New interview with Ged Jones about Derann

[Brian Fretwell]

I believe both labs Derann used in those years (Eank and Buck) used Peterson continuous reduction printers, so only prints from 16mm single rank to double Super 8 would have been made.

[Graham Ritchie]

Those 600 footers were good value, I agree with Brian H, that its just the right length, If you say to some folk, would you like to watch a feature?, they most likely will find an excuse to make a bee line for the door but 30 minutes is just fine, that's not to say I don't like features, I do, but others might not be so keen

[Brian Harrington]

I believe both labs Derann used in those years (Eank and Buck) used Peterson continuous reduction printers, so only prints from 16mm single rank to double Super 8 would have been made.

Well that's good, since it saves a step, and an extra 2 generations of loss of having to make a double rank 16mm neg.

[Brian Harrington]

Those 600 footers were good value, I agree with Brian H, that its just the right length, If you say to some folk, would you like to watch a feature?, they most likely will find an excuse to make a bee line for the door

People would do that if you said you were going to show home movies taken on your last vacation, too!
😁
That was the 70s equivalent of Instagram selfie pics of ur vacation no one wants to see!

[Steve Klare]

The very idea of a Super-8 feature is mind-boggling to most people, just like it used to be to me. Up until after the year 2,000 If you'd asked me about such things I would have told you "-no way, can't ever happen!"

What's the difference? Sound! Sound adds so much to a reel of film that it makes it watchable for a lot longer duration.

Most people experience 8mm film as a silent medium. For me, the very first Super-8 sound film or projector I ever experienced were my own around 2002, because I'd discovered the existence of Derann and after about two weeks of denial ("I don't need THAT!"), I just couldn't ignore the opportunity to buy new prints.

Up until then, strictly silent films: I had only one projector, I'd never seen a reel larger then 400 feet and after about 20 years of collecting silents I had something like 50 films which I watched a couple of times per year.

So, it's pretty reasonable to say Derann has made a difference for me! These days if there isn't a projector set up somewhere in the house it probably means we are having fairly major company on some holiday and I had to stow them away!

(Derann didn't directly cause 16mm, but they certainly started me in that direction!)

[Graham Ritchie]

I have always thought that this 600 footer, was one of the best edits Derann did that was taken from the full feature.

Past screen shot

[Joachim Schmidt]

I’m very happy that you enjoyed the first two parts of the interview with Ged. So don’t miss the last chapter of the great history of Derann, and the final conclusion:

Dialogue: The Derann Interview with Ged Jones - Part 3: End of #super8 business (3/3)

[Paul Adsett]

The inevitable sad ending of a great company. Ged can be very proud of the essential part he played in its decades long success and keeping the company going under extremely difficult circumstances.
The very last film I purchased from Derann was the extract from Gunfight At The OK Coral.

[Brian Fretwell]

I now think I may have visited in the time between theprivate disclosure to staff and the public announcement of closure. I may have been paying a flying visit to the Black Country Living Museum as I had a ticket valid for all year entry and called in to the DVD section on the way to a pub (Ma Pardoes) and the 8mm on the way back. the shop was deserted of customers both times. Gary and Ged were very quiet. Sad times!!!

[Steve Klare]

I always wanted to visit them in person, but never got the chance.

(Sometimes you cross things off your bucket list, sometimes they just fall off.)

[Brian Harrington]

Now I'm sad that there's no part 4.

I hope most, if not all, Derann prints still exist somewhere. As you know, they don't come up for sale that often -- and least not in the U.S. or by European sellers listing on the U.S. version of the auction site. When they do come up for sale, they go for a small fortune. I hope that means collectors are holding onto them and not that they've been thrown in the trash!

I have a small sampling of Deranns but none of their features.

BTW, that Bauer T610 in your video caught my eye. I've read up on it in the past, and depending upon who you ask, it's either the greatest thing since sliced bread or a troublesome machine. What's your opinion?

[David Hardy]

Hi Joachim i have watched them all now including part three on youtube that was a great interview with Ged .
I have mentioned to you on youtube about one of the last conversations i had with Ged over the phone regarding the faulty full length print Super 8mm of Curse Of Frankenstein i had to return for a refund due to one of those lab faults . The entire copy had a purple tint to it . Sadly this was among one of the last films i bought from Derann just before they closed their doors for good . I had been buying from them since around 1969 . I still have many of Derann's early and later catalogues , sales lists and newsletters in my collection and of course some of their releases . Amongst them are Standard 8mm sound copies of the Derann 200' version of Psycho which i believe was their first cutdown release and is different in content from the Castle Films release . Also on Standard 8mm sound the full features of Psycho , The Invisible Man , Ghost Of Frankenstein , Evil Of Frankenstein on Black and White stock and the Standard 8mm colour trailer of Evil Of Frankenstein . I am always surprised that very few collectors talk about Derann's early Standard 8mm sound releases .

[Joachim Schmidt]

BTW, that Bauer T610 in your video caught my eye. I've read up on it in the past, and depending upon who you ask, it's either the greatest thing since sliced bread or a troublesome machine. What's your opinion?

Well, I love my Bauer. A very quiet machine, and I never had problems for years (besides maintenance, as always). But: this year he ruined the sound of my 200ft View to a kill from Dorum. My technician said, that the construction of Bauer projector lead to more pressure of the film on the sound head, causing more abrasion with sound striping on liquid basis... And that seems to be true, since there is always brown "magnetic dust"... So, he lost a little his "crown". But I'll still use it with old prints, never had any issue with that.

[Brian Harrington]

Thanks Joachim. There's probably no projector that won't have a "but" when talking about it. 🤣