8mm Forum: Which Super 8 company did you use most.

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Posted by David Ollerearnshaw (Member # 3296) on July 30, 2015, 04:41 AM:

Over the years I used:

Derann Film Services
P.M. Films
Portland Films
Famous Films (Miami)
Regent Films
Jeff Films (Cape COd)
Dane Films
DCR Films
DJ Hurst
Movieland
Iver
Powell
Quality Products (Romford)

and a few others that I can't remember.

I only bought from Walton Films direct a couple of times, usually cheaper from other dealers.

Regent Films were in Blackpool and specialised in imports from Blackhawk, Thunderbird Films and others.

Posted by Dominique De Bast (Member # 3798) on July 30, 2015, 05:10 AM:

Derann-Buckingham Film services- Perry's Movie and others. In Belgium I found films and material in flea markets but it is now seldom to see anything intersting there. Argenteuil's Film Fair in France (Paris) has been a good source and still is even if it has shrunk. With Internet, I discovered other companies such as theoldfilmcompany, the super8warehouse and labs and filmstock sellers.

Posted by Brian Fretwell (Member # 4302) on July 30, 2015, 07:20 PM:

Perrys
Derann
Mountain
PM Films
Powell
Portland
CHC
Enfield Films (that;s going back a bit)
Movieland
KTC
Collectors Club
Lee's Cameras (very near work)

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on July 31, 2015, 01:21 PM:

Ken Films and MGM, as I only bought digests at the time, until I found out I could buy full length features and discovered a fairly unknown super 8 company ... Derann, (note, ridiculous joke).

Posted by Mark Silvester (Member # 929) on August 01, 2015, 03:22 AM:

Hi David

I used DCR quite a lot and became very friendly with the family.
I also used Dave Hurst from Stamford Bridge - great guy. I did all the illustrations for his 8mm hire catalogue - I wonder what has happened to him? I would think he has probably passed away now.

Also, Roger Lilley of Movieland - another nice chap I designed the logo for his "Movieland International" back in 83. Great days.

Mark [Smile]

Posted by David Ollerearnshaw (Member # 3296) on August 01, 2015, 08:27 AM:

DCR Dave West was a pleasure to deal with. I bought I think 4 features from him and a number of shorts.

Dave Hurst from Stamford Bridge DJ Hurst Hire. Had a couple of years with block bookings every two weeks. Yes a great guy.
Yes he has passed away. I recall chatting to him his wife had died recently. I bought quite a lot of films from him too when he closed the library. He sadly had the big C. He had moved to Scarborough by this time.

I think most of the people were all gentlemen & honest. I miss those days.

[ August 01, 2015, 12:59 PM: Message edited by: David Ollerearnshaw ]

Posted by Joseph Randall (Member # 4906) on August 01, 2015, 12:42 PM:

Blackhawk
Willoughby-Peerless

In the '70s just about every film I bought was from either of those 2 -- including brands like Castle, Columbia, etc. They both carried just about everything.

Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on August 01, 2015, 01:16 PM:

Since I got into sound about 2002, my biggest seller has to have been Derann (both new and used.) Since 2011, basically anywhere I can find them.

For silent days (1977-2002 with a lot of breaks) I have one probably nobody else here does. There was this little company up in Massachusetts that did 8 and 16mm railroad films called Sunday River Productions. In their own way they were kind of a tiny Blackhawk: very subject oriented with a fondness for vintage archival film. On the other hand they managed to make enough money that in the later years they produced their own films which are really beautiful to watch (-and quite often hear too).

I was young, busy and pretty poor: I had to concentrate on just a few films, so this is where mine came from.

They're still with us, on DVD. I have a couple of 'em: not quite the same. What nearly killed this company was the VHS era. They were able (or was it "forced") to drop their prices, but there wasn't enough new business to keep them profitable so they almost went under.

What's interesting in that time is I saw an ad in a magazine and bought one Blackhawk silent. It's the only new Blackhawk I will ever own among dozens of used ones since.

Posted by Mike Newell (Member # 23) on August 03, 2015, 01:09 PM:

In term of numbers the top 4

Perrys
Paul Foster
Derann
Independent 8

Others used were

Quality Products
PM Films
Pinedene
Movieland
Portland
Jubilee
Lees Cameras
Jef
Classic
CEC
Erne Films
Moviedrome
Dane / Highgate
I

Posted by Mark Silvester (Member # 929) on August 03, 2015, 01:43 PM:

Great list,

I also remember well, "Ritz" films with a good hire library.

Fond memories from those days back in the early 70's when we got into the hobby ...

Mark [Smile]

Posted by Mike Newell (Member # 23) on August 03, 2015, 04:07 PM:

Hi Mark

I dealt with Ritz Films at Blackpool. I remember I got Sands of Iwo Jima and Wild Geese when he was selling off his rental library. They were superb prints.

Mike

Posted by David Guest (Member # 2791) on August 03, 2015, 04:19 PM:

their was a guy in warrinton I bought films of and a guy in westhoughton called ken greenhalgh

Posted by Burton Sundquist (Member # 5813) on April 05, 2019, 12:45 AM:

Back in the 80's My first choice was L.A.
Films. Great service and provided a mailing list! With upcoming releases included! I also ordered from Reel Images, also offering a full catalogue. Before that I was photocopying
the order forms in Ring Magazine and Famous Monsters of Filmland to start my collection. This year I will take a trip back in time to revisit these prints which have been in storage for 40 years.
Hopefully some still as I remember them.

Posted by Joe Taffis (Member # 4) on April 05, 2019, 06:54 AM:

Back in the 1970s and early 80s it was Red Fox Films, which became Red Fox Enterprises...

Posted by Leon Norris (Member # 3151) on April 05, 2019, 07:06 AM:

I started back in 1973. All the films I collected is from camera shops! The film companies were Ken films, castle, Disney, Columbia. The main four! I did not know about the other film companies until a film collector I knew told me about the magazine called the shutterbug! That magazine had every film company out there! Than I was Hooked! I had catalogs coming in like crazy! Those were the days!

Posted by Joe Taffis (Member # 4) on April 05, 2019, 09:27 AM:

Well, Red Fox was the first company I bought films from; but if we're talking about first purchases for me it was regular 8mm silent 50 footers from Ernie's Camera shops in Pottsville and Shenandoah Pa., along with Two Guys department store in Allentown back in the early 1960s...Yes Leon, those were the days!

Posted by Leon Norris (Member # 3151) on April 05, 2019, 12:01 PM:

I do remember those little 50 footers! I had tons of those things! And they were in every camera shop! And they cost 1.89 each! I remember well! Again those were the days!

Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on April 05, 2019, 12:17 PM:

When I was a little kid I looked longingly at the wire racks of Castle films in the photo departments at the local department stores.

We were there just to buy print film for the Family Instamatic, so these were very out of reach for me!

(I guess it turned out OK in the long run!)

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