8mm Forum: The beginning of the End ...

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Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on January 13, 2009, 12:29 PM:

I was reading through that "Film Collectors World" magazine, from March 1979 (still available for purchase if anybody is interested, dropped to 12.50), and I noticed that a lot of the dealers selling super 8, were already selling video copies of thier indivisual releasses. It was interesting to look at the difference between the price of a VHS and the same feature on Super 8.

Even then, in march 1979, the writing was on the wall for Super 8. Though stalwart super 8 lovers would still buy film, (yep, even to this day, as we can all attest to), yet, for the average consumer, where buying something is always optioned on affordability, Super 8's days were already numbered.;

What's interesting though, is that, at that time, to own a VHS player/recorder, was quite expensive!

Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on January 13, 2009, 12:38 PM:

Ah! the END: when not only couldn't you buy any more 8mm film stuff but absolutely nobody would even be using it.

I was out to dinner with my Aunt and Uncle in 1982 and my Uncle said that with the new video cameras out (you know: the ones where you drag your VCR around with a shoulder strap?) that it was less than a year until absolutely nobody would use film anymore.

...bet there are a lot more people shooting Super-8 these days than walking around with a VCR balanced on their hip!

The END will come someday. (All things and all people end) I've just been hearing about it so long I don't really worry about it anymore!

Posted by James E. Stubbs (Member # 817) on January 13, 2009, 07:35 PM:

I agree Steve. They said the same thing about vinyl records. Vinyl record sales are at an all time 20 year high and the funny question asked of Rainbo Records CEO is: " they still make CD's? I can even buy brand new audiophile pressings at my local grocery store. This happend becuase peope like me realised that CD's sound like garbage. MP3's and all other compressed Digital audio sound even worse. So the rebeillion against digital audio is in full swing and will remain strong for quite some time.

The same holds exactly true for digital video VS film. Many old timers can't even keep projectors and films in stock as so many people are buying them up! Young kids and I mean 18-20 year olds are getting a hold of their grand father's film collections and cameras, shooting and projecting some film and realizing that digital video is as cold and crappy as digital audio is! [Big Grin]

Think about it: What's the best contrast ration of an good digital projector? 30,000:1 w/ a $5k projector and a gray screen? Well film is 300,000:1! It's organic alive and breathing just like analog audio! Sure there's drawbacks in film just like tape head noise or needle noise and occasional popcorn on a good record. But the trade of is SO WORTH IT in terms of living quality of the pictures and the sound. LONG LIVE ALL THINGS ANALOG!
Cheers,

Posted by John W. Black (Member # 1082) on January 13, 2009, 09:54 PM:

At the time,videotapes were quite expensive.Film could have kept close but then the idiotic Hunt brothers decided to make silver the next precious metal,driving the price of film stock sky high.They,as much as video,were responsible for the collapse of film.

Posted by Dino Everette (Member # 1378) on January 14, 2009, 01:18 AM:

I don't know I am still pretty optimistic. I work in a film archive and people are always talking about this, but I think the fact that you can still buy 9.5mm film stock and have it processed can be used as an encouraging gauge that enthusiasts will keep it alive. I think it is just becoming a more specialist group of folks. I mean instead of bringing a projector down to the shop, you just work on it yourself. Also my guess is that before the end would be the flurry - where films and stuff would be everywhere....OK I in this for the long haul.....who's with me!!!! [Big Grin]

Posted by Paul Adsett (Member # 25) on January 14, 2009, 08:26 AM:

I totally agree. Every time I put on my 40 year old Kodachrome 8mm movies, which were shot on a Bolex C8 camera, the richness of color, the contrast, and the total look of the picture just blows me away. It makes you realize that in many ways digital home movies are really so inferior. Of course nobody wants to hear this and people are sold on everything digital and will give you an odd look if you tell them that you are still using film. But all my 8mm home movies are neatly edited, spliced, labeled and stored in bookcase reels, and are a joy to watch, whereas my miles and miles of digital stuff just lays around unedited, and most of it has only been watched one time. I am still using 35mm film for still photography for many reasons, not the least of which is making a small personal contribution to keeping film, and a great US company, Eastman Kodak, alive. But also because you are compelled to get color prints, which will last for decades. With digital you shoot hundreds of pictures, most of which are stored in computer files, never looked at, and never get printed out.

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on January 17, 2009, 02:06 PM:

Hi Paul
I totatlly agree about storing all those photos on a computor and thats why I often shoot twice using both digital and my old Canon FTB 35mm "on slide form" as well on the same subject. If I want a quality/long lasting photo 35mm slide film is what I go for. The digital cam-corder is very good these days and I do like the fold out LCD screen makes it much easier to use, our little DVD-R we put together at work on the cinema has come across really well, even in low light it looked good I do like 16:9 format. I dont think I would have made it on film, it would have cost to much and more lighting would have been needed. I think both video and film have there place. I have taken heaps of 35mm slides over the years, nothing can beat them except 70mm [Wink]

when projected onto a large screen and at present on the look out for a two slide projector linked to a dissolve unit set up, been thinking about it for a while.

Graham.

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