Old Super8 home movies

[Brian Fretwell]

For those not in the know Vim was a scouring powder, not really what you would want beer to taste of.

[Douglas Meltzer]

Brian,

Thank you! Now I get it......

[Graham Ritchie]

Talking about Kodachrome here is a light hearted look at the Muppets version

[Graham Ritchie]

Finished cleaning and splicing 2/400ft of Standard 8mm film today. I came across one film today that I thought was most interesting, that being the Hamilton Highland Games shot on Kodachrome back in 1957 in the North Island of NZ. I am not sure if this is the oldest Kodachrome Std8 film I have come across, but for a color film going back 65 years the color still looks really good as with the films general condition.

I have been using the Kodak projector for final viewing, although the editor is fine in the early stages of sorting film out the final screening with a projector brings the films alive. This projector I modified to take the usual 12v 100watt lamp a while back runs fine. I also like the idea of being able to adjust the speed to get it looking right on the screen. I took a couple of photos of the projector yesterday as below.

Its certainly a projector I have got to like.

[Graham Ritchie]

Getting near the end now its been slow going splicing together all these bits of film. With each cement splice, I have been scraping both parts to join, and finally very being very careful, trim the edge of the join. I have done a test splice and it is indeed strong, even using old film cement, it works well. I notice that taking my time with each splice, that when I run it again, through the editor or projector, it goes so smoothly that its hard to pick up that a splice has actually gone through the gate.

Finally once 400ft of film is spliced, I carefully clean it with IPA, once only, using my rewind arms that are about 4ft apart, then one more time with a soft lint free dry rag.

The final results of all this work shows up, is when the film is projected onto a screen, the Kodachome colors just shine.

A took a couple of photos today, this particular film was dated 1963-64. In saying that, I have now come across Kodachrome from 1952-54 with stunning colors of different flowers etc, I will take some screen shots of those later on, but basically that film would be about 70 years old, very impressive.

The bench is getting messy..

[Graham Ritchie]

From the editor to the film projector after final cleaning and splicing the films. This is what Christmas time, being the summer months here in the 1960s NZ looked like with Kodachrome film.

I came across Kodachrome from 1949 today that looks good color wise, so that will get sorted out after Christmas and New Year. Al this does show that the reasons for folk to say, its better that you should transfer your films onto Digital in my book is a mistake. I have yet to see any transfer to digital, that is in any way as good as the original films being projected onto a reasonable size screen using a film projector.

[Graham Ritchie]

Gave the Bolex M8 a run today, fitted out with a 24volt 250 lamp lamp the image quality on the screen at a distance of 7metre or around 21ft to the screen looks good. The lens I am using is Paillard -Bolex Hi-Fi made in Switzerland 20mm.

[Graham Ritchie]

Well folks I spent a bit of time the last few days Editing, sorting, splicing, cleaning 8mm Kodachrome film from 1954 through to 1959 finishing up with 400 foot of film on a single reel. One thing for sure, is that although its very time consuming, do use an editor, long before film ever goes through a projector.

I came across a few sticky tape splices, plus sum lumpy or weak cement splices that needed replaced. Most of my time, was spent going through every inch of film, the end result was well worth it. I cannot take the chance of damaging rare film in a projector without doing all this work first. I have just finished screening the end result though, and it really looks great. The Kodachrome image is amazing to watch. A part of it, is a ship called "Port Victor", I did a bit of research on that one, and found out she was built on the Clyde but converted during the last war to a aircraft carrier operating in the Atlantic. After the war she was converted back to civilian use for P.O. lines. So much history taken on 8mm, its a window to the past. All the film had been well shot, no emulsion scratches, just the odd light base scratch, and that's really it

Right I am of to run a blu-ray enough of film for one day .

[Steve Klare]

Over Christmas my son was home from college: given that and the Holidays we watched a lot of movies.

One that stands out for me is about 200 feet of Kodachrome I shot when I was 16/17 years old capturing a season of family camping with my parents and my sister and a whole bunch of (now) old friends. It is amazing to watch: so many people that are gone now, and even the little kids are graying adults with their own kids and jobs and mortgages. (My sister is the grandmother of a teenager!) The cars and camping vehicles are long gone.

There was this GIRL there that I was...fascinated with. (It kind-of shows on screen now.) Later in life I've reached the conclusion that I dodged a bullet not marrying her! (It may be the best thing that never happened to me!)

What an awesome thing to be able to look through that window of time and see it all, so clearly and perfectly.

I know better, but somebody who didn't catch on to the 45 year old cars and 1970s hairstyles (It looks like the Barbers have been on strike for months!) might be fooled that this was shot last summer!

[Graham Ritchie]

There has certainly been interesting footage from the 1950s, one being the ship "Port Victor" another was the footage of a Vickers Viscount named "City of Christchurch", that's the aircraft on display at the Ferrymead Heritage Park. I took some photos of it, when Connor and I visited the aviation part a couple of years ago. Its nice to make connections.



This is of the ship "Port Victor" as mentioned above.

A couple more, hard to imagine this is over 60 year old.

[Graham Ritchie]

I checked on the internet and came up with a photo of HMS Nairana which after the war became "Port Victor" looking at this 8mm footage taken you can see some resemblance .

Also I did another cement splice test on a old bit of film, just to make sure all the splices I have done using old cement are fine. Well I gave each end a strong pull and it held up really well, I never took it to braking point but there is no way the splice will come under anything like what I did with it. I think scraping both parts really makes the difference. So it looks like using old cement is fine providing you give the bottle a good shake before use and carefully scrape both parts to be joined works.

[Graham Ritchie]

At last down to my last reel to sort out, that cement splicer has been great to use. I would never been able to sort this stuff out without it. Also my 12volt 100watt lamp conversion a while back has worked out well.

[Graham Ritchie]

All finished and getting the film sorted out for there return, hope to video onto you-tube some of it in the near future. Its certainly been a journey that started a few years ago, even came across some color footage of a 1950s holiday to Scotland, that was very interesting in particular the "Ballachullish Ferry" that was neat.
Another local film shot was crossing a road and rail bridge here in the South Island, I once crossed one with a caravan years ago, thank goodness no train was coming, backing up could have been very interesting.

[Rodney Bourke]

8mm Kodachrome Home Movie, 1939 NEW YORK WORLD'S FAIR, Cars Trains Rides, in Excellent Colour.
This 200' reel fetches nearly $1,000 Aust'.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/8mm-Home...p2047675.l2557

[Graham Ritchie]

Actually that's one thing I would never allow and that is to let any of those film go on sale on the internet no matter what. The subject was brought up, by one our members a while back, but the rest of us firmly agreed that no matter how rare some of the film footage might be, none of it will ever be sold. The only time any films could go, it would be to the family or people that were in them and that's something I would like to see. It would be nice to actually show them it using an actual film projector. Other than that its careful storage at the Heritage Society for the time being.