8mm Forum: Super 8 v 16mm v 35mm

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Posted by Robert Tucker (Member # 386) on March 06, 2008, 10:09 AM:

As i have been long in the field of making and collecting film. Has anyone found what limits we have today in collecting films in the various formats? Fade is unfortunately one big factor that plays a big part in all formats.

With Super 8 the golden days seem to have gone and mostly people are looking for other formats to start collecting along side Super 8. Either in 16mm or if you have the room for it 35mm. I must admit over the years I have changed on what I have collected in the past as at one time Super 8 was second to none in getting commercially released material. Now unfortunately that is not the case anymore, as you really don’t have a choice of new films being released by the major film companies only bootlegs, which is really a shame.

Now I find myself either collecting 16mm or if a title is very tempting on 35mm. Because you have a bigger choice, more importantly in recent more modern releases. Generally print quality wins hands down with 16 or 35mm format. Note that on Super 8 you are prone to Scope being reduced so that when you screen a film, normally half the time the top and bottom part of the screen is cut short. Compared with 16mm or 35mm, which are most of the time, the correct academy format ratio. Sound quality also is a big factor as most prints on Super 8 have magnetic sound, which are generally more superior then are Optical cousins. Sound quality is really down to the way they have been originally recorded generally and the thickness of the tape being used not so much the speed.

But still Super 8 is the most affordable professional way of recording today or making a short subject film regardless if there is no pre-recorded film being made anymore. The quality itself still stands out today and is still used by me even today and professionals alike.

Posted by Jean-Marc Toussaint (Member # 270) on March 06, 2008, 12:07 PM:

Robert, each and every day, I am amazed by the quantity of titles that have been released in super 8. Some films I won't keep as I am not a big fan of the original feature, but still, I always get the projector ready. There's nothing like watching a 400fter for the first time, just to see what kind of a process the editor went through to get below the 20 minutes running time bar.

I recently acquired a bunch of reels from Craig off that auction site we all love to hate. There were titles in there I had no idea they existed on super 8 and there were films in there I had no idea they existed at all! I guess this is all part of the fun.

Sure, if we exclude the dreaded fade parameter, 16 and 35 win hands down as far as pic quality is concerned. Recent titles are difficult to get but we managed to awe our audiences these past few weeks with screenings of films that had been released a few months ago.
But, here's an anecdote that happened just this afternoon. A friend of mine, who runs a cinema near my home came for coffee. He was bringing his print of "North by Northwest" on 35 which we are planning to screen next week. And we ended up watching the "pod race" extract from Star Wars Episode I on super 8.

Super 8 is in our heart, as the true original home cinema format...

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on March 06, 2008, 01:04 PM:

What stuns me is just how affordable 35MM can be. A few years back, I saw a print of "Gorky Park" on ebay, for 50.00, on 35MM. Since I had always been a fan of this film, I decided to try for it and was stunned to actually purchase it for that one bid of 50.00! It was a lpp print with perfect color in the "letterboxed ratio". I ended up selling it a few months later for 100.00, and I kind of wish I had kept it ...

... but I still see 35MM prints going for a lot less than I would think. Strangely enough, in many cases, Super 8, though not up to 35MM (obviously) tends to keep it's value, especially when considering those scope features.

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on March 06, 2008, 01:31 PM:

Hi Robert
I think the limits in each of the film formats in part is what material is available to the collector and what they are interested in. I use all three, Super8, 16mm and 35mm, with 35mm for most people is not practical, the projectors are noisy so you really need a projection box, even just one feature can take up a lot of room, thats the down side, however the print quality is stunning.

With 16mm what I have found is the wear on the films "past owners" sprocket hole damage etc is far more of a problem than Super8 on the plus side with 16mm is the odd scratch is less likely to show up as bad as Super8 and a good 16mm print in flat or Scope can look really good.

Super8 still has a lot going for it, there are films on Super8 you will never see on any other format, eg many short interest films, also the Derann Disney films are stunning with better picture and sound than 16mm.

It was interesting to read the end credits on a TV programme lately an Australian short film about people recounting there early childhood the end credits stated it was filmed in Super8 Kodachrome even mentiond the name of the Super8 projectionist.

Graham.

Posted by Alan Rik (Member # 73) on March 06, 2008, 01:34 PM:

I once purchased 2 x GS1200 Xenon machines from a collector in New Hampshire. He was a collector of Super 8, 16mm, and also 35mm.
Well...he had to keep all the equipment in his basement! There was a whole wall of Super 8 features (All spoken for sadly.. )and the rest of the room had 16mm features and 35mm Goldberg Cans all over the place. I remember thinking that if I had the space it would be great to have 16mm and 35mm but....New York City? Super 8 is the only format that will fit!! [Smile]

Posted by Larry Arpin (Member # 744) on March 06, 2008, 11:12 PM:

I'm always stunned at the prices that 16mm goes for on Ebay. A LPP Tom & Jerry cartoon just ended for $119. LPP prints of Ray Harryhausen films have gone for $1300(Golden Voyage) & $2000(Mysterious Island). I have a moderate collcetion of super 8mm, only 3 features, about 8 400 footers and a dozen 200 foot cartoons. On 16mm I have about a dozen features, mostly Harryhausen, both Jolson features, Heston feature, Disney's Pecos Bill, & 3 Mouse & Motorcycle TV specials. The only 35mm film I have is my own, still in progress. Although I'd love to get more I don't go crazy on buying films, especially when I have my own to finish.

Posted by Bill Brandenstein (Member # 892) on March 09, 2008, 07:52 PM:

Anyone else see that IB Tech 16mm print of "Song of the South" go for around $6,700 on Ebay a few years ago?

There's a rarity.

Posted by David Kilderry (Member # 549) on March 09, 2008, 11:50 PM:

I collect 8, 16 and 35mm. I also have 70mm too, but have trimmed most of that down as it was ALL on Eastman (classic era 65mm neg. shot stuff anyway) and fading fast.

I have bought classic shorts on 35mm at much less than you pay on Super 8 or 16mm. If you are into trailers, they can be had for just a few dollars on 35mm too. The cartoons I have on 35mm I bought for around the same price as Super 8 versions, but less than you would pay on 16mm. 35mm at home is stunning!

David

Posted by Michael O'Regan (Member # 938) on March 10, 2008, 07:14 AM:

Having once been a cinema projectionist, I would love to get into 35mm collecting.
Problem is that portable 35mm projectors seem to be few and far between.

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