OUR 8mm HOME MOVIES filmed in Scope

[Lee Mannering]

Something rarely talked about these days are 8mm home movies filmed in Scope/Anamorphic format.

Probably started filming Scope on 8mm late 70's myself following in Dad's footsteps with his experiments on 9.5mm film making 3D movies in the 50's.

We have been diving into some of my Scope filmed home movies which include the BFCC UK film fairs, tour of Canada and some 60 year old B&W films of Germany on Standard 8mm and S8.

A popular choice for filming was the little Fuji P2 camera and small anamorphic lens offered by the Widescreen Centre with some low light single 8 film. I also used a Sankyo camera with a Proscar low cost lens and later the Kowa 8Z for great results. The little p2 was a handy camera you could more or less pop into your coat pocket and worked well.



The Standard 8 Scope films filmed 60 years ago were filmed with a 1.5.1 a early choice for the amateur film maker and later extended to full Cinemascope ratio. These days I'm using a genuine Cinemascope lens which delivers a quality image the like I never achieved before I have to say and a great lens to use on my home made rig to camera.

Back in el day our UK Cine Clubs had many scope film makers and the annual film competition judging day was something to behold with several 8mm projectors set up to show the competition entries including scope movies. The only problem we had was at the annual public show where the winners were shown as we never had a screen large enough to show Scope winners to the max for the audience of 200 people.

It would be nice to hear anyone else's memories of Scope home movie film making of today or years past..

[Brian Fretwell]

I made some with the original Halina Super 8, non-zoom camera (I believe it was the first non-Kodak one) with a Hypergonar Cinemascope lens giving 2.35:1. I also used it on a standard 8 Agfa non-zoom one. Simple ho9me made adapters worked well with both to keep the lens in place.
I mainly took railway and river trip films this way and one wedding (great for the big group photograph being set up).

[Osi Osgood]

Back in my first run with super 8, I filmed in scope with a super 8 sound camera, but amazingly, with a big, clunky, 35mm scope lense, heavily duct taped to the front of the camera and yes, it was difficult, but fun!

[Ed Gordon]

Back in the 70's I filmed in scope with my Sankyo XL-40S with a Kowa Prominar Anamorphic 8-Z. I did not have to use duct tape too mount the lens, but as I recall focusing two lenses for each shot was not fun at all. The setup worked best for scenic long shots where setup was straight forward. It was not practical for close filming in low light.

[Joe McAllister]

I dabbled with scope using a Kowa lens mounted on aBolex16 with a bracket bought from the widescreen centre near Baker Street. I also used An isco 1.5 Lens with 35 mil still camera. It must’ve been very popular with 8 mm users as I have 30 or 40 home movies made in various ratios. I different people. Would be interested in getting hold of one or two 8MM Cinerama epics I read about in the city magazines of the day.

[Ken Finch]

Hi Lee, hope you are now fully recovered. Like your Dad I purchased a Sankyoscope lens from George Whitfield, fitted it to my Pathe Lido camera and used it for a holiday film on a farm iin Northumbria. Fitted onto the Pathe PAX for screening. Like your Dad I also dabbled in 3D. Have forgotten the name of the system but it used a poloroid system and glasses. It was for projection only, required a silver screen. It absorbed a lot of light but turned any film into Pseudo 3D. I could thus display any of my 9.5mm films in 3D. "Metropolis" in 3D!!! Ken Finch

[Lee Mannering]

Hi Ken. 1 month on and just about back on my feet but left with a few knocks as is wifey but we CARRY ON FILMING. 😷
Just finished a permanent and optically correct rig ready to film Blackpool Illuminations, known locally as Blackpool Hallucinations. They look splendid this year having all been repainted and very bright. I did wonder if they switched to LED?

The High Definition German Scope lens is all that remains of my beloved Kinoton 35mm projector but my goodness it produces very sharp images. The base plate and Tripod ring came together well all made for well under £20 and lined up with my old Canon which if memory serves me right I dropped in Margate UK sea water (kiss of death for cameras) around 40 years ago on the beach. Dried it off very quickly throwing some clear water at it and no after effects. Incidentally a pal of mine at the local movie club dropped his 514XL down a glacier never to be seen again beating me somewhat. The things we did...

Anyway waffle over here we are all set for filming when the monsoon stops.

[Melvin England]

The only roll of a cinemascope home movie I have seen, was shown many many years ago at Hull Cine Club. It was shots around Hull City Centre particularly around what is now Hull Minster. Sadly, the film maker has now gone to that great cine club in the sky so I have no idea where the film ended up, suffice to say cinemascope film of Hull does / did exist at one time.

[Lee Mannering]

It's a thing that's always bothered me loosing well made films. Once upon a time my phone used to ring with a cine club secretary saying the club has now gone all video and we dont know what to do with this box of films. Send them here I'll transfer them then archive the cine films was always my answer. I'm sitting on quite a few club movies dating back to the 1930s on 9.5mm and some s8 were filmed in scope all really fascinating.

The owd home county cine club for me was Medway Movie Makers uk in the 70s which folded as a film club. Thankfully 40 odd years later I tracked down the club films we made to preserve here with one being a 45minute scope movie. Wonderful times filming on a speed boat on the Medway being chased by the river police. Low budget Bond.

[Mark Norton]

Visited the Tate Modern to find to my delight not one but two Gold Eiki Slot Loaders showing continuous 16mm film shows! The short throw lens on one of the machines projected an 8 foot wide picture from a 9 foot thow. I could not see any markings on the lens.


Shooting single 8 in scope just today:

[Mark Norton]

Eiki Pic.

[Lee Mannering]

Mark they also have one of my works NT1 elfs as well which they used in a display early year. Pleased to hear of the good work again.