An Idea On How To Easily Make A Professional S8 PROMO Movie

[S8 Booster]

Due to the understandable frustration over trashing super8 film pieces being presented public I came to think of this idea(s) on how to make a professional promo S8 film to show the potential.

My first thought was to suggest to gather the PROs from this board (If possible) to make a very intense and professional short by using professional directing, editing, script and possibly actors to shoot it down Saving nothing on gear resources to achive a technical quality.


However, since there are so many PROs here close to the real buzz - would it be possible for some of you to attend to a professional shoot - say a commercial and simply parallell it with S8 cams? I believe most commercials are shot silent with sound dubbed so the cam noise may not be THE problem.

Could even nick the sound work from the 35mm to dub on to the S8.

If the owners of the Real Commercial accepted it - only keeping their rights for the S8 as with the 35mm original, the S8 version could be released after the big one had run out. It would cost nothing more than blood sweat and tears to get a PRO base for shooting a S8 PROMO film.

I know there would be an issue on film stocks/sensitivity etc but it may be sorted out. Possibly Provia F100 might be an option.

Any contenders :?:

R

[jumar]

That's an interesting idea. The problem is that commercials often just turn the camera on until the mag runs out and do a zillion takes of a zillion shots. They use a massive amount of film. So unless you also got funded by the production company, there's no way you could afford to shoot as much film (and therefore be able to match the final cut).

I prefer the first idea... a call for entries of sorts for superior Super 8 cinematography.

[sunrise]

I always have lots of ideas and stories, and I find the project interesting.

The way to do it is making it the old fashioned way, making shure that the cinematography is brilliant and in no need beeing graded digitally or in any other way 'enhanced' (which is how most commercials are being done here, crap photography and a lot of colour grading).

Second you need some picturesque locations (as studio setups costs).

Third you need proffesional actors, classically trained who will not mess up by forgetting basic continuity.

Forth, do this as a co-production. Get national funding along with nordic funding, EU-funding etc. (The story has to deal with a european subject and/or take you round europe to achieve local funding as well).

I don't think it's that difficult to get funds as long as your story or idea is great and you make shure to involve as many nationalities and minority groups as possible.

I say go for it!
sunrise

[S8 Booster]

That's an interesting idea. The problem is that commercials often just turn the camera on until the mag runs out and do a zillion takes of a zillion shots. They use a massive amount of film. So unless you also got funded by the production company, there's no way you could afford to shoot as much film (and therefore be able to match the final cut).

I prefer the first idea... a call for entries of sorts for superior Super 8 cinematography.

Still the Commercial is a good option. We do not need THE take to make it work. It is also always possible to wait for the second to the last one which is probably as good at the last and still put a decent film together.

Think it. setting, light and everything ready. Just shoot! Roll cam!!

The second option is still valid of course.

R

[pvanscherpe]

I was thinking that since we are located all over we should shot some film on a particular day and present it as a colage of images of the world on that day. I just need to know what day you would like it shot and how to send it to for editing. .... I live near San Francisco.

[jumar]

Still the Commercial is a good option. We do not need THE take to make it work. It is also always possible to wait for the second to the last one which is probably as good at the last and still put a decent film together.

Okay, so the camera crew would be DP, op, camera assistants, and psychic (to tell everyone when the second last take is)

Seriously though, on commercials they often just shoot like crazy to get as many different good takes as possible, so that the agency can build it in post.

Think it. setting, light and everything ready. Just shoot! Roll cam!!

I agree, that would be pretty sweet, and you wouldn't be able to get what the main camera was getting anyway because your angle would be different.

A music video would be cool to double as well.

Related: This weekend I was shooting a digital short, and shot a roll of K40 of one scene parallel to the main camera (an ext shot, but properly lit) during rehearsal just to see how it would come out. I'm curious, because the digital result ended up being nice, so I think it'll be good.

J

[S8 Booster]

Okay, so the camera crew would be DP, op, camera assistants, and psychic (to tell everyone when the second last take is)

Close enough = OK

I agree, that would be pretty sweet, and you wouldn't be able to get what the main camera was getting anyway because your angle would be different.

J

Close enough may be OK here too and possibly you know someone in the crew who arranges an extra take for you


Post samples from your parallell shoot when you get it :?:

R

[mattias]

sorry to rain on your parade, but what exactly would the point of such an endeavour be?

/matt

[S8 Booster]

sorry to rain on your parade, but what exactly would the point of such an endeavour be?

/matt

, , no parade here.

The point is to have a direct side by side camparisation with S8 and a PRO 35mm shoot as a reference.

