NEW Import A L I E N 600'

[Larry Arpin]

Ruben-You would do a great disservice to us collectors and yourself if you stop posting here on the forum. As someone who has done what you are doing in the past and present, it takes a lot of devotion to do what you are doing. I purchased the double bill and the quality is outstanding. But when funds are limited you do what you can do.

[Douglas Meltzer]

Ruben,

You are correct that creators reviewing their own work—without disclosure—doesn’t belong in the review section. I take responsibility here: I should’ve caught that earlier and taken care of it. I've since talked with Philip about it, and the post will be moved to the Sales section where it should’ve gone in the first place, with a clear explanation of how the print came to be.

I totally understand that you’ve put a ton of effort and money into your releases—your passion for Super 8 is clear, and you’ve contributed quality work.

However, I need to be very clear about something: I don’t appreciate the way you’ve disregarded and outright dismissed other members’ opinions—especially by calling them “lies”. Just because someone prefers or finds value in another release doesn’t make their experience dishonest or invalid.

Not everyone has the same projection setup, budget, or priorities when it comes to collecting and enjoying Super 8. Someone saying that a print struck in a different manner looks good on a smaller screen isn’t lying—that’s their experience.

I have also sent you a PM.

[Ruben Torrejon]

Just a brief message to let forum members know that I replied extensively to the PM of Douglas Metzer, administrator of this forum.

Ruben Torrejon
ultra 8

[Guido Melis]

I would like to participate to give you my point of view, which is certainly a very privileged one: out of passion and love for Super8 I try to contribute to the dissemination of new prints by making stereo rerecord, and thus I have the opportunity to view many new prints.
In addition - I say this to introduce myself better - I am first and foremost a collector of 16mm., and I regularly project in public (currently with Beaulieu 708 HTI, Fumeo 9119, Fumeo 9271 and Bauer T400 HTI), as well as of course also projecting at home on a 2 metres base screen.

Over the years my sensitivity to the quality of Super8 and 16mm prints has obviously changed (since I also do digital editing, colour correction and professional audio mixing for a living), and since my film projectors coexist with a 4K projector I have become increasingly demanding ;-)

Just yesterday I was making a rerecord of an amazing print of “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”, on Kodak Vision 3 polyester, stereo track, printed from negative. A Super8 with the quality of the best 16mm: a film that you can screen with great satisfaction and - why not - pride for yourself, for your friends and family, for an audience, without having to justify why the quality is inferior to what they would see with their Blu Ray or 4K. In short: Super8 at its best.

The day before, I worked on an equally beautiful, exciting, 'real' copy of 'Star Wars', in the original edition (the one I had seen in the cinema as a child in 1977): as perhaps for many of you, a film that has remained in my heart because I saw it as a child, and about which only the projection on film restores (perhaps I should say 'reminds me') me of the emotions I felt then.

And then “The Crimson Pirate”, “Vertigo”, “The Empire Strikes Back” and many, many other films that for me have represented something magical and important in my life, and that only the projection on film truly brings back to life, in the same way I saw them for the first time. And for this reason I don't want to see them either “red” (and it is unfortunate that the old non-low fade film prints have become like that by now), or with an inadequate audio track, or with any other defects. Derann many years ago set a standard, and today that standard is being maintained and in some cases surpassed: all of these are truly splendid prints, and incredibly still somehow available.

I have also had the good fortune to view the beautiful Ultra8 editions, which Ruben has made available with great investment and at a very honest price, and the quality is outstanding. The process by which these copies are printed is semi-craftsmanship, in fact perhaps even “handmade”, and this makes them even more precious and rare. Kodak Super8 film will not exist “forever”, and the lab that still professionally prints Super8 will probably not do so “forever” either.

To clarify, there is another reality that deals with Super8 prints, using a different procedure, and therefore with greater elasticity with regard to printing copies (e.g. of one's own digest assembled with video software such as Premiere, Davinci, etc.) only from a digital source, without negative intermediate (the latter in turn may come from an analogue 35mm master or a very high resolution film digital intermediate).
I have not been very familiar with these particular prints, but I have seen a few and in MY PERSONAL opinion the process (both in terms of image and audio rendering) is still not optimised. I admit my standards are high, but it's not enough for me to see the reels rolling, I want total satisfaction (within the limits of the format because I can't ask a Super8 to become a 35mm!).

Obviously everyone has to decide for themselves, as someone wrote above! Everyone has their own standards to be met, and if owning a “self-made” film version of a film is more important than absolute quality, then certainly there is a way to get the object of one's desires.

