super-8-epiphany wrote:
things need to change in the Super 8 hobby- or else there will be no hobby soon. The old carts I've been shooting up, have $1 and $3 prices on them. They need to get prices of film for new carts down around $5-6 each- otherwise no one is going to continue doing this.
when the entry level becomes $30 to shoot 3.3 minutes of film, it becomes unaffordable for the average guy. We complain about $3 or $5 a gallon gas- when shooting film is $10 for one minute.
Do a reality check and try some price-indexing. Your cheap films are from 25-30 years past. Money doubles every 7 years. It is the economy. Prices on a niche market or not going to be better then when the product was mainstream.
BTW $3-5 per gallon is not that expensive. It has been too cheap too long. Gasoline usage (miles/gallon) lowering targets for 2020 in USA are ridiculious. These goals are history for like 20 years in other parts of the world.
super-8-epiphany wrote:
when the entry level becomes $30 to shoot 3.3 minutes of film, it becomes unaffordable for the average guy. We complain about $3 or $5 a gallon gas- when shooting film is $10 for one minute.
This hobby has aprox the very same price it had 30 or 40 years ago. Translated to actual money value, it's the same price.
OK, video has always been very cheap since it was introduced compared to film and we got used to the cheap of video, but 8mm is as affordable as it was before.
aj wrote:BTW $3-5 per gallon is not that expensive. It has been too cheap too long. Gasoline usage (miles/gallon) lowering targets for 2020 in USA are ridiculous. These goals are history for like 20 years in other parts of the world.
AJ: The USA (and my native Canada) will be forced to make radical shifts in consumption well before 2020. People will react somewhat rationally to the increasing price of fuel by purchasing smaller vehicles, especially if the US dollar continues to drop relative to other currencies.
Unfortunately, Super 8 film is a discretionary expense for most people. When personal finances are tight it is much easier to do without film than food.
super-8-epiphany wrote:
things need to change in the Super 8 hobby- or else there will be no hobby soon. The old carts I've been shooting up, have $1 and $3 prices on them. They need to get prices of film for new carts down around $5-6 each- otherwise no one is going to continue doing this.
when the entry level becomes $30 to shoot 3.3 minutes of film, it becomes unaffordable for the average guy. We complain about $3 or $5 a gallon gas- when shooting film is $10 for one minute.
Yeah, not going to happen. And I sometimes wonder how much Kodak cares about Super 8 anyway!
A point of view from a poor european guy :
Yes, Super8 shooting is becoming expensive, compared to video. But alas, film is also more and more difficult to buy, and fewer labs accept them for developing. It means Super8 is becoming limited to passionate filmmakers.
From my point of view, Super8 shooting is going to follow this path, being only used by foolish people who LOVE it, and will pay (or do) anything they can afford to let the passion burn.
I have to concur with the gentleman that said costs are about the same now as they were. We are too used to video as a cost structure and standard.
Perhaps there is an additional cost now since we usually transfer to video and there are multiple levels and options there, but if you actually cut and project your films costs are probably about the same as 1975 if you account for inflation. That's pretty good considering how much less film is shot these days.
It is what it is, not cheap, but beautiful (or beautifully ugly depending on the stock). If costs are an issue I'd suggest only shooting a few rolls on special occations and save up to do all processing and transfers once or twice a year.
aj wrote:Didn't someone from Kodak report that they sell more cine-film than ever? 16mm and 35mm of course but handling S8 along side isn't that more demanding.
That 'fact' seems to get bounced around this board a lot but the question is
which stocks are making these record sales? I bet its the print stocks that
are creating these sales figures. With the major movies being released on thousands of screens opening weekend thats a helluvalota print film.
woods01 wrote:That 'fact' seems to get bounced around this board a lot but the question is which stocks are making these record sales? I bet its the print stocks that are creating these sales figures. With the major movies being released on thousands of screens opening weekend thats a helluvalota print film.
Vision2 500T is by far the best selling 35mm stock. Not sure how overall sales are however. Probably something that Kodak doesn't want to put out there.
While HD video certainly has more and more uses, the proliferation of cable and satellite channels also means overall content demand has increased and many still will rely on film in the U.S. for the near future at least for dramas. The investment in quality pays off as these shows are sold overseas for many years.
BTW $3-5 per gallon is not that expensive. It has been too cheap too long. Gasoline usage (miles/gallon) lowering targets for 2020 in USA are ridiculious. These goals are history for like 20 years in other parts of the world.
Oil out of the ground costs between $3 to $5 per barrel to produce. Producing gasoline from crude oil in a process called "cracking" (if I recall right) produces 250 gallons of gas plus many other products from each gallon of crude.... The international banksters must love you.
BTW $3-5 per gallon is not that expensive. It has been too cheap too long. Gasoline usage (miles/gallon) lowering targets for 2020 in USA are ridiculious. These goals are history for like 20 years in other parts of the world.
Oil out of the ground costs between $3 to $5 per barrel to produce. Producing gasoline from crude oil in a process called "cracking" (if I recall right) produces 250 gallons of gas plus many other products from each gallon of crude.... The international banksters must love you.
David M. Leugers
A barrel of 155 liter of oil (almost $100 currently) does not produce 900 liters gasoline. Unless diluted (with what, water? )
The price to market is dictated by economic parameters as scarcity. If people or nations fight over it it becomes more expensive. The costs to the user should also include the costs the car usage inflicts on society and environment . There is no entitlement to cheap transport. This is of course a matter of opinion and politics
A 42-U.S. gallon barrel of crude oil provides slightly more than 44 gallons of petroleum products. This gain from processing the crude oil is similar to what happens to popcorn, it gets bigger after it is popped.
I do laugh at Americans upset at $3 a gallon for gas....try nigh on $8 that we Brits have to put up with and I am sure there are worse countries out there.
Money does not "double every 7 years" (I presume you meant prices? RPI?). Either way that statement is wrong.
Super 8 film, index linked, is about the same cost it was 30 years ago when MUCH more was sold. We are lucky in that regard.
Where we are unlucky is the scarcity of outlets to buy the film. There are more labs now for 64T than there were for Kodachrome in the last 10 years, and realistically the situation isnt going to become like 1975 again.
The government says that by 2010 30% of us will be fat....I am merely a trendsetter
It's disappointing to hear the discontinuation of HIE high speed infrared... a color reversal infrared stock! It's really psychedelic, but I guess nobody really used it?
Anyone know if there is another alternative color reversal infrared stock available. Kodak lists no replacement.
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