Now, if the S8 was shot on a [DECENT] film stock and professionally made all the way it would be interesteing to se how they compare in a direct shootout and if the S8 in fact can be used [professionally] to some extent - that is for TV/monitor screening - it could be an alternative.

Your film [Sisten är en skit!] could have worked well as a reference if a parallell was shot on 35mm.

My aim was for TV/monitor use only - not cinema release - although - that coulda be fun to see to :!:

R

[mattias]

The point is to have a direct side by side camparisation with S8 and a PRO 35mm shoot as a reference.

well, what's the point in that then? ;-) all it would show is that super8 looks like crap in comparison, instead of promoting what's good about the format.

/matt

[S8 Booster]

The point is to have a direct side by side camparisation with S8 and a PRO 35mm shoot as a reference.

well, what's the point in that then? ;-) all it would show is that super8 looks like crap in comparison, instead of promoting what's good about the format.

/matt

Disagree - have explained this earlier. Isn´t´that difficult to understand is it?


R

[Basstruc]

Believe me, this will change nothing. I saw a Chanel test commercial on super8 and trust me, there's a lot of money in any chanel commercial. Only imagine yourself doing a short with the money one of there dress cost .... And guess what ? It is still super8 : lots of grain and stuff. Looks like a real waste of money. Chanel commercials HAVE to be shot on 35mm. My advise : shot super8 and don't ask yourself what peoples think about it.
Matt

[MovieStuff]

all it would show is that super8 looks like crap in comparison, instead of promoting what's good about the format.

Hmmm. I tend to agree with Mattias but, in a different way (of course!).

I think that a really good super 8 test, done on K40 and Ranked to video, along with a 16mm print also transferred to video would be an acceptable comparison. It has long been my observation that reversal stocks have similar projection density found in print stocks and look very much the same after transfer to video.

Obviously, super 8 would not ever look like 16mm neg transferred to video but it COULD look like a 16mm print telecined. In fact, I'm positive of this because a music video I helped out with was being cut on 16mm film and they decided to lay the workprint to video, just to see what it looked like and show the backer. K40 footage shot at the same time on a Canon 1014E was also laid in and they looked practically identical. Ultimately, the S8 footage was blown up to 16mm and intercut for the final print (they wanted to project), but on video the 16mm print from neg and the S8 K40 original looked pretty much the same. If anything, the K40 actually looked a bit less grainy than the 16mm workprint, as they had shot with some high speed stock for some slow mo effects on a high speed camera.

I agree with Mattias that doing a comparison to 35mm isn't viable because it will only tell the tale that we already know: Super 8 doesn't look anything like 35mm. But running a comparison to 16mm print stock might be surprising to some people. Not likely to make people consider using super 8 for commercial production, due to limited lab sources, slow turn around, etc. But, from a purely visual standpoint, it would be interesting and fun, I think.

Roger

[S8 Booster]

I agree with Mattias that doing a comparison to 35mm isn't viable because it will only tell the tale that we already know: Super 8 doesn't look anything like 35mm. But running a comparison to 16mm print stock might be surprising to some people. Not likely to make people consider using super 8 for commercial production, due to limited lab sources, slow turn around, etc. But, from a purely visual standpoint, it would be interesting and fun, I think.

Roger

I agree on this. It was never my point to prove that S8 can run back to back with 35mm. Just see how it came out and find out if it was good for "something". Your 16mm reference is a good base.

The Agfa transfer Andreas did with my film looks sharper, (If that was an issue - and grain isn´t really a big issue although some grainier than k40) when played back from the DV tape directly on a Sony 29" TV than almost any commercial I have seen. I would say, too sharp. So from there what is needed is a professional job on everything else.

My toying with this idea was using a modern, faster and low grain reversal film stock from either Kodak or Fuji. With the option of Paul´s perf machine any filmstock may be available. Maybe a DS8 cam would be the best option anyway but I would like to see a S8 cam used too.

If there is sufficient light K40 is possibly the best alternative.
It can be done and woudda be fan.

R

[mattias]

I agree on this. It was never my point to prove that S8 can run back to back with 35mm. Just see how it came out and find out if it was good for "something".

then why shoot something that was production designed, lit, staged, blocked and everything else to be shot on 35 mm negative? super8 k40 needs more light, less contrast, has more dof, doesn't work as well in wide shots due to the limited resolution, and so on. shooting a snowboarding chase sequence through the woods in mt baker would be a better showcase, or something like the camera tossing in slacker. try that on 35mm... :-)

/matt