Possible Revenue Streams with super-8

John Adolfi · April 2, 2007

Been thinking how to maximize the income potential of Super-8. How can we create an assett with this medium? Is it possible? To what end? I'd like to explore the avenues I know of and the many you know of as well and to see if the collective reasoning here can come up with anymore possibilities. Before we begin an open brainstorming session on this topic let's make sure we agree that no idea is stupid. Let's just get it all on the table before we analyze any.

1.) Being at the right place and the right time recording an event like the JFK assassination.

2.) Create a film like Jet Benny or Vampire in Burbank and sell DVD's.

3.) I remember seeing Vampire in Burbank at our local Video rental place. Don't know if its viable anylonger but at one time a super-8 film could be sold to video stores.

Nate Downes · April 2, 2007

Let's see:

Rock Concert footage

Weddings

making Commercials for local businessess

in short, the same things you can do with a video camera, just now they have the prestige of shooting it on real film for a fraction of the cost.

Chris Burke · April 2, 2007

Been thinking how to maximize the income potential of Super-8. How can we create an assett with this medium? Is it possible? To what end? I'd like to explore the avenues I know of and the many you know of as well and to see if the collective reasoning here can come up with anymore possibilities. Before we begin an open brainstorming session on this topic let's make sure we agree that no idea is stupid. Let's just get it all on the table before we analyze any.

1.) Being at the right place and the right time recording an event like the JFK assassination.

2.) Create a film like Jet Benny or Vampire in Burbank and sell DVD's.

3.) I remember seeing Vampire in Burbank at our local Video rental place. Don't know if its viable anylonger but at one time a super-8 film could be sold to video stores.

It would be really cool to see two giants like Kodak and Apple get together and do some sort of contest/festival via the web and beyond. Similar format to what is already being done. Kodak supplies the one cart of Super 8, each contestant shoot the one role with in camera edits only. Sound is synced ex post facto. Just like in the many other fleadh scannas, pardon my sloppy irish. The winners will be put all over itunes for downloading to the millions. iPods and such. Just brain storming.

As Nate mentioned, weddings galore. I have shot many on Super 8 and the clients couldn't have been happier

alfredoparra · April 2, 2007

since its your idea for kodak and apple to join forces why dont you write a proposal and send it to both of them, kodak is very open to suggestings and so is apple! if they dont know what the consumers want they cant offer it so its takes people like you to tell them. Theres alot of movies being filmed with super8, pro8mm.com had a list of all the movies made, there was a tv show that was filmed with a super8 a few months back on ABC, pro8mm.com did the processing and transfering, super 8 is not as dead as you might think its just not being used for a full lenth feature film because the people making these movies have the money to film on a better medium and use super 8 for tight shots, I was going to shoot a movie on super but im not going to anymore because getting clean processing and transfers is not easy! I dont want to see little hairs flickering in a scene that cost me $2000 to shoot! So I moved away from super 8 and now its hd video time because I like the clean look! no more processing, transfering, or spending big bucks to get back a clip that is full of debree because the lab tech dident give a poop! super 8 is good as an introduction to film making but not a medium to stay with and try to prove to the world you can get a distribution deal, we all know you can, if you have a powerful story and you shoot it on a barbie doll camera from walwart it still will sell so my point is its not what your using to film its what your filming to sell! thats the bottom line! I think film is dying! I would always disagree when people said this but its true! if you go on ebay you will see all these cine folks selling there cameras and some ads say going hd video! I think everybody is going hd video sooner or later unless kodak steps up to the plate and releases a brand new super 8 camera with a video tap and sync and re-designs the super 8 cartridge with a better pressure plate! you cant sell film and make big profits if nobody is building cameras! everybody is forced to buy old crap cameras off ebay! when do we see a brand new super 8 on the market? why cant kodak release a line? why cant beaulieu release a new 4008? ive emailed both of them and I got was (NOT AT THIS TIME!) well time is ticking and the share holders want a return in there investment so why not hit the world by storm and release the first super 8 camera since 1980

Jim Simon · April 3, 2007

I thought I might try using Super 8 to shoot the formal session when I do wedding videos. Of course, until the practice is perfected, I will have an assistant shoot with my normal DV camera. But this could add that special something to my wedding movies that few others have.

Ryan Ball · April 3, 2007

I've been considering shooting a mobile series on super 8. Since the episodes are usually pretty short, you can pretty much shoot an entire intatllment on one catridge if you shoot efficiently. Also, there will be a lot of mobile content shot on consumer DV gear, so your super 8 show will look more cinematic and have a better chance of getting distribution or ad revenue. Also, the grain, gate weave and other drawbacks of the format will not be as noticable on the little cell phone screen. This could open up a whole new world of possibilities for super 8.

John Adolfi · April 3, 2007

How about doing the festivals? Any money there?

