8mm Forum: "How I met this community" or "Red Dawwwwn" (a.k.a. 8mm reloaded)

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Topic: "How I met this community" or "Red Dawwwwn" (a.k.a. 8mm reloaded)

Ronald Kwiatkowski
Film Handler

Posts: 67
From: Luxemburg
Registered: Nov 2012

posted November 19, 2012 06:41 PM

Dear aficionados,
after reading many threads I felt I had to introduce myself to this fine community by offering the same warmness and personality so many of you 8mm crazies show. I share the complicity in the matter. [Cool]

So - for those inclined to read - here's my story, and there's even a (mild) punchline.
When I was a kid, about age 4, my Dad used to show me Laurel & Hardy stuff on a strange machine. Unfortunately, he passed away, much too soon, and at his prime, leaving me with a faded image and a fascination. So at age 8, I tortured my parents into blackmailing Santa to bring me a Super 8mm projector, a kid's projector, Cinemax, (which you may still find on ebay). as I watched the same three b/w mute 60-feet reels over and over again (one of them was, of course, Kong vs the Rex), I dreamt of a big Bauer projector, something massive, sturdy, professional, with stereo and stuff (I'm European, so Bauer was the word, back in the 70es). Yet, I never got around to it, couldn't afford it. And by the time i could, Super 8 was gone.

So I completely forgot about it, even when I was working for a local cinema company, handling films and projecting in 35mm or 70mm, with a bit of 16mm on the side. Privately, I had switched to VHS, then LD, then DVD. I could collect thousands of nice price DVDs, I never got back to the anxious feeling of handling Super 8 and taking care of a perfect projection.

Cut to present day, when out of the blue, I decided to check for Super 8 on ebay. I wasn't aware of the community of fans, I wasn't aware that there was much going on after Piccolo, Marketing and UFA shut down on Super 8 (I actually wasn't much aware of the American market during the 70s and 80s either, I had only blurry conceptions of Castle and the likes, only rarely would you find one of those in our local shops).

So when my fascination reloaded, a couple of weeks ago, there was a whole new world for me to learn: words like "Derann", "Ken", or "full-feature" for that matter. Words I also learned: Star Wars at 1000$, vinegar syndrome, and cyan dye failure. My mind is full with silly ideas to compensate for the problem. How about a camera on top of the projector that sends the projected image to a laptop that calculates a color-corrected additional picture to be projected by a beamer on top of the damaged super 8 picture? I'm going nuts. Because of the punchline (as promised).

I haven't even got the Bauer T520 duoplay I auctioned on ebay recently yet. But I already got my first film. It's a 200-footer of "The Black Hole". I should call it "The Red Hole". I could just check it against daylight, but it is red as China. I think I may never have seen anything so red. Oh well, I didn't pay a fortune [Big Grin]

But I'll be more cautious I guess. I have learned an awful lot about film stock and chemistry through this fine community. And I feel that, as I will boldly go on, I will have many great conversations with you gentlemen and "partners in crime".

Anyway, I hope that the full-feature of "Mighty Joe Young" and the "Psycho"-Trailer I got hold of aren't printed on color stock. Hitchcock never meant it to be red [Roll Eyes]

So cheers to everybody and thanks for letting me in. [Big Grin]

Ronny, from Luxembourg

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Vinegar belongs in the salad...

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Pasquale DAlessio
Film God

Posts: 3523
From: Bristol,RI, USA
Registered: May 2010

posted November 19, 2012 07:10 PM

Hello Ronny

Welcome to the forum!!!

I loved reading your story. It sounds like a lot of us on here. You certainly came to the right place and you will fit right in for sure. It's always great to have a new member. Especially one with your knowledge.

PatD [Wink]

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James N. Savage 3
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1375
From: Washington, DC
Registered: Jul 2003

posted November 20, 2012 05:53 AM

Hey Ronald-

Thanks so much for that story. So many of us here have similar ones. The film hobby has always had a special "magic" that can't be compared to any other format (DVD, etc.)

Great to have you here!

James.

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Raymond Glaser
Master Film Handler

Posts: 318
From: Cleveland, Ohio
Registered: Sep 2009

posted November 20, 2012 06:13 AM

Hi Ronald - Great story (very similar to most of us here) - Nothing compares to the sound of a projector humming along in a dark room with the smell of popcorn filling the air) I'm sure you'll love it here!!!

WELCOME ABOARD !!!

Ray

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Ronald Kwiatkowski
Film Handler

Posts: 67
From: Luxemburg
Registered: Nov 2012

posted November 21, 2012 07:28 PM

Thanks fellows,
so today I received my Bauer T520, fell in love with it immediately. Great picture, great sound, purrs like a puss. Along with it I got a Piccolo "Jungle Book" digest, which looked real great, and the "Psycho" trailer, which looked a bit... well, dark, I suppose. Never mind, I'm on cloud nine.
[Big Grin]

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Vinegar belongs in the salad...

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Bill Brandenstein
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1632
From: California
Registered: Aug 2007

posted November 21, 2012 10:04 PM

Congrats, Ronnie, welcome to the forum, and beware all ye who enter here, for there is no escape once the film bug has bitten!

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Paul Adsett
Film God

Posts: 5003
From: USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted November 21, 2012 10:38 PM

Bill is right Ronnie. There is no cure for the cine bug. Once bitten you have it for life. It may occasionally go into remission, only to flare up later, and worse than before! [Big Grin]

Seriously though, welcome to this great forum, and enjoy the friendship.

--------------------
The best of all worlds- 8mm, super 8mm, 9.5mm, and HD Digital Projection,
Elmo GS1200 f1.0 2-blade
Eumig S938 Stereo f1.0 Ektar
Panasonic PT-AE4000U digital pj

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Bill Phelps
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1482
From: USA
Registered: Jan 2009

posted November 22, 2012 08:48 PM

quote:
It may occasionally go into remission, only to flare up later, and worse than before!

I have to agree there Paul from my own personal experience!

Bill [Smile]

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Ronald Kwiatkowski
Film Handler

Posts: 67
From: Luxemburg
Registered: Nov 2012

posted November 23, 2012 06:36 AM

So I noticed, constant ebay checking keeps me from working... [Big Grin]

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Vinegar belongs in the salad...

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Winbert Hutahaean
Film God

Posts: 5468
From: Nouméa, New Caledonia
Registered: Jun 2003

posted November 23, 2012 08:55 AM

quote:
So I noticed, constant ebay checking keeps me from working...

Agreed...but lucky me that my job is behind the computer plus I worked based on a daily target. As long as I reached the target, no one complained if I was actually searching Ebay behind the computer during my office hours [Big Grin]

Searching...and searching is tempting. More tempting if you searching outside Ebay such as Craiglist, Kijiji, Gumtree and sort of. You will sometime find bargains there.

It was me that found an Elmo GS 800 fro $125 and a GS 1200 for less that the said GS 800 from Kijiji and Craiglist!!

In fact I just found (on google cache) that someone was selling a GS 1200 for $25!!. Too bad it had been sold on June 2012.

I will post it later.

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Winbert

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