The small publishing house atoll medien that printed my books about Movie Cameras and Movie Projectors is now presenting a new and very special book that might be interesting for Super 8 freaks. "Super8 Scope" written by Lutz Auhage is in English language only.
Who attached a Kowa 8Z anamorphic lens and compendium to a Nizo? Who built a contact printer from a Super 8 projector with additional reel arms and a lamp housing? Who blows up Super 8 onto 16mm with an archaic apparatus made from a Krasnogorsk camera? Lutz Auhage does things like that. Now he has written an illustrated book on the topic which atoll medien is pleased to offer in a limited edition of 100 copies. In eleven chapters, it covers anamorphic shooting, developing, contact and optical copying, rotoscoping, blue screen, blow ups, film scanning and editing. The 47-year-old tinkerer has created his own devices in each of these areas and presents his working machines.
The price is Euro 39.95 plus shipping. If you have any interest you might send an e-mail to info@atollmedien.de
http://www.atollmedien.de
the books about all cameras and projectors ever built
There has been a lot of interest for the new book written by Lutz Auhage. Because of many questions: International shipping by Air Mail is Euro 8 to any place in the world. So there is a total of Euro 47.95. The office of atoll medien told me 30 of the 100 books in English language have been sold in one day ;).
To all orderers: All copies of the book have been shipped today. It took some more time because we do have a heavy snow disaster here in Germany and the transport from the printers to our office took some more days than suggested .
http://www.atollmedien.de
the books about all cameras and projectors ever built
And it's already got me going. I've got an anamorphic (Iscomorphot S8/2X) I need to mount on my Leicina, and the cover image shows me how I could go about it.
Finally got my copy on Friday. Very very interesting book. Quite inspiring, actually. Considering the oodles of bandwidth spend discussing the minutiae of the costs of filmmaking (be it digital or celluloid) this guy is making do by just creating his own contact & optical printers by modifying old projectors and cameras.
However for a coffee table book I did feel the content is a little lean. I wasn't expecting a how too book but did think there would be further writing on the material. The absence of a filmography for Mr Auhage is surprising, there are many great scans of frames but no mention of the actual film that these are taken from. I'd also have liked to have seen some photos of his actual workspace that these machines were set up in.
Still a very fascinating book that will be a unique addition amongst my film books.
Beautifully bound and elegant minimalist typography. Blue screen Super 8? Wow!
However I was wanting a greater depth of description and the filmmakers methodology. His unique DYI approach would make a killer web site and could potentially popularize "hardcore" S8 technique. But I guess the publishing team's initial intentions were to monetize this gentleman's excellent work.
Atoll Medien has evolved into an interesting and high quality niche small format cinema publisher.
Would Lutz be willing to pass on his email contact info?
Nicholas Kovats
Shoot film! facebook.com/UltraPan8WidescreenFilm
Thanks for the nice comments. If there are any questions about the work of Lutz Auhage, please don't hesitate to send atoll medien an e-mail (info (at) atollmedien.de). We will forward this to Lutz.
freedomforkids wrote: "But I guess the publishing team's initial intentions were to monetize this gentleman's excellent work." I wouldn't say so. The book has been made as a private photo book by Lutz. One day, he appeared here in the office of schmalfilm magazine, showed his book and we have been so impressed by his work that we immediately decided to print a certain amount of these books. It was made with Apple software on iphoto. Do you know about the costs of Apple photo books? No chance "to monetize this gentlemans's work". For Lutz and for the publishing house this is just a labour of love.
In fact, atoll medien will present a handbook about Super 8 within the next weeks. More about this project in a few days.
http://www.atollmedien.de
the books about all cameras and projectors ever built
freedom4kids wrote:initial intentions were to monetize this gentleman's excellent work.
monetize?
How would that be with a limited edition of 100 pieces? Even if there were Euro 10 margin on one copy (there isn't) it would only make Euro 1000. With film at Euro 10 per minute it would only buy 100 minutes. Some monetizing.
Yes, the publication is really just a lightweight coffee table book, with not much in the way of commentary - but nevertheless brimming with implicit history and technical ideas. More of a first step I imagine. Both a finished work and a proof of concept for something more.
I do look forward to seeing some in depth handbooks on Super8 in the context of recent history. Something like Lenny Liptons' work of the 70s. Technical but with a popularist political edge. Perhaps something that intersects with digital age "film" theorists such as Lev Manovich and Sean Cubitt.
I recollect Liptons work from my childhood. My bible back then was "Independant Filmmaking", a tattered copy of which is either hidden somehwere in my endless boxes of 'junk' or stolen by someone with the same obsessions as me. Of course Lipton moved on to become a 3D guru and consultant on Avatar - which somewhat disturbs my nostalgic 70s anarchaic idealistic image of him. His wife, however, restores a voice I haven't heard in a long time. Her commentary on Avatar (which she dismisses) is narrated by Lenny in a relatively recent paper, providing a pointed and clear antedote to the narcoleptic silliness induced by Hollywood Dream Machines.
Whoa. Who poured the gasoline on the linguistic fire?
In no way did I imply gutless profiteer-ism. The author and many others here...could not even begin to recuperate the costs incurred from our collective Super 8 obsessions ...let alone this original self published work.
Perhaps in time the author will join us and discuss his valued craft.
Nicholas Kovats
Shoot film! facebook.com/UltraPan8WidescreenFilm
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