But the remarks made by Lee and Ruben are undoubtedly agreeable and to be strongly emphasised, because quality is achieved with a lot of experience, optimised (when professional) equipment and, if we are talking about craftsmanship, also a certain natural talent.

I hope these experiences of mine are useful for your debate (and I apologise for my poor English).

[Ruben Torrejon]

Just a few more lines to the friends and clients that are writing PM to me. Ultra 8 continues but outside of this forum where one cannot rebate the obvious. You can contact me/us using the usual email. After these holidays ALICE and the 80s music videos start shipping. The wait is well worth it, both look (thank you, Andec) and sound (thank you, Alberto Vangelisti for the striping and Guido Melis for the re-record) gorgeous .

Happy holidays

Ruben
Ultra 8

[Phillip Campey]

So looking forward to my Alice print Ruben. It sounds amazing.

[Osi Osgood]

Ruben, there is room for everybody.

[Phillip Campey]

So all these super 8 prints are from a digital source. Even Ruben’s are a digital scan from a 35mm print as they have to be cleaned up. So as I understand one is a scan direct to the super 8 film. Which means that every print has to be produced this way. The other is a digital scan to make a negative so that multiple prints can be struck from the negative. So where does the so called quality discrepancy happen. Is it the digital source or the way the film is scanned?

[Philip Hamilton]

As I understand it and I may be wrong - Andec uses a laser to print the 16mm negative from a digital source. The exact way this happens I am unsure about. But then the 16mm negative is used to create side by side prints - 2 at a time on Super 8 - I think the old fashioned way. In Italy, the digital source is exposed in a way directly to Super 8mm film which is then developed into a single print.

Two completely different processes with different results. And that is OK because It’s a good thing for collectors to have options.

Andec requires a digital file in MOV format in a ProRes 422 Apple format. In Italy I have provided an MP4 file with what I consider to be excellent results (others may not agree). MP4 is more compressed than the MOV format. Italy also accepts the MOV formats I found out today. I have not tried this yet but I will do so on future orders to see if I can see a difference in the final print. Given that my screen is not as large as a “Film God” might have I am not sure I will see a difference. But I expect to enjoy it in any case.

Two different processes entirely. Andec does it more in an “old school” way and Italy does this with a new proprietary way developed by a pretty smart indiividual in my opinion. You can complain the result is not the same as the “old school” process but WOW I am impressed this is even possible. Have any of you figured out HOW to do this? If so then let us know about your process!

Someday, I would love to visit his shop in Rome to see just how all of this works. It’s a smaller operation and is not intended to produce multiple prints and features like Andec. He is more of a hobbyist who loves Super 8mm! And, because of this, his process is less expensive. Not everyone will like the results. But I find it amazing that this process was created as an alternative to the traditional way of making Super 8mm prints.

If anyone has more detail in how these processes work and what affects the outcome - 16mm negative created with Laser or original digital sources in Blu-ray resolution or 4K or 8K or whatever i would be interested. We all would who love details and like to dive into this.

But I think we all need to understand that TODAY if your are going to create new Super 8mm prints for home use and enjoyment it is very likely going to come from an inexpensive DIGITAL SOURCE. This whole idea of creating these from 35mm prints might be wishful thinking in 2025.

[Tim Price]

Wowzers!

[Robert Aragon]

I'll wait for the Andec/THE REEL IMAGE print of this and all other titles before I'd consider anything less than the highest quality.

[Philip Hamilton]

I'll wait for the Andec/THE REEL IMAGE print of this and all other titles before I'd consider anything less than the highest quality.

Sure. Every collector needs to decide what best works for them depending upon their budget and home theater/projector setup. This edit is not currently offered by THE REEL IMAGE.

[Osi Osgood]

A few years back, I bought of print of "Raiders", brand new from Andec, yes, Andec, and it cost with striping recording and everything, 1,200.00 dollars, for a two hour movie, I would hate to think how much that would cost now three years later, with all the rising costs. I wonder how much Alice is going to be? However, I must confess, that for some, no matter how high the cost, it doesn't matter, as long as you would hold a precious, long sought print in your happy little hands! I was only able to buy "Raiders", because I had a previous print of the feature I parted with, I'd never have 1,200.00 to part with.

[Kenneth Horan]

Hey Philip, I believe that Andec uses an Arrilaser to print from digital files directly to film. The guy in Italy, AFAIK, shoots directly from the imaging panels of a video projector to get enough light to make a direct positive. Although his current process may have changed.

[Robert Aragon]

This edit is not currently offered by THE REEL IMAGE.

I think it's the Reel Image 400ft and Dorun's 200ft.
But perhaps, I'm wrong.