8mm Forum: Amazing Coincidence

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Posted by Bryan Chernick (Member # 1998) on January 20, 2011, 08:11 PM:

I want to share an amazing coincidence with the forum since it is film related. I recently purchased a projector that was listed on Craigs List here in the Seattle area. It's a Bolex 18-5 with in very nice condition. It also came with the hard shell case, the hard to find light cord, a nice Bolex aluminum take-up reel and a 400' family home movie. The home movie is labeled Tigers A.C.

Last night I decided to see what was on the film. The name Tigers A.C. was familiar to me because my Father played for a Baseball team by that name when I was very young (about 40 years ago). I didn't think much of that because I figured Tigers Athletic Club was likely a common team name. When I started watching it the person that made it did some titling with the his name and the players names. My fathers first name came up shortly followed by my father standing at the backstop. I couldn't believe it!

I continued watching the film and I think I saw my mother watching the game. It may or may not have been her, I will have to find out for sure later. I called to my wife to come see it and she said "you have to call your dad right now and tell him". I hesitated thinking it was to late but called him anyway. I told him about it and read off some of the names and he recognized several of them. The person that made the film had an unusual last name and he recognized that name for sure. He was amazed that I came a cross it and is exited to see it. We will confirm if that is my mother when we have a viewing.

There are over 3 million people in the Seattle metropolitan area and I purchased the projector about 50 miles from my fathers home. I think the odds of someone in our family finding it are astronomical! I purchase film reels at garage sales whenever I come across them to put my new home movies on. It's neat to see old movies of places that I'm familiar with but I never thought I would see my own family.

Posted by Barry Fritz (Member # 1865) on January 20, 2011, 11:14 PM:

What an amazing story! My folks are long gone and I would give anything to see them on film! Thanks for sharing.

Posted by Winbert Hutahaean (Member # 58) on January 21, 2011, 09:34 AM:

Because video was not that popular like today, if we see all live action on film from our own family from years ago, is just like we are on Time Tunnel.

My oldest family movie is from 1978 on Kodachrome.

I wish I would have the same story with you Bryan, i.e found a reel of someone's birthday in 1974 when I was still 3 years old carried by my mother's hands.....

Posted by Bryan Chernick (Member # 1998) on January 21, 2011, 11:07 AM:

My wife and I are lucky, she has five 400' reels of super 8 film from when she was an infant into her childhood. My father has several reels of film my uncle shot before he passed away in 1968. My father ended up getting my uncles camera and we continued to shoot film on it throughout the 1970's. That's how I got back into shooting family film in 8mm. I have hours of digital and VHS crap that we never watch, it's to overwhelming to go through it all and edit it. Now with 8mm it's like an event, we get out the projector and watch films, old and new. I started back up several years ago with my uncles old Bell & Howell camera and have since moved on to some great Bolex cameras.

Posted by Larry Arpin (Member # 744) on January 21, 2011, 11:44 AM:

Wow. That is an amazing story. When I look at some of my old films I wish I had taken more. I have one my grandmother took when I was 5 years old. I'm 58.

Posted by Gerald Santana (Member # 2362) on January 21, 2011, 11:56 AM:

Amazing story of synchornicity. Carl Jung describes this in very subtle ways as being a real mystical experience, in other words, it is no accident. I have many to share as well. Here's one, I'm currently working on piecing together the story of a Nebraska family and time line for 5 x 400' cans I found at a thrift store, with some of the most gorgeous photography on Kodachrome, preserved in metal cans from around 1959-1969. There are about 10 years that the family spliced together in somewhat chronological order, and lists for each can. One is labeled 'Australian Trip'. Needless to say I saw them all in one night, and was gripped by every scene, one more beautiful than the next.

I've seen many home movies, these are exceptional due to the photography, film stock, composition, direction, etc. I was so intrigued by my findings that I went back to the same store a week later and found 4 x 50' reels with a 16mm splicer and box of rubber bands with the with the name Grandma Hoppe inside a plastic bag marked "$1.99". It was the same writing from the cans! One reel is sound only for a reel to reel (I'm hoping to get one soon, so I can hear the family's voices), while one was in Australia and the other a trip to San Francisco. The last '50 reel was black, and exposed film.

We call the family "The Does" and used some of the frames from the films to build my website and encouraged me to preserve family movies when they suddenly come up in from of me. I may come into contact with the family some day, as I plan to make a documentary about these finds. How these films and their Keystone 105 ended up in a thrift store in California is still a mystery to me. They may have moved out to California but I am uncertain, and if they did I can not imagine why the kids got rid of these films as they are featured prominently in them. I have all of their first names, but missing the last names of many family members.

If anyone can direct me to the Hoppe, Heine, or Mitchell family from Nebraska, I hope to reunite the films with their owners some day. Great story anyway Bryan, I'm glad you were reunited with your long lost films, here's to synchronicity!

Gerald

Posted by Winbert Hutahaean (Member # 58) on January 21, 2011, 03:57 PM:

quote:
I wish I had taken more

Larry.... don't!

the more you take, the more you get bored (to re-watch).

that is the magic of 8mm that I have learned.

Becuase it is an expensive stock, we try to take only important events and scenes.

Video is cheap and we spoil roll and roll for all events, but as Bryan says...

quote:
we never watch, it's to overwhelming to go through it all and edit it.

I had hundreds of VHS but hardly to see back. Once I played my wedding but my fingers were so attracted to remote control in fast forwarding.

But I played my 15 minutes of same wedding (plus honey moon) and never get bored with that.

So...don;t take to many shoot with your 8mm!

cheers,

Posted by Bill Phelps (Member # 1431) on January 21, 2011, 05:26 PM:

Bryan....what a geat story! I bet your thrilled to get this footage. What a find!

One of the main reasons I love shooting with film is you have to THINK before you shoot...and you usually capture the best of an event. (Most of the time...not always! [Smile]

)

I am also lucky to have my first 5 years on super 8...and mom was pretty good with the camera. Nice steady, long shots.

Thanks for sharing your personal story.

Bill [Smile]

Posted by Chris Smith (Member # 132) on January 21, 2011, 05:48 PM:

Bryan,
That is so cool. It sounds like the kind of human interest story newscasts use at the show's end. Give your local station a call and go for it. Incredible event, for sure.

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