Matt Sandstrom · April 3, 2007

yes, there's money in festivals, but rarely worth the work since the chance of winning even if your film is fantastic is very very small. i've had work screened in dozens of festivals, and the exposure has been worth it for sure, but the price money i've been able to pick up along the way barely convers dvd's and postage, let alone travel. some grants and sponsor gifts have been worth a lot but since you need to make another film to get them they really only mean more costs. ;-) i've never made anything serious on super 8 that didn't make money though. the only short i did was picked up by national television and won a few awards, so that was a big financial success for its investors, i.e. me. the rest has been music videos, and while i never get rich doing them i usually get the common 10% of the budget, which usually means around $100-$200 for super 8 videos. not good for at least three days of work but it's money. :-)

/matt

John Adolfi · April 4, 2007

What if you were to make a full length feature and build a mini theatre to run it and advertise it as the cheapest movie ever made, exclusive at your theatre.

Dan Salzmann · April 5, 2007

The idea of "revenue streams" really makes me laugh. It's like cash fields or income geysers.

If you are doing low budget music videos like Matt-Nice (work by the way!) you can keep yourself in pasta and continue to hone your craft as a cinematographer and/or director.

I do not know anyting about wedding videography or wedding cinematography or wedding anything.

I have seen some interesting skateboard stuff shot on super8 and then well edited. I do not know how much of a "revenue stream" those films are.

Victor Mejia · April 7, 2007

since its your idea for kodak and apple to join forces why dont you write a proposal and send it to both of them, kodak is very open to suggestings and so is apple! if they dont know what the consumers want they cant offer it so its takes people like you to tell them. Theres alot of movies being filmed with super8, pro8mm.com had a list of all the movies made, there was a tv show that was filmed with a super8 a few months back on ABC, pro8mm.com did the processing and transfering, super 8 is not as dead as you might think its just not being used for a full lenth feature film because the people making these movies have the money to film on a better medium and use super 8 for tight shots, I was going to shoot a movie on super but im not going to anymore because getting clean processing and transfers is not easy! I dont want to see little hairs flickering in a scene that cost me $2000 to shoot! So I moved away from super 8 and now its hd video time because I like the clean look! no more processing, transfering, or spending big bucks to get back a clip that is full of debree because the lab tech dident give a poop! super 8 is good as an introduction to film making but not a medium to stay with and try to prove to the world you can get a distribution deal, we all know you can, if you have a powerful story and you shoot it on a barbie doll camera from walwart it still will sell so my point is its not what your using to film its what your filming to sell! thats the bottom line! I think film is dying! I would always disagree when people said this but its true! if you go on ebay you will see all these cine folks selling there cameras and some ads say going hd video! I think everybody is going hd video sooner or later unless kodak steps up to the plate and releases a brand new super 8 camera with a video tap and sync and re-designs the super 8 cartridge with a better pressure plate! you cant sell film and make big profits if nobody is building cameras! everybody is forced to buy old crap cameras off ebay! when do we see a brand new super 8 on the market? why cant kodak release a line? why cant beaulieu release a new 4008? ive emailed both of them and I got was (NOT AT THIS TIME!) well time is ticking and the share holders want a return in there investment so why not hit the world by storm and release the first super 8 camera since 1980

Alfredo,

This is absolutely right. Film is dying; moreover, it's expensive. Super8 film is truly a foolish luxury when you consider that you'll get more bang out of your buck shooting HD. And now with Canon's recent release of a consumer $1000 HD camera with 24p, it makes even LESS sense to shoot super8 film. Yeah, super8 has beautiful colors, and grain, and blah,blah, blah--nobody cares, especially the audience. Old, crappy cameras, risk of scratches, expensive telecine! An HD 24p camera for a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of the cost of shooting super8 film sounds good to me. Don't get me wrong. I like super8 film, but there's no way in heaven or hell I'm going to shoot a feature considering the inexpensive HD option. If Beaulieu or Arri or someone out there manufactured a REAL camera with adjustable viewfinder, crystal sync, decent lens (replaceable would be ideal), widescreen gate, quiet motor, and video tap for under $2000, I might-maybe-1-in-a-trillion-chance-in-hell reconsider.

steve hyde · April 7, 2007

...wedding documentaries are lucrative. You can make more than a union DP wage. (est 600./day) Last year I worked with a professional wedding photographer on a few jobs. (shooting super 8). She does a lot of highly stylized photography (infrared and so on) and selects her clients carefully. We had a Hindi wedding complete with henna tattooed hands etc. and a West African wedding on the water front in Seattle. Lots of interesting cultural traditions in weddings. I have found it to be fascinating work from behind the lens...... She has been showing samples of the super 8 stuff I shot to her perspective clients and some are requesting the package. The package isn't for everyone since we do a lot of highly stylized stuff, but for people who don't want their wedding to look like a segment from the Oprah Winfrey show, it is a nice option. I hope to schedule four or five of these things over the summer to help keep the dream alive.

Steve

NathanCoombs · April 8, 2007

If you get into music videos you can make as much money as you can get away with - depends on the record label and how prominent the act is.

Music labels and musicians love super-8 (and black and white/reversal 16mm).

Even if you have to swallow the related film costs as part of your budget, the fact that you work on these mediums is a huge plus in that field.

So make some friends with signed bands!!

For tv my experience is that a lot of the people who work in tv personally love super-8 but as tv execs they dislike anything which dislodges the DV uniformity fo their programming. You have to fight hard with tv to use super-8 or 16mm MOS.