8mm Forum: Are Cutdowns Floundering??????

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Posted by Mark Todd (Member # 96) on October 31, 2004, 04:01 PM:

Hi I just seem to notice that even though we are into the usually busy time of year super 8 sound cutdowns seem to be slipping in popularity, maybe down to colour etc or maybe the die hard crowd in super 8 prefer a good feature that will hold its value better.
I suppose most people with say a GS etc will go for decent features most times.
I`m back into 400 digests again as I tend to manouver around a bit,( how about that 400 I was after Big T) but even on ebay there is a very definate cooling with digests going for very little, even less than they used to go in the post Christmas months.
I know its all swings and roundabouts in film, mabe they will arise again, who knows.
Best Mark.

Posted by James N. Savage 3 (Member # 83) on November 02, 2004, 04:40 PM:

Hi-
I have just recently gained a new respect for the 400 foot digest. While only being able to afford digests back in my prime collecting days (70's), I was finally able to purchase features during the 80's and 90's, never even cracking open the boxes of my old digests.

I have now come to realize that digests have are an important asset to my collection. I can't contemplate sitting in front of the TV for two hours to watch something like "Shaft", "White Line Fever", "The Car", etc. But viewing the digests lets me enjoy the old flicks of past on the big screen, without spending hours to do it (which I don't have [Mad]

).

Another thing about digests is that they are unique, almost a conversation piece for those too young to remember or know about the days before home video when this is how we had to watch movies at home.

In spite of the color fading, I think the popularity of digests will come back. Even red, many are still fun to watch. And there are still many digests out there that refuse to fade!

Nick.

Posted by Mark Todd (Member # 96) on November 02, 2004, 04:51 PM:

Hi Nick I aggree thay are very nice and that bit different, its just the selling on if you want to that seems very hard these days, but I prefer them to features, I just have to expect considerably more than a 50% loss if I buy from a dealer, which I suppose isn`t too bad really.On a feature there not as much % to go awry.
Some are of course still very nice. I actually prefer the 400`s to the 3x400`s etc. I think they will still do well for dealers but there is a distinct slow down privately, I personally wouldn`t but a pinkie one at all, though I have been sold a few with really good!!!!!!!!!!!! oh no!!!! colour this year, so now I only buy from dealers generally.
I`m not in the features market on the whole.
I msut say I will buy and watch a 400 cutdown that I wouldn`t dream of getting the feature on dvd even to project so what can you do.
Best Mark.

Posted by Jean-Marc Toussaint (Member # 270) on November 03, 2004, 02:10 AM:

Mark, I'm with you here. Although I have a few features (bought second hand) I think the cutdowns and the short subjects are ideal for Super 8. I can't remember how many times I watched "Star Wars", "Alien", "The Omen" and "Son of Kong". We recently had a screening at home with some friends and we watched 400 footers of films with Elvis Presley. I have to agree with James, here, as some of these films were really bad to start with, but very watchable now in the 17 to 20 minutes format. Everybody had a great time.

Posted by Adrian Winchester (Member # 248) on November 04, 2004, 07:04 PM:

I also go along with the view that a 400' (or even in some cases a 200') version of a film makes good entertainment in cases where you might not want to watch the whole film, even if you can buy it for less money on DVD. As a horror/fantasy collector, I'm grateful for the fact that many of the earlier 8mm releases were low budget, sometimes obscure, horror films that may not have been good, but made entertaining cut-downs. No doubt this happened because the rights were cheap. When the 1980s Super 8 revival took place, the only 'problem' was that nearly all the releases were good films! I must say, though, that a 400' of a quality film often tends to be a bit rushed, but with some of the best 600' versions (eg The Wicked Lady and Capricorn One) you can almost imagine you are watching the feature.

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