KICKSTARTER for new Super 8mm Sound print digests?

[Steve Klare]

40% isn't that bad (well: 60% bad...on average!): I wonder how IPOs in the Stock Market fare by that measure. For every Microsoft there are dozens or hundreds that go bust. The real moneymakers are often something that sounds like some half-baked scheme. (Ask the average person in 1971 if they wanted a computer in their house.)

If I saw a Kickstarter for something I believed in so much I was willing to risk losing the money entirely, I'd take a chance on it.

(I have a kid in college: kind of the same thing on a much grander scale!)

[Mike Newell]

I hear pyramid schemes are great if you get into them early. We will be recommending bitcoin next.

[Douglas Meltzer]

What's also great are the projects that succeed. Granted my contributions were not huge, however it is nice to have helped along a few feature films and DVD/Blu-ray restorations.

[Brian Fretwell]

I hear pyramid schemes are great if you get into them early. We will be recommending bitcoin next.

I'm watching the "has the Cryptocurrency Bubble Burst" doc tonight on chan 4.

[Philip Hamilton]

Alien.
As it happens you will be seeing a special edition of a ken style edit but extended a extra 5 minutes in 2023, something that has been underway for a few months now along with others. Phil that sequence may or may not be one of the extended sequences :-)
Either way it seems to have been a very popular 17 minutes by Ken over the decades and due the extra 5 minutes or so.

My own film Cinema in Miniature will also be getting a re release as a numbered limited edition and photo card collection.

For those who don't know the production costs involved of new prints lets just say its astronomical. You will need very deep pockets, much patience and be prepared to take a great deal of risk. UK wise we also have the dreaded import duty and heavy shipping costs.
Its a fairly long process over a number of months perhaps as long as 6 but if your enthusiasm is strong enough, you are committed to making the magic happen and happen to have around 3K to make a negative that will do for a start.

This is interesting - is the source FILM or DIGITAL? Are you saying it is the SAME Ken Films edit but with 4 to 5 minutes added on to fill out a 400' reel?

Is this something you will be selling ? Do you know what the cost might be per copy at this time??

[Mike Newell]

I'm watching the "has the Cryptocurrency Bubble Burst" doc tonight on chan 4.

Well is now the time to buy?

[Brian Fretwell]

It would seem it is too much of a gamble for me. The presenter bought £500 worth and by the time he had finished the full research and made the progamme he had lost £150 as they were worth £350. It was made just as the big drop in value happened!!!

[Mike Newell]

I was going to watch the programme but decided to try and sleep in this heat. Here’s a solution to producing super 8.

Tax avoidance not evasion. Sell the idea to a rich group of individuals. Retro vintage films on super 8. They fund the production facilities acquisition of titles recording and striping plus glossy boxes. All goes into action. Titles are produced at a subsidised level of pricing and after a time it goes bust.

Investors write it off a tax loss and save money. Collectors get titles and once the bankruptcy sale happen obtain new striping facilities.

Sounds crazy it could possibly work. Think of the Producers.

Also, some years back a Asian consortium opened production facilities to make disposable lighters. They received grants, employed staff and produced about 500 million lighters before they closed. They were chased for the employment grants but still apparently still cleared £60 to £80 million through scheme to avoid taxes.

You will still see the multi coloured lighters being hawked about at 5 for a pound at market stalls to this day.

[Joe Caruso]

There are a handful of shorts I'd like... Shorty

[Philip Hamilton]

I would hope that using the KICKSTARTER service that there would be some protection to investors. I contributed to a campaign and received a refund when it didn't reach the funding goal.

In the case of funding a title to produce on Super 8mm, if the goal isn't reached then all investors would get a refund. If the goal is reached then the money would be there to pay for the production of the prints at Andec in Germany and for striping. Sound would be recorded after that. Titles then shipped to those who have funded.

No funds are sent to Andec until the prints are ready so I see very little risk unless Andec decided to suddenly screw over their customers by taking the money and not sending the product. Thus far they may not be the fastest to produce but do eventually provide the prints - at least that is what I hear.

So yes, caveat emptor and all that. Certainly, it's not being suggested that someone on this forum would run a dishonest KICKSTARTER campaign??

[Graham Ritchie]

Hi Philip

I don't see anything here that would suggest that your kickstarter idea is in any way dishonest. I mentioned my own thoughts right at the start of this topic. I can only guess for many though, its simply to expensive for what it is. There still has been know solution put forward here, as to an alternative to the high cost of combining the striping service and sound recording at the same place. That alone needs to be sorted out, but so far nothing here seems to have come of it.

As Joe mentioned above, shorts might be an idea to follow, certainly it was 200 foot affordable shorts that did a lot of business back in the days of Derann.

Anyway, I do wish you and others who are keen success in this venture.

[Philip Hamilton]

Thanks Graham. The striping issue I *think* has been resolved as Andec has now sent prints out for striping with a new service after having worked through some issues. We will know more once the prints are returned and see the quality and how they record etc. but keeping my fingers crossed that having to pay for both striping AND recording can be avoided now with another competitor providing the service. Time will tell.

[Philip Hamilton]

There are a handful of shorts I'd like... Shorty

Which and what kind of 8mm short subjects? 200' or less?

[Lee Mannering]

Hi Brian yes you are right you have to be very dedicated to see this sort of project thru. Its not so much about the title which is a gamble anyway its very much about who is paying the thousands to make it happen in the first place, typically one person and the experience to assure a good result for something collectors may want. Yes it's a massive gamble indeed particularly at the moment as the majority of new buyers are in the UK.

I've lined up over 20 new releases over a planned 5 year period mainly mastered from 35 to retain that film look. Collectors buy the magic happens. Interestingly most of the orders for my first independent release are not on this forum!

[Philip Hamilton]

Lee - can you please answer my question that I posted earlier about the 2023 A L I E N digest? Any information on that would be great.

Also - what 20 titles are you referring to? Are these studio major releases that we would all be familiar with? Features or Digests??Thanks!