KICKSTARTER for new Super 8mm Sound print digests?

[Philip Hamilton]

What would be your interest level? What TITLEs and length 400' or 600' would be desirable? I would like to hear from everyone.

Recently there have been new European imports for JURASSIC PARK, JAWS, and GODZILLA - all 600' 30 minutes in length. These are excellent edits and fun to project!

Here is how I see the KICKSTARTER campaign working for a proposed unnamed title 600' in length - 30 minutes.

Costs -
16mm Negative created from edited source - 2700 Euros.
Super 8mm Polyester prints - 135 Euros each.
Striping per reel - 60 Euros
Sound recording per digest - 80 Euros

For example, if we wanted to produce 22 copies of a 600' digest it would cost -
1 16mm Digest Negative = 2700 Euros
22 prints @ 135 ea = 2970 Euros
22 recordings @ 80 ea = 1760 Euros
16 Striping 8x2000' reels @ 60 ea 480 Euros
Shipping to Europe = 350 Euros
Total expense for producing 10 sound prints = 8260 Euros

Each investor would need to put in about $395. We would need 22 investors and it could be done. If the campaign does not get 22 investors then the GOAL is not reached and everyone is refunded their money. When the campaign is closed the film would be edited and produced on Super 8mm Sound. Each investor would receive a copy of the film.The more investors the price would go down.

What Digest TITLE would you like to see in a new KICKSTARTER campaign?

[Phillip Campey]

Alien 600ft, has to include the shuttle ending that’s was not in the Ken 400ft release

[Philip Hamilton]

Yes A L I E N from 1979 with the real ending would be great on a 600' digest. I am aware of that request. Thanks for posting. 21 more to go.....

[Osi Osgood]

The recent digests have been homegrown in the USA, just sent overseas to have them printed. The only thing I see as a potential over price is 80 Euro, just to record a 600ft. Unless I am missing something, it seems like someone would be kind of taking advantage of the situation. I mean, if it's all about having a pulse sync, you turn on the two machines, and they do all the work. Dragonslayer, scope, would make a great digest. I wish I could find the video digest edit I made from the DVD. It was great. I think I need to redo that ... back to the drawing board!

[Osi Osgood]

By the way, on a side note, we have GOT to find some way of either constructing from scratch or using parts from previous machines, to make an optical printer! It's really the only real set back to making a lot of great digests.

[Philip Hamilton]

Thanks Osi Yes the 80 Euros to record a track is ridiculous. But unfortunately until SOMEONE ELSE can provide a competitive offer to striping Super 8mm prints then there is not much we can do.

[Patrick Walsh]

I have always thought a 600ft of the 1953 TITANIC would go down well, being 4:3 as well it would look great on the screen, Ken Films did a 400ft and a 200ft sound release but the editing left much to be desired, also a 600ft scope release of THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE would be great.

[Philip Hamilton]

Thanks Patrick! Did the KEN's release include the sinking? That was a joke directed at some very poor edits I've seen through the years. Appreciate the feedback.

[Patrick Walsh]

Hi Philip, the TITANIC cut from KEN has a short shot of the sinking, cutting the end of Michael Rennie's voice-over and we cut to a short THE END card.

[Osi Osgood]

Sorry for this being further off topic, but are those digests from, "A Night To Remember"? I ask, as the whole feature IS available on super 8.

[Patrick Walsh]

Hi Osi TITANIC and A NIGHT TO REMEMBER are two different films, Yes A NIGHT TO REMEMBER is available as a full feature 4x400ft and a 600ft digest I think PM films released them.

[Graham Ritchie]

Hi Philip

Interesting questions, but for me though, buying new Super 8 films is just not going to happen. The days of earning good money with a bouncy economy back in the 80s and 90s has well and truly gone. I will continue to enjoy screening the films that I already have, many bought new from Derann back in the day "plenty to watch", they were the "good" times I don't want to sound to negative, but these days its impossible for me to justify spending that kind of money for a digest on Super 8, while I can watch a full feature on another format.

For me that's that reality of todays world, but in saying that, I do wish you and other collectors all the best for the future, and hopefully something will come out film wise for those who can, and still afford it.

[Osi Osgood]

I have actually been pretty lucky when it came to Dave's digests that I have bought. I was able to sell my Universal 8 digest on eBay for just enough to pay for the Dave "JAWS" digest, and it's truly like night and day (AND, in stereo!), and I received a good deal on Jurassic Fart as well. So there ARE ways of affording them!

[Larry Arpin]

Just curious to know about the sound recording. Is this being done through Alberto or other recording source?

Also, to consider, is the source material for the digests. Will it be 35mm or 16mm? I know there was a 35mm print of T3 floating around for awhile for like $600. Osi, said he has a 16mm cartoon. Osi, how did your super 8mm commercial reel look compared to the 16mm source?

Optical printer? Once you get one then what? The negative stock to make a negative from a print is not even listed in Kodak's catalog. So that means it would have to be special ordered. And you would have to order several thousand feet at a time. Meaning several thousand dollars. The only other stock to make a negative from a print is original camera film which only comes in 400 foot rolls of 16mm. That would mean that every 200 feet of super 8mm there will be a negative (white) splice. So a 600 foot digest would have 2 splices. I'm not sure what Ludwig is using. I told him how I did the negative. Over expose it by 2 stops and when developing pull 2 stops. This will flatten out the image to give it a little more original look. Those who have my recent, 10 years ago now, trailer reels can check it out. Besides, the scope reels I did are done the Cineavision way and no heads are cut off.

It's a doubting task to go from original material to 16mm negative to super 8mm print. I just wish I had more time. Maybe sometime next year I can help out.

For titles I wouldn't mind having Terminator 3 or Saving Private Ryan.

[Oliver Feld]

To me it would be THE BLACK HOLE (1979), BARBARELLA and THE DARK CRYSTAL; but all of them in Scope.