I made a 6 minute Super 8 film which was finished on film not transfered to video. The short drama was shot on K40 with a Canon 1014 e, and I used Dwaynes photo for processing. Below are some of the techniques I used.
1. Wrote script and did very basic storyboard
2. Lite scenes with two Lowell quartzw/barndoors and cheap work
lamps
3. Used a Marantz PMD 430 with a Shure SM 58 mic
4. Shot at 24fps
5. On sound scenes used pulse from camera on left channel sync
sound on right channel for later syncing
6. Muffled camera with blankets-(Not Very Effective)
7. Most shots were exposed at 2.8 to 4.0 using the cameras light
meter and then setting it manually.
8. FX's included Superimposed titles using a EWA backwinder and
dissolves using the cameras facilitys
9. After processing film, transfered all into Non linear editor using
GS 1200.
10. Edited movie on computer then watched tape selecting each
scene of original and splicing film using a Fujica roll tape splicer.
11. After movie edited Transferred finished movie into non-linear
editor, using pulses from original sound tape to run GS1200 at
same speed camera shot film.
12. transfered dialoge and sound fx into computer, also did ADR on
some noisy scenes. Synced up sound to picture
13. Processed wav file burned to CD with pulses in right channel
sound on left. Works perfectly, of course the Elmo GS1200 makes
this whole process simple.
I learned a lot from this project, but just as all the books preach good sound is very hard to achieve but is worth all the effort. I have shot several short videos and a couple of thousand feet of Super 8 home movies but nothing matches the excitement of shooting a story film with real film. Finally nothing against transferring your film to video but seeing your original Kodachrome projected on a 12 ft * 9 ft movie screen in front of a audience was fantastic and truly put Super 8mm in its best light.
Roy
Just Finished a Super 8mm Film
Moderator: Andreas Wideroe
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Lucas Lightfeat
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Well done! That's really inspiring. I would like to do that too, but it sounds like much work - in camera effects and all. Was it hard to transfer your computer edited film edit decisions to the film? How did you match it? Was it a matter of counting frames by hand to correspond to the video version? What a way to see your finished film, with sound, projected - supercool. I guess that was normal back in the days of soundstriped film.
Actually it made editing the film a breeze. I just watched my camcorder LCD panel and single frame advanced to see the edit point then found the footage and watched it in my viewer until I found the same frame. Sometimes it was a little tough but most of the time there was some unique thing I could look for to make sure I had the right frame.Was it hard to transfer your computer edited film edit decisions to the film?
Roy
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Guest
Although the Elmo GS1200 has a sync input you have to have the right accessories in order to take advantage of it. There has been over time a few companys that made these little boxes and one of them was Cresta which was located in England. There are two boxes one is called the GS interface and it hooks up to the projector and the other is called simply a Battery box and it hooks up to the flash sync socket of your super 8 camera and its function is to amplify the pulses and I believe convert them to a square waveform that is compatible with the GS sync circuitry.Regarding Step 5:
5. On sound scenes used pulse from camera on left channel sync sound on right channel for later syncing
What did you use to connect the pulse from the camera to the tape recorder?
Cresta recently closed its doors but I believe The Film Group still has the GS interface available and I believe Pedro has plans for making your own or can make you one.
Roy