A little help?

Post by **The Seldon Plan** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 3:52 pm

Here's the lo-down:

I've shot a few shorts for my showreel to get into uni to do film (i've just done a masters in chemistry and found that it bored me shitless.) I've always loved film.

The shorts that i've shot have been with a friend - one using a pretty cheap digital handheld which came out pretty rough as you'd imagine and one using his new canon hv-20.

However, my friend just bought me a nizo 156 macro to mess around on for my 21st. I just have a few questions.

1. What film should i be using to familiarise myself with super 8mm for the first time?

2.Where can i get the film converted to dvd (i live in the UK)?

3. Any other advice you'd want to fling my way? Anything at this point would be helpful - i've literally never held a real film camera before

Cheers
Paul

Post by **ronnoco** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 6:49 pm

Helo Paul and wecome to this forum.....its a fantastic resource for anyone getting into shooting smal gauge film. Some of the members of this forum are fantastically knowedgable about all things film.
If you have questions just ask and inevitably someone will provide/offer an answer or solution for you.

As far as film stocks go you are spoiled for choice....Kodak produce 5 different super 8 stocks to my knowledge and all are easily availabe from UK suppliers..they are

Kodak Ektachrome 64T..this is a colour reveral stock (reversal stocks are processed to give you a positive film which can be projected as soon as you get it back from the lab). Its a nice stock IMHO better suited to close up shots...it gets a bit less sharp with longer shots.

Kodak Plus X.....this is a black and white reversal stock...lovely

Kodak Tri X ...another B&W reversal stock....again fantastic atmosphere for that film noir look.

Kodak Vision 200T...this is a colour negative stock...when processed you get a negative film which needs to be transfered to digital or Andec lab in Berlin can produce a positive print for a price..

Kodak Vision 500T...again a colour negative stock..very fast film suitable for low light situations/ night time shots

Heres a link to the widescreen centre in London detailing all the above stocks with sample movie shots of them all..

http://www.super8widescreen.com/

There are other super 8 stocks available from suppliers in the US and Germany....do search on this site for pro8mm and wittner.

Incidentaly I live pretty close to you. I am in Paisley. I have built my own transfer unit to transfer film to digital (get it into a computer for editing) so if you ever need a free transfer give me a shout..good luck with your filming.

Mike

Post by **The Seldon Plan** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 10:10 am

Thanks for the info mike - appreciated!

Post by **The Seldon Plan** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 11:47 am

also one final question:

I've been reading the nizo compact series probably won't expose the ektachrome 64t properly. Though it's a bit of a sketchy answer. Is that right?

I was thinking of ordering some ektachrome 64T as i was wanting to do some outside shooting - preferably on a sunny day for that "home movies in the park" kind of vibe. Is that going to be suitable - i've read you can adjust the camera to underexpose 2/3 becuase the camera might think your filming with 40 ASA. This is all a bit new to me though so i don;t want to waste money ordering film that i'll mess up!

Post by **ronnoco** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 2:01 pm

Yup thats good advice concerning your camera and E64T...take a reading from the intergral light meter and adjust exposure 2/3 of a stop less to compensate...take a look at this page for further info...

http://super8wiki.com/index.php/Super_8 ... ld_cameras

Go ahead and buy your self some E64T...perfect for bright sunny days..and it will give you that home movie look your after...dont forget to engage the inbuilt daylight filter of the camera before shooting..otherwise you will get a particularly bluish tinge to your film...the filter warms things up nicely....

Blue Audio Visual based in London are the cheapest for E64T with processing...just google them to get their website..they also sell on ebay

Mike

Post by **The Seldon Plan** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 2:42 pm

Thanks again! I'm like a godamn kid at christmas - it's funny, never felt even remotely like this when using miniDV cams.

Post by **Mitch Perkins** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 4:19 pm

Take your exposure reading from light reflected off of specific desired subjects within the scene, rather than from the whole scene - a bright sky above/behind the park will close down your iris and faces/grass/trees will come out dark.

Mitch

Post by **Will2** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 4:34 pm

The Seldon Plan wrote:I'm like a godamn kid at christmas - it's funny, never felt even remotely like this when using miniDV cams.

It's that film mystique. Makes you think differently about a shoot. When you are paying for every foot of film you plan better and take more time for a setup.

MiniDV is still a great format to learn framing and storytelling. Seeing results immediately and the ease of editing is a big plus, but I think you'll feel more pride in a well crafted film short vs. a video one simply because of the effort it takes.

Congratulations on following your heart. More people need to do that. The future will take care of itself when you do what you love.