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Author
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Topic: Bit of Belated Introduction...
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Wade Epler
Junior
Posts: 18
From: Lancaster, Pa USA
Registered: May 2008
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posted September 05, 2008 04:03 AM
Hey Folks, just thought I'd introduce myself as I have been lurking around here for just way too long. My primary interests lie in media technology, particularly those formats deemed obsolete by the general population.
My earliest super 8 memories are of my father bringing out a projector and some films. He was an English teacher, and he had an after school club where he would screen 200' castle films for kids while they snacked in a light party atmosphere. He probably stopped running these when he got heavily into VHS in about 1982 or so. Flash forward five years and here he is placing that old GAF cheapy projector on the kitchen table and focusing that tiny light square on the fridge. The first reel he loaded up was the Universal horror 'Man Made Monster' with Lon Chaney Jr. Well, that projector ran for all of thirty seconds (long enough for the bus to crash for those of you familiar with the film) before ceasing and shredding the film (folding it accordion style, for those of you familiar with these dreadful projectors). The lights came on, my father cursed a bit, and the whole mess went into the closet.
But my brother and I were hooked. We would get out the films and admire that old box art for hours sometimes. We finally decided that we would repair the projector ourselves, which we finally did after carrying it to a few hardware stores and substituting some plumbing gaskets and vacuum cleaner belts with the kind help of some very patient clerks. With that done, we screened those old films for hours. We frequently watched the Hammer 'Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed' more out of necessity than anything as my Dad hated that one and deemed that our 'test print' to run when the projector had one of its frequent breakdowns (We didn't fix it all that well).
A few years passed and I upgraded to a small but efficient Fuji silent projector, and I found a Canon super 8 camera at Goodwill and began shooting my own home movies. One evening at a friend's house, her father brought out his GAF 3100s and I got to hear some SOUND films for the first time. I was blown away that such a dinky magnetic track could perform so well. I got myself a GAF 3000s and it wasn't too long before I discovered Derann and I was on my way. My first sound print was "Taxi Driver" off of Ebay.
At this point, I was in college and started showing my super 8 stuff to my photo professor, who called me in one day to show me some equipment they were throwing out. Because of her generosity, I acquired a Beaulieu 4008, a Bolex sound projector, a Bolex Rex V with all the accessories, and just about every piece of gear needed to produce movies on film. What a depressing prospect that these things were headed for the dumpster! I later did acquire a B&H filmosound from that school's dumpster, due to a tip from another kind staff member there.
And that's perhaps really why I love this hobby so much: It's been one that has been supported so much through the thoughtfulness and generosity of others. From Gary at Derann right down to that patient manager at Ace Hardware fifteen years ago, I have always had nothing but wonderful experiences. It's this great enthusiasm that I love to bring to others as I introduce the world of film to others.
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Osi Osgood
Film God
Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted September 05, 2008 09:37 AM
Its true Paul!
My dad would run his EUMIG P8 and we'd watch those hilarious slient movies, (I remember fondly "Cinderellas Cinders" as well as a good number of silent Mickey Mouses.
I left the hobby in 1989 and then restarted again in 2002, and unlike years ago, I will not part with this stuff again. I should have never gotten rid of it in the first place!
Oh, and hey, if you think magnetic sound was so awesome on such a small track, imagine that little optical sound super 8 track! Super 8 was digital long before much of anything else ... was!
LONG LIVE Super 8!
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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "
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