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

This is topic "How I met this community" or "Red Dawwwwn" (a.k.a. 8mm reloaded) in forum 8mm Forum at 8mm Forum.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://8mmforum.film-tech.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=007639

Posted by Ronald Kwiatkowski (Member # 3349) on 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

Posted by Pasquale DAlessio (Member # 2052) on 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]

Posted by James N. Savage 3 (Member # 83) on 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.

Posted by Raymond Glaser (Member # 1766) on 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

Posted by Ronald Kwiatkowski (Member # 3349) on 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]

Posted by Bill Brandenstein (Member # 892) on 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!

Posted by Paul Adsett (Member # 25) on 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.

Posted by Bill Phelps (Member # 1431) on 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]

Posted by Ronald Kwiatkowski (Member # 3349) on November 23, 2012, 06:36 AM:

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

Posted by Winbert Hutahaean (Member # 58) on 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.

UBB.classic^TM 6.3.1.2