I have made my last film 30 years ago... on Single-8.
Time to shoot something again I would say :lol:
I just have ordered one 64T and one Wittnerchrome 100D cartridge.
I have here a mint condition Canon 814 XL-S.
The model with the newest design... a wonderful camera.
I would like to make some test footage from my garden etc...
Maybe my old workshop and machines, too.
I can use all the hints I can get.
Thank you all in advance!
PS: I never have had a digital or even an analogue video camera.
I'm afraid I will stick to real film for the rest of my life
Fred.
my website:
http://www.super-8.be
about film transfering:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_k0IKckACujwT_fZHN6jlg
Excellent news! I look forward to hearing about your adventures. Here is a brief guide that appeared in my book 'Essential Retro':
Quick Start Guide To Filming
Most people have spent some time fiddling with a camcorder. The result is often a half hour of shaky home video peppered with eye-popping zooms and head-spinning back-and-forth ‘swish’ pans.
Luckily, Super 8 film doesn’t give you the time to make many mistakes. A standard 15 m (50 foot) roll lasts 3 minutes and 20 seconds at 18 frames per second (fps), and two and a half minutes at 24 fps. It’s important to make every second count. Here’s a ten point guide to the basics:
1. Maintain & clean your camera
Before every shoot, make sure that your batteries are good and that the camera is fully functional. It’s also a good idea to clean the film compartment and film gate (the metal window behind the lens). Be careful not to clean with anything that will leave a residue or particles of cloth behind.
2. Use a tripod
This is probably the most important secret to capturing good footage. Shaky hand-held shots are a dead giveaway that you’re an amateur. It’s useful to watch a film or two in the same style that you’ll be shooting, paying special attention to how the shots are framed. Watch how the camera moves, follows the action and uses selective focus to control our eyes. If your shoot involves a great deal of action, borrow or rent a camera stabilizer. These devices support the camera while you’re moving, giving you enormous flexibility. Be sure to practice.
3. Careful with the zoom lens
The trick to a good zoom? Don’t do it. Here’s a worthwhile exercise: Grab one of your favorite movies and some popcorn and spend half an hour or so watching it with the sound turned down. Pay attention to how the camera moves. You’ll discover pretty quickly that most shots have very little movement. If the camera does move, it tends to slide back and forth quite gracefully using a wheeled dolly. How many times did the camera zoom in and out quickly? Unless you’re watching a music video or kung-fu film, it probably didn’t.
4. Plan your shots
It may sound obvious, but your films will benefit from consciously deciding what you’re trying to achieve. We’re often so swept up in the excitement of filming that we neglect to tell ourselves what the goal of the shot is.
5. Vary your shots
Film and television are close-up mediums. It makes sense to capture a few wide “establishing shots,†but because of its relatively low resolution, Super 8 isn’t good for panoramic, sweeping vistas.
6. Frame your images
Notice where the subject is in relation to others and check your backgrounds. There’s nothing worse than shooting “the perfect take,†only to discover later that there’s a lamppost sticking out of an actor’s head. Watch a few of your favorite movies and notice how the cinematographers frame shots: in a close-up, the actor’s eyes usually fall about 1/3 of the way down the screen. Be careful not to leave empty space between an actor’s head and the top of the screen. It’s called headspace, and leaving too much is a sure sign of an amateur.
7. Use interesting camera angles and perspectives
Nothing is more boring than a static shot taken from eye-level. Try shooting from ground level, or from above or below to add emotional impact. Be careful not to impart unintended meaning to your shots.
8. Celebrate variety
Include interesting scenes and transitions that involve movement and action. They can be difficult to block out and film, but they can have a big effect on your audience. Make sure that the effects support the script rather than detracting from it, though.
9. Pace your film
Make sure each shot is long enough, but not too long. You can always edit a scene later, but if you shoot too long, you’ll simply waste film.
10. Focus, focus and re-focus
We’ve been spoiled by auto-focus camcorders and digital cameras. In the old days, everything had to be done by hand. The best way to learn? Practice framing and focusing without actually shooting film. Spend a few minutes trying to capture the action at a local soccer game, or shooting cars driving by. Filmmaking is a learned ability, and the more shooting the better.
Thank you both Reflex and Mike for the good advice!
I will read everything very carefull.
Any hints about the use of 64T and the filter?
Mike, do you realize I have payed....
