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Author
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Topic: Another World, Another Time
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Gregory S. Coad
Film Handler
Posts: 35
From: Sedgwick, Maine U.S.A.
Registered: Feb 2011
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posted March 01, 2011 10:34 AM
I can't remember when I wasn't crazy about movies. I do recall at ten years of age being allowed to go to the movies for the first time without my parents. I was heavily into the science fiction movies of the fifties. Saturday afternoons you could watch a cartoon festival for hours for a mere 50 cents, what a bargain!
I started out with a Kodak Brownie regular 8mm camera and projector set, went to silent Super 8mm and then opted for the ultimate in projectors, the Elmo sound ST1200. Every week I went down to my local camera store and bought the 200 ft. commercial sound striped films. A friend of mine bought the same projector and we teamed up doing shows in our neighborhood and a few campgrounds. Then in 1988 I put my projector away and went into computers. Last month (23 years later)I decided to go back into the "world of Super 8mm movies". I discovered quite a different world than the one I had previously known.
Here is my perception of Super 8mm in the year 2011. Some of these perceptions may be wrong and if they are, I would appreciate the members here correcting me.
1. Projectors, parts, bulbs, splicing tapes are still pretty available. No new commercial Super 8mm films are being produced, but there is a good supply of used movies around.
2. Members here tend to be older and may have been professional projectionists at one time. Younger (under 40 years of age) people are not as interested in the Super 8mm hobby as they have their high definition digital televisions.
I guess my question would be: Does super 8mm have a future? I would really like to think so. Your comments are welcome.
Greg
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Steve Klare
Film Guy
Posts: 7016
From: Long Island, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003
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posted March 01, 2011 11:18 AM
Ahhh!
The Future..."Thing"!
We've had that discussion here many, many times.
This question actually started in the 1970s. An uncle of mine told me that within 5 years "nobody will be using that stuff anymore". That 5 years ended around 25 years ago now.
Look at it this way: There is no future in Edison wind-up phonographs. There is no future in Lionel trains. There is no future in Model T Fords/tube radios/cedar strip canoes/square dancing/log cabins/fountain pens/...etc., etc., etc.....
Yet, every one of these things is somebody's passion and still has some level of commercial support.
If this wasn't true you'd never see an antique car in a parade, but 80 and a hundred years out of the factory there they are.
So don't worry about it: relax, enjoy, participate!
PS: There are still films being printed...not so many as once, but they are out there.
--------------------
All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...
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Gregory S. Coad
Film Handler
Posts: 35
From: Sedgwick, Maine U.S.A.
Registered: Feb 2011
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posted March 01, 2011 05:46 PM
Kirk,
Yes, money is a touchy subject. I never made more than $29,000 a year and that represented a lot of overtime. When I married, my wife couldn't work because of illness so we survived on one income all these years until Social Security. It is the ONLY income we have and to think I thought we were poor before! I'm glad I invested my money in this hobby when I was single as I couldn't do it today. I feel bad for the younger people today facing the high cost of living and then having to worry about their jobs.
Still, you do what you can, and just lower your expectations. It's a matter of priorities, do you really need that health club membership/magazine subscriptions/fancy expensive coffees every day/eating out/expensive cell phone monthly bills, etc., etc.
I think most younger people do have this perception that older folks have all kinds of investment income coming in and are sitting pretty. Most people I know of my age (66) are struggling to survive as their "fixed income" doesn't begin to cover the increases in food, gasoline, services, etc. and they see their "quality of life" steadily eroding.
I agree with you, Kirk, about doing all those things that are important to you while you have your youth, money and stamina. Old age brings expensive health bills which takes quite a slice of your income.
Happiness is keeping your expectations in check. OK, I'll get off my soapbox and let someone else have a turn. Thanks for listening.
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Adrian Winchester
Film God
Posts: 2941
From: Croydon, London, UK
Registered: Aug 2004
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posted March 01, 2011 06:21 PM
Gregory - I'm delighted that you're on this forum, because it enables me to say that you're incorrect in saying "No new commercial Super 8mm films are being produced"!
One of the most valuable things this forum can do is keep collectors up to date in relation to new releases, and if you check the print reviews section, some of the reviews are for new product. As you're in the USA, I'd strongly recommend subscribing to 'The Reel Image' magazine, as editor Steve Osborne not only covers and sells news releases, he's responsible for many of them. The quantity of new releases is modest in comparison to the great days of the 1980s and 1990s, but there are still gems to be found. And of course supporting new releases is the best way of ensuring that they continue to happen. People have been predicting the final demise of Super 8 for years, and the fact that it hasn't happened should offer encouragement to us all.
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Adrian Winchester
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