Just starting with super 8

Bryan Doyle · June 20, 2004

Hello I just recently discovered my parents old super 8 camera... I have shot on dv for awhile but thought i'd give real film a try.. I was wondering what I will need I have a projector but no film.. I was wondering how much film costs where to get it and how to get it developed.. Also are there any other costs and how much are they. I was hopping to transfer the film to video and them onto my computer for editting is this possible and how can it be done?

Thank you very much Bryan Doyle

Phil Rhodes · June 20, 2004

Hi,

Film and processing can be reasonably cheap - comfortably under US$50 per three minute cassette if you want to project reversal.

However, it's very expensive to do anything more with it. Mainly you'll want to transfer it to video, and that costs hundreds an hour.

Phil

Alessandro Machi · June 20, 2004

Actually, Film and Video Transfers in Northridge California has a very good film chain transfer available for something like $90.00 dollars an hour (Betacam Sp might be more, but I'm not sure about that), there is a $30 or 40.00 dollar minimum, but I think the video stock goes towards that.

Their minimum would cover a couple of film cartridges.

Bryan Doyle · June 20, 2004

So buying and developing super 8 film could be around $50 for 3 minutes.. And from there it could be $100's to transfer to video... If i was hopping to shoot a 5-10 minute short film and some how get it onto my computer what would be the best way and what would the price be.. I was palnning on recording sound seperately and putting that in once on my computer as this i feel comfortable with.

Alessandro Machi · June 20, 2004

Hi Brian, you probably missed my previous post because it was posted only one minute before your post. One Film cartridge of reversal stock is around $15.00-$18.00, Developing is around $10-12 dollars. If you buy five cartridges from Kodak, there is approximately a 20% discount. If you have a student ID, you may be elegible for an additional discount.

Kodak only charges the actual shipping cost to ship your film there are no other mark-ups. I believe there is an additional two percent discount depending on how you pay for your film.

Negative stocks are perhaps 10-20% more than reversal?

Nate Downes · June 20, 2004

You can buy Kodachrome from Kodak w/ processing included for just under $15 a roll. The transfer will be the priciest bit initially, but even that can be done for cheap if you do some digging around.

Phil Rhodes · June 21, 2004

Hi,

I should point out that a cheap film-chain transfer of reversal super-8 will almost certainly not look as good as well-shot DV.

Phil

Nate Downes · June 21, 2004

@Phil

Cost less tho. If you spent as much on the film chain as on the DV, you'd end up with higher quality results. (shoot, buy a Workprinter for less than DV, and do high quality transfers yourself)

Alessandro Machi · June 21, 2004

Hi,

I should point out that a cheap film-chain transfer of reversal super-8 will almost certainly not look as good as well-shot DV.

Phil

Not true. Film and Video Transfers Film Chain looks real darn good. And the auto censors make the one-light real time transfers pretty darn good, as long as you can tolerate a few seconds of "adjusting at the head of each scene change".

Matt Wells · June 22, 2004

In the UK I have recently been following this route:

Kodak negative film: £7 roll

Processing: £10 roll

Professional Rank telecine: £85 / hr session time = approx 6-8rolls / hr with grading (3:1 ratio)

These prices do not include VAT at 17.5%, but you are eligible to get this back if you are a VAT registered business

Matt

GeorgeSelinsky · June 22, 2004

These prices do not include VAT at 17.5%

I'm assuming this is Britain's sales tax? Wow, that's very high - we here in New York are at 8.75%

- G.

Nate Downes · June 22, 2004

These prices do not include VAT at 17.5%

I'm assuming this is Britain's sales tax? Wow, that's very high - we here in New York are at 8.75%

- G.

Brittan is one of the lowest VAT's in europe. You should see Finland sometime, 24% IIRC.

And people say the US is too highly taxed? They should see the tax rates for the rest of the world.

Phil Rhodes · June 22, 2004

Cough - fuel tax - cough.

Phil "Not Starting a Politico-ecological Debate" Rhodes

Alessandro Machi · June 23, 2004

here's a gasoline price quote...

?We haven't gotten there yet, nor have we gotten to the prices that our European friends are paying for a gallon of gasoline, anywhere from $5 to $7 a gallon,? Baxter said.

Europeans are quick to remind Americans that they have it a lot easier in terms of gasoline prices. Gasoline prices in Europe are routinely three times as high as in the United States.

Here's the link....

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4652952

Matt Wells · June 23, 2004

At present we pay in the UK approx 0.81p per litre

1 US gallon=3.36 litres = £2.72 / US gallon = approx $4.89 / gallon (exchange rate 1.80 approx at present)

As for VAT, anyone involved in business will tell you what a pain this is and if you get it wrong the Customs & Excise, who collect it, have enourmous powers. If they suspect that you are trying it on in anyway that can become very nasty indeed (even if you are not trying it on)

Matt

Phil Rhodes · June 23, 2004

Hi,

Dragging the conversation back on topic, I dropped in one super-8 cart of Ektachrome 160 and two of Vision 200T for processing today. Total cost: £47. That's well over US$70. Yeeowtch.

Phil "Thank DVCAM for that" Rhodes

Matt Wells · June 24, 2004

Hi,

Dragging the conversation back on topic, I dropped in one super-8 cart of Ektachrome 160 and two of Vision 200T for processing today. Total cost: £47. That's well over US$70. Yeeowtch.

Phil "Thank DVCAM for that" Rhodes

Where - this seems incredibly expensive.

Also, I thought the Ektachrome 160 was replaced by the 7240 125ASA stock around 5 years ago - was it an old roll?

But, seriously, where are you taking this stuff for processing - to my mind not even the Widescreen Centre is that expensive - did they charge extra for the 160, although I cant think why they should as it is still VNF chemistry.

Matt

Phil Rhodes · June 24, 2004

Hi,

Took it to the place-in-a-back-alley near the junction of Tottenham Court Road and Oxford Street. Apparently they have to send it to LA, but I'm told that there will be s8 processing in the UK fairly soon.

On the bright side they are selling 7218 in s8 for 23 quid a cart, including processing, but it's a pretty far gone day when ten pounds a minute is good!

Phil

Matt Wells · June 24, 2004

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

Riku Naskali · June 27, 2004

K40 is the cheapest film for super8 even though the prices have gone up during the year. In Finland it's about 19e per cart including processing by Kodak (Lausanne Switzerland). Neg stock is really expensive for super8, it's propably cheaper to shoot 16mm if you can get the gear from somewhere.

For cheap reasonably quality transfers, "workprinter" is the work. It's no rank, but it sure doesn't look worse than DV. It however can't handle neg film very well.

By the way, the current gas price here in Finland is 1.3 e / l.