This is topic 16mm Digests in forum 16mm Forum at 8mm Forum.
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Posted by David Coppola (Member # 4209) on April 06, 2017, 08:43 AM:
Was wondering how prevalent the 16mm digests were in the 70s?
Occasionally I see U8 ones in 400ft versions, which, essentially would be the equivalent of the 200ft 8mm ones as far as length.
How were the quality of them and did they ever release 800ft versions?
Any other companies release 16mm digests then?
Posted by Douglas Meltzer (Member # 28) on April 06, 2017, 11:34 AM:
David,
Castle Films released many of their 200' digests in 16mm. After becoming Universal 8, they continued the practice with 800' 16mm releases. Many of the U-8 digests were of lesser print quality than the earlier Castle prints.
Doug
Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on April 06, 2017, 02:53 PM:
Castle issued a great number of films as 400ft 16mm releases which included excerpts from Universal features. W.C. Fields and Abbott & Costello were great favourites.
Many Castle films were issued in the UK by Rank under the name of G.B. Moviepaks.
http://www.robbiesreels.com/castle_films.htm
Posted by David Guest (Member # 2791) on April 06, 2017, 03:31 PM:
I have loads of these all or sale
Posted by Dave Groves (Member # 4685) on April 07, 2017, 06:32 AM:
I wonder how well they were advertised and available as I don't recall seeing new one's in their hey-day. Possibly cost had much to do with it and the greater availability and choice of Super 8.
Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on April 07, 2017, 09:02 AM:
GB Movie-paks were well advertised, perhaps Rank somewhat suppressed any UK advertising for Castle films.
Posted by Adrian Winchester (Member # 248) on April 08, 2017, 09:40 PM:
I'd guess that some of the 200' and 400' U8 releases may have never appeared on 16mm, but it's hard to be sure unless there's a definitive list somewhere. E.g. I've never heard of a 16mm print of the one reel version of 'Jaws', but perhaps someone else has?
Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on April 09, 2017, 02:41 AM:
According to Scott MacGillivray's "Castle Film", in 1980 Universal 8 published a 68 page catalogue with text in four languages (English, Spanish, Portuguese and French.)
But soon, the price of silver escalated from $5 an ounce to $54 an ounce making prices too expensive for collectors to collect film so Universal 8 turned to video and threw in the towel on film.
Who would spend good money for seventeen minutes of clips from a favourite film when they could have the entire film on video tape?
Their remaining stocks of film were liquidated through Red Fox Films.
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