Movies in Super 8 format

Post by **disjecta** » Thu Mar 04, 2004 6:43 pm

I'm tempted to buy some movies on eBay and am wondering what the average quality of the picture and sound is like. There's lots of old classic b/w comedies, etc. going for a song.

What's the general impression of how these films project? I finally got my Elmo ST1200 up and running and, the picture quality is so stunning, I want to view some actual films with sound on it too.

Thanks,

Steven

Post by **mattias** » Thu Mar 04, 2004 7:17 pm

the colors are most likely very faded. i've only got a few, but most old prints seem to be desaturated with either a yellow or purple tint. they are usually still sharp though, and the sound can be excellent.

/matt

Post by **vegetable man** » Thu Mar 04, 2004 7:56 pm

I have a few, some better than others. For example, I have Disney's short "The Old Mill" and it is just INCREDIBLE. But I also have 2001 and it is not so sharp, but the sound is good. I think: if you like it and it is cheap, buy it. It is great to see them on the wall.

Post by **Dusty** » Thu Mar 04, 2004 8:48 pm

I like to collect 400' digests. Most color films are extremely faded, but sometimes you'll get lucky and find one that's been kept in good condition; some have colors that are just shades of red and others are as perfect as the day they were made. The sound is almost always fine, very rarely do I have any problems with it.

Black and white films don't have the color problem, but some prints just aren't very well done. I don't have many, but I've been amassing full-length silents over the past few years. My print of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is awful: in some places it's so dark little of the picture is visible and in others it's so washed out it's like you're looking into the headlights of a car. On the other hand, my copy of It is absolutely beautiful (and it has a very good musical score, too).

Post by **sunrise** » Thu Mar 04, 2004 9:10 pm

I am the proud owner of a 400' of alien in a fine letterboxed print.

Only downside is that the cut down made the story seem laughable.

You should only go for cut downs if you interested in a specific scene, song, look or something. Not for the sake of the story.

I also have a 400' of Godzilla vs. King Kong which is fine because it only shows the end of the film and the final meeting of the two monsters. The colours are almost completely pink though.

sunrise

Post by **Brackish** » Thu Mar 04, 2004 11:05 pm

I was offered a set of 4 or 6 reels (can't remember which) of 8mm of the movie "Deep Throat".
Wonder if that is worth any money?

Post by **BolexPlusX** » Fri Mar 05, 2004 12:14 am

Collecting commercial films is a wonderful part of Super-8. I've found the condition and quality of what you get to be variable, which makes getting a really good print with nice sound something special.

I have an excellent quality "Sorcerer's Apprentice" extract from Fantasia which always wakes my audiences up.

Let's not forget that you can still get 'em new.

http://www.derann.com/main.htm

Post by **T-Scan** » Fri Mar 05, 2004 1:22 am

its great collecting old reels. my favorite is the moon rover mission, 200ft great color. have a 400ft star wars thats faded a bit, but smooth. also have a 200ft star wars with striped perfs and just chatters. still don't have a sound projector :oops:

Post by **super8man** » Fri Mar 05, 2004 3:17 am

I echo many of the above comments...My most recent purchase was two 400' silent films from the Indy 500 - 1970 and 1973. The colors are slightly (ok, to the average joe: "VERY") faded so I can still tell white from grey and even the reds and blues are subtle but still there. On some of the closeups they look just fine (again, to me, not the average joe).

Also, 1973 happened to be the worst Indy 500 in history and it is truly sad seeing Swede Savage crashing into the inner wall right in front of the camera (I am sure these were originally captured on 16mm or larger and then reprinted down to super 8). There is something about being able to hold the film where he is OK and then point to the other, later frames, where he is almost dead (he later died in the hospital). Very touching and sad. Perhaps this is the magical thing about movie film: it was (usually) physically there at the event - that's neat to think about!

The point is, especially with the help of my work in process workprinter, I am going to have a hell of a lot of fun transferring this footage to the pc and tweaking it and cutting it up, etc. and making my own personal DVD productions!

So yes, buying these old films will almost surely disappoint you (on average) but if you stick to what you like (and don't buy on a whim), you will be creatively happy with what you end up with.

Good luck!

(Say Angus, how do you like your films - you got the same series as me!)

Post by **BolexPlusX** » Fri Mar 05, 2004 4:48 am

Interesting....

One of mine is a Blackhawk print of the very first Indy 500 in 1911. No worries about the color or the sound, because it doesn't have either!

Post by **MovieMaker** » Fri Mar 05, 2004 8:20 am

IÃ‚Â´m collecting a lot of movie trailers, mostly from Derann. ItÃ‚Â´s absolutely great to watch some of the past and current cinema highlights on the big screen. Really sets me in the "moviemaking-moode". :lol:

Some of my trailer-shows are on 600 feet spools - and when you watch the "Lord of the Rings" trailer in scope - then you know why you love that small gauge soooo much!

MovieMaker

Post by **Angus** » Fri Mar 05, 2004 9:00 am

My two INdy 500 films (74 and 75) were also quite faded but very watchable.

You're correct, they were captured on 16mm. I have seen some of the footage before on TV - including the Swede Savage crash you describe.

1975 has Tom Sneva's incredible firey somersault into the wall from whcih he survived almost unscathed. He was always a lucky one!

Post by **Elmogs** » Fri Mar 05, 2004 9:05 am

You should check out this forum for reviews and all topics on Super 8 collecting.
Great members that know a lot about films!
I use to own an Elmo GS1200 Xenon. The latest releases by Derann and Classic Home Cinema have to be seen to be believed. My feature length print of "Pinnochio" is stunning. So is my copy of "Alien" in Scope/Stereo.
"Spiderman" with Toby Maguire is out and i hear the quality is supersharp and the sound is fantastic. There is also the excerpt from Gladiator which is available as is an excerpt from Lord of the Rings! Awesome quality.

http://8mmforum.film-tech.com/

Best of luck to you..pretty soon you will be hooked like the rest of us there!