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Why doesn't my super 8 film 'roll out'


JoanneLou

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I'm fairly new to super 8 and I'm wondering why, when my super 8 film reel ends, I don't get the cool colours and flashes that signify the end of the film.

I particually like the look when the film rolls out and you get the distorted 'Kodak' signature at the end but my films don't come back with this either.

 

I have a Nizo Pro camera if this makes any difference?

 

Any thoughts on this would be great or, if at all poss, I would love it if someone could email me a Kodak-labelled end of reel sequence as a file that I could incorporate into my editing?

 

Many thanks!

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The film end just has the work 'exposed' printed on it in ink, to remind you not to try to shoot on it, but you never got those few frames back from Kodak, just the few clear frames fogged in the cartridge gate.

Kodak lab leaders sometimes had 'Kodak' inked on in red, but that, of course, would be at the head of the roll.

Perhaps what you have seen had been added in editing.

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This is mostly because of how you have to get the film out of the Super-8 cartridge at the lab, you basically break open one side of the cartridge in the darkroom and cut the film off, the very tail of the film is left in the cartridge.

 

-Rob-

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Hell I can't believe I actually have a usefult tip: It's especially easy at the start of the film, take out the cartridge and advance/rewind the film a little by pulling it along with your finger, or (at the beginning of the cartridge) advance the cartridge by turning the takeup spool a few winds, do them quickly for more interesting burns. Happened to me when I advanced E64t cartridges to pass the bent bits.

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Thank you all so much for explaining this to me! Alessandro- I will definately be trying out your tip when I film on 500t this weekend. Will make sure the camera is on the daylight setting too.

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I have to agree with Oliver. Those effects, with the "burned" film and the weird colors, are much more prevalent in double 8mm film. With Double 8, you had to expose the beginning, middle, and end of the film in order to thread the film between the two spools. Since light is always uneven, some sides of the spool were more burned than others, resulting in the effect. Usually, it was about 1' at the beginning, 2' in the middle, and another foot at the end. Since there is no threading of a cartridge in Super 8, you can't really get those effects.

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What is double 8? Does it require a completely different camera to a super 8?

 

 

Yes. "Double 8" film is actually 16mm film that is perforated with twice as many perfs as regular 16mm. The film is exposed on one side, flipped over, and exposed on the other side. The processed film is then slit in half and spliced together to form an 8mm film.

 

For this film, you need a different camera. The good thing is that double 8 cameras are cheap and most can accommodate any film stock you put in them. If you are looking for a good, sturdy double 8 camera, I would recommend the Cine Canonet 8 or the Minolta Zoom 8. They both have auto exposure and are battery-powered. The only issue is that both use a mercury battery, so you will need to use a Wein cell or the MR50 battery adapter to use the meter properly.

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You can get minimal and ongoing flash effects if every time you stop filming the shutter remains open, however that is a hit or miss phenomenon and varies from camera to camera. When advancing the film via the cartridge spindle, make sure the film is advancing in a downward direction when the label of the cartridge is facing you. If you have single frame capability, overexpose a few random frames and the shoot your next shot.

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