is, as Bjorn puts it, like 'glue' and the camera HAS to be fully cleaned first. I absolutely love the Beaulieu Super8 cameras and especially the 4008 - it has to be the coolest looking camera ever made, and on top of its "coolness" it has the mirrored shutter and c-mount and it is really compact. The Angenieux 8-64 zoom is both beautiful in asthetic design and in the images it produces. As for Beaulieu, they still operate but sadly they no longer manufacture cameras. They sold all of their stock of parts to a company called Wittner in Germany. They also offer servicing, but I would reccomend Bjorn. I think Wittner are planning the manufacture of a couple of new 6008/7008 cameras. Matt Mt

Very interesting, I have only ever heard of the following people in the UK: Pro8mm (send to their place in Burbank though) Widescreen (send to Andec in Berlin) Bucks Lab (only suitable if you are on a big production (and big budget)) Hendersons - most recent addition - I am yet to find out exactly what services they offer, their website seems to have failed. They are definitely offering super8, but I dont know whether they are offering both B/W and ECN-2 The £23 for 7218 is far too expensive. Buy the film from Kodak direct. They ship it post free to you and the price I have paid for neg stock is £7.14+vat, although I am almost certain now that they will sell it for less than this if you push them. Then send to, for the cheapest processing, Andec direct. The other advantage of this, if you are on a budget, is that you are spreading the cost of the film and processing rather than paying it in one lump - the only justification for paying for things up front before you have them is if you are getting a substantially better price, but at £23 you are not. What is the name of this place - mabey they will deal? Matt

There must have been something wrong with the DVD. I have to say I did like the concept of the film, but am sorry I did not get to see it on the big screen. Rather like I would live to see Natural Born Killers on a big screen to have a look at the super8 footage. It looks superb on the DVD - beautiful, and works so well for the story. Matt

I think this is the thing about these cameras - I think they are basically very good value. On the R16 forum check out: http://p205.ezboard.com/fbeaulieur16usersf...opicID=32.topic Find the post by Bjorn Andersson. He is the world leading guru on Beaulieu cameras and has been repairing and servicing them continiously for the last 30 years. He recently serviced my 4008 super8 camera. Matt