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Topic: London in Super 8 !
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Dominique De Bast
Film God
Posts: 4486
From: Brussels, Belgium
Registered: Jun 2013
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posted May 21, 2017 05:48 PM
Hello, Pierre-Yves. I'm happy to see another city captured buy you in super 8. What a great project. As usual, you could take a lot of different short sequences that sumarize the spirit of the city (this time, London). On a technical point of view, if I may dare to advise something, I would suggest you to go, when it is possible, closer to your subject rather than using the zoom on the long focale as the stability of the picture suffers from doing that without a tripod (also the deepth field is reduced). For non motion subjects, it is also possible to shoot at 24 fps instead of 18 fps as this would soften any shaking. Try to focus always on the long focale position as it is more precise and of course if you use the zoom when filming from the short to the long focale you will take no risk of out of focus picture. But more than everything else : keep on filming on super 8 and keep on posting the result on this forum
-------------------- Dominique
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Osi Osgood
Film God
Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted May 22, 2017 11:18 AM
Nice link ...
That's funny, I acquired many years ago, 3X400ft reels from a local thrift store here in Mountain Home, Idaho, of super 8 home movies taken by a local rancher and family, and two of the reels were of a trip abroad and one of thier stops was England. These films were shot in the late 60's and I so hoped that they would have shot the "Apple Building", (that colorful beatles building, for those that don't know), but it wasn't included.
-------------------- "All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "
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Pierre Beuzat
Film Handler
Posts: 42
From: Lyon, France
Registered: Nov 2015
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posted May 22, 2017 12:12 PM
First of all, an enormous thanks to all of you Dominique, Martin, Paul, Andrew, Clinton, Tom, Brian, Stuart and Osi for your detailed feedbacks. Once again, I’m happy to hear from your experienced opinions !
Dominique (merci à chaque fois pour ces précieux retours), I finally try to limit these long distance shots, but the situations being rarely predictable it’s always hard to apply this in practice. I really don’t understand though the reason why the color signals for the pedestrians is that blurred… Indeed, I thought the focus was well made when I shot it… Do you have an idea why ?
Paul, thanks for this sincere feedback. Isn’t it due to the 500T ? If that’s the case, I always shoot using this type because the weather is always unpredictable throughout each trip… Or do you think 200T would be enough ?
Tom, it is filmed with the 518SV indeed ! And for the aspect, I find the first 3 films of the project quite similar to be honest. But maybe I don’t have an expert eye enough yet
Stuart, I couldn’t give you any more details : I usually send the film to a lab. Do you think I should find another ?
Pierre
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Dominique De Bast
Film God
Posts: 4486
From: Brussels, Belgium
Registered: Jun 2013
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posted May 22, 2017 02:25 PM
I don't know why the red light was out of focus. If it was a problem with the eyfinder setting (I mean not adapted to your own vision) you would have the same problem each time in the same condition. All I can do is to remind how it works : the longer focale you use, the less depth field (at 10, almost everything will be sharp, at 40 you will have to measure more accurately), the more light, the more depth field (if the aperture is 16 or 22, you will have much less trouble with focus than with a 1.8 aperture) and the lower meter setting, the less depth field (if you put 1.2m, you will almost have to use a tape measure while if it is set on 10, 20 or infinite, you will almost not have no worry about the focus but of course you have to set that according with the actual distance of teh subject). Sorry if that sounds too basic but that all I can do
-------------------- Dominique
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Rob Young.
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1633
From: Cheshire, U.K.
Registered: Dec 2003
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posted May 22, 2017 02:57 PM
Hi Pierre, I think it is a really vibrant film, especially with your choice of soundtrack.
Your frame and image choices are well considered and make for a really quite cool "super 8" visit to London.
Personally, I like the hand-held approach together with your lively soundtrack. I think it's a really nice example of retro mixed with contemporary.
I think your choice of 500 ASA is a wise one given your variable circumstances, although as Paul points out, perhaps the grading (on the digital scan, I presume?) is not the best.
Although, as you have filmed with a negative stock you can go back and re-grade this pretty much however you like.
Certainly, you could produce a much more contrasty and colour rich image from your camera negative, but that is the beauty of shooting with negative film...you have the original, so can alter it now as much as you want.
Given a high quality scan of your camera negative, you can manipulate it pretty much how you like, even with half decent software.
I see this version as what we used to call a "one light pass" ie; not graded at all, just let's see what we have to work with.
Given the latitude of "modern" film (and I mean anything post about 1994!) you can get amazing results from pretty much any negative stock albeit very over or under exposed.
Regarding the focus, I reckon it isn't too bad for a standard super 8 camera lens of the time.
Pierre, was that traffic light shot exposed when it was reasonably dusk? Even with 500 ASA old super 8 camera lenses weren't the best when pushed to the zoom limits, so I wouldn't worry too much. Even so called XL cameras (designed for low light) were dreadfully soft when the zoom was at it's max, due to poor glass.
Just try to use the lens on it's wider zoom settings for better focus perhaps.
Still, really enjoyed it, thanks!
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