25 Euro's for that -near mint- 814 XL-S.
From the original owner on the flea marked.
Yes.. he has switched to digital
Here in Belgium people do not realize the value of those cams.
They do not realize the quality of real film, too.
Fred.
my website:
http://www.super-8.be
about film transfering:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_k0IKckACujwT_fZHN6jlg
Yeehar! There are fun times ahead, Fred. By the way, when you shot single 8 all those years ago, did you ever own a ZC1000? In any case, with most super 8 cameras, don't trust the viewfinder screen for evaluating focus, even if your subject looks sharp. Always use the focusing aid in the middle for accurate focus. Or else, use a tape measure!
You know, I got away from projecting my films over the past few years...last night with my latest 100D ticking away on the Bolex projector made me realize a lot of the experience of small format filmmaking is indeed the presentation on a screen. The humming of the projector, the incredible images...and yes, my screen waving back and forth gently due to the ceiling fan. PERFECT! In fact, I would like to post an image of the setup and the film showing but that would be a difficult exposure for sure.
Nice price. I am jealous. But, I have one already. I would not worry about 64T - just shoot it as people did back in the day - insert film, set external switch for daylight or tungsten, then shoot.
Cheers,
Mike
My website - check it out...
http://super8man.filmshooting.com/
Gah, I bought 8 carts of plus-x last april and they've just been sitting in the fridge since! I really should shoot them...summer's almost over. Thanks Fred for the inspiration!
Now you are talking, go for it Fred! The only thing you might miss out on shooting video is the easy sound capture and miles and miles of shooting uninspiring images. 8)
I almost never pick up a video camera anymore. Shooting film is always so much more satisfying and rewarding. Jump in, don't worry about a learning curve. I've been at it for over 30 years and I'm still on the curve myself!
David M. Leugers wrote:Now you are talking, go for it Fred! The only thing you might miss out on shooting video is the easy sound capture and miles and miles of shooting uninspiring images. 8)
This is what it's all about. Film is forcing you to think twice about what you are doing. The good sound capture is indeed the big benefit of digital.
During my vakation I was walking in my garden with my 814. 8)
No cartridge in it of cource, just to test everything.
Ah that was a nice feeling... The inspiration was there again.
Fred.
my website:
http://www.super-8.be
about film transfering:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_k0IKckACujwT_fZHN6jlg
VideoFred wrote: This is what it's all about. Film is forcing you to think twice about what you are doing.
You are absolutely right Fred. For my recent shoot I visualised in my head shot by shot, composed carefully before pressing the trigger, and edited in camera as much as possible. There is certainly a discipline you have to adhered to when you shoot film compared to digital and it is a process that i enjoy.
Dont forget to shoot some moving images though.
How about going to the places that you filmed 30 years ago and take some images there, see how much that location has changed today?
You gonna love that Canon 814XL-S, great camera and with images to match.
BK wrote: There is certainly a discipline you have to adhered to when you shoot film compared to digital and it is a process that i enjoy.
Yes, me too. I have nothing against digital and it is the future... but it's a bit like 'muzak' in the Supermarket. It looks all the same.... and to much of it.
Dont forget to shoot some moving images though.
I keep this in mind. It is a film camera, Bill. :lol:
How about going to the places that you filmed 30 years ago and take some images there, see how much that location has changed today?
Now that's a very good idea, Bill.
If possible, I do that.
I can begin with myself
Fred.
my website:
http://www.super-8.be
about film transfering:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_k0IKckACujwT_fZHN6jlg
BK wrote:How about going to the places that you filmed 30 years ago and take some images there, see how much that location has changed today?
That's funny, that's exactly what I've been thinking lately while transferring our old family films. I'd love to go back to some of the exact same spots where my Dad shot some of these scenes and using the same camera, shoot them again and fade between then in post editing.
I've even found myself looking for images of these places on google and comparing them as well as using google earth so that I could get an idea of where the shots were taken. Maybe one day.
Fred, re. the 64T filtration: Most would recommend the 85B filter -- I found it too orange (Kodak wratten/gellatin). Even filming in open shade it looked much too warm. I'm waiting for a test with the internal 85 filter to return.
Of course it could have been a processing error, who knows? As for myself, I will never waste another cent on 64T, so grainy it makes me sick in the stomach to watch
) do as Mike says and screw a cheap 85b filter on the front - even better!!
