Tweet
Just thought I'd mention.....this release will not be available after 12/31/21 .
-
-
Just curious, is it due to wear out of negative? I have been thinking about getting this, but it might be a little while, as my extra cash just paid for JAWS.Comment
-
Not at all . Too many NEW digests being released so It is being retired for a while .
Comment
-
Well, you've earned it. Coming up with what you release, editing the blasted thing, (and the sadness of having to leave out something you REALLY wanted in there, but not having the run time to include it), then working out all the different places it has to go, ect ect. just to get it to the customer, I'd be ready for a long winters nap myself!Comment
-
A thing of beauty Dave and a new dawn for the 600ftr. Anyone not yet got it be quick its worth every penny with definition and collect ability we have not seen for some time in a 600.Comment
-
Thanks Lee
Comment
-
Osi, or anyone else who's interested, there is one on ebay for $300. Not mine.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/29434365813...MAAOSweFFhHUscComment
-
Go grab it someone a very VERY popular title and one that's going to only increase in collect-ability.
Reading the listing the splice sounds like a standard chemical lab join and quite a normal event today in film printing where raw stock is at a premium for them.Comment
-
Still waiting
Comment
-
Normal from later Derann days onwards from the notes given in their newsletters.Originally posted by Lee Mannering View PostComment
-
Can we now move on past this release, everything has been said, multiple times.Comment
-
Hi David, you just released "Jurassic Park" as a 28-minute compilation and "The Curse of the Werewolf" as a 11-minute summary. Is this your first activity in releasing Super 8 short versions or have you already released other titles on Super 8?
This is my first attempt to release Super 8 cut versions. The idea came to me when I was still ran my film company, the Ohio Film Collector Exchange. But now I have the time for it. And of course I was motivated by my friendship with Steve Osborne*. I just asked a collector friend, Steve, what he thought of it. He gave me positive feedback. He encouraged me, he told me, "Hey, that would be great, David! We need more people like you to keep this hobby alive!" That gave me the drive, because I want to contribute to the fact that the hobby lives on. Since the 1970s, probably in the early 80s – the last time Super 8 was still popular – no new films came out on Super-8 (not quite true, there were in the meantime a whole series of small editions – first complete versions and trailers, note). So that was a number of years ago. Decades! Now the time is ripe, because the interest in this hobby seems to be growing again. But not to the extent that it once was. Back then, it was more of an everyday thing, that was before the invention of VCRs and VHS and streaming and all that stuff. But anyway, this is my first project and I started with two titles. On the one hand, "Jurassic Park", because this is a popular Steven Spielberg film. Many people still love him. And on the other hand, "The Curse of Siniestro": People still love hammer movies! Especially in England. And that's a title that neither Derann nor anyone else over there wanted to do anything with in earlier days.
What was the reason for you to tackle this project?
I'm there because of the format, not because of the money. I can speak of luck if I reach the break-even point in this project. But I also want to bring the films to the market so that other collectors like me can expand their collection with these titles. It keeps Super 8 alive. I don't think many people are able to do what I've done here. It's very complicated and it's expensive. But I had a little support with "Jurassic Park". It was a team effort. However, the people involved in it would like to remain unmentioned.
How did you edit the feature film into a short version? What was the source material?
"Jurassic Park" was available as a 35mm Fuji copy. It was edited into a 28-minute short version. After the cut, the individual elements were glued together and sent to Kopierwerk in Germany. This created from this 35mm copy a 16mm negative copy (the 35mm original was previously digitally restored, note). So the Super 8 copies are pulled from this 16mm negative. When the copying unit sent me back my 35mm cut, they enclosed a null copy on 16mm. On it you can see exactly what they will copy to later Super 8.
"Jurassic Park" is a nearly 30-minute summary. How did you come up with this term?
Because many good scenes were used and because it was necessary to tell a convincing story. There are shots from the theatrical trailer that are not included in the finished feature film. The goal was to show some of the best scenes and provide a really well-condensed story. In the end, it was 28 minutes.
Will the sound of the film be recorded in the laboratory in Germany?
No, the sound is played here in America. It was taken from the DVD, in stereo.
"The Curse of Siniestro" is a 60-meter-long black-and-white film. Why did you choose this format?
First of all, the cut was made from a 16mm Eastman copy, which is already somewhat faded. The process was just like Jurassic Park, which I had completed earlier. First, I cut my 16mm copy into a short version. And I still had a one-minute TV spot, a double trailer for the films "The Curse of Siniestro" and "Shadow of the Cat", both of which were released simultaneously in 1961. I put this trailer at the beginning of the cut version. It is black and white. My goal was to capture the atmosphere of a castle film(mostly eight-minute cuts, from the USA of the 1970s, note)or the old, classic horror films. Since the negative was made from a faded copy, and you could make a black and white negative, I decided to make the short version in black and white so that it would be very atmospheric. To provide collectors with this old, classic universal movie experience. And that worked out well – it turned out wonderfully.
Why did you choose a film laboratory in Germany when you are in the USA?
Because the labs in the U.S. don't behave what we might expect from them. They simply reply, "No, we don't do that." They don't say it directly, but I don't think they want to get involved in something that uses the work of a third party. But in Germany you take risks... (laughs).
What footage will be used for the Super 8 copy?
The footage we use is the new Kodak Low Fade polyester. This new polyester film should be durable and will neither be affected by vinegar syndrome nor fade. If you want to cut it you have to use adhesive tape, wet adhesives do not hold. I have other, new polyester copies made by ANDEC a few years ago, and they haven't faded a bit. As far as I know, they last a very long time.
Where is it possible to order your new films?
At the moment you need to order them in the 8mm forum. Prices are based on euros, as the copies are produced in the euro area. These amounts can therefore fluctuate. I'm trying to spend a price that stays unchanged for at least a month. Of course, if there are big changes in the exchange rate or if the costs charged by the copying plant change, I have to adjust the prices. Steve Osborne will promote the films on his website and also in his "The Reel Image" as well as in his regular sales list.
Do you produce a first, fixed number of film copies or do you produce to order?
Well, copies are produced to order, because it's hard to predict how many copies will end up selling. When I first mentioned the idea in a forum in 2018, more than a hundred interested parties came forward. They sent me their emails and asked me to put them on the waiting list. I believe that the current situation (Corona)all over the world acts as a kind of damper on the possibility of interested parties to actually buy a copy now. But these collectors will always be there. But due to the current situation, I have to have the film copies produced on request.
How many copies have already been ordered?
I only started selling at the beginning of year (August 2021). So far, I've been able to commission about 40 copies, and that's about thirty copies of "Jurassic Park" and ten copies of "Curse of the Werewolf."
What is the actual price?
Well, that depends on where you live. In the USA, of course, it is the cheapest. Because of the shipping costs and so on, and you will also get the movie much faster. It also depends on how you pay. I accept PayPal, but then you have to add 6% for the fee. With a check or a money order, it costs less.
But I can already tell you now, on August 4 of this year (2021, note), that "Jurassic Park", if you pay by check or bank transfer, costs $325 for addressees in the USA. For PayPal in the U.S., it will cost you $350. If you live in Europe or even in England, it will be more expensive, because of international shipping or priority mail. Since you have to add about $ 40, and if you pay by PayPal, another 6% for the fee comes up. So it will cost you about $385 in England and probably a little more in Europe, Germany, Holland and more countries. (Note: z.B. when importing from the USA to Germany, about 90 € in taxes and import fees must also be added). This is how much "Jurassic Park" costs. "The Curse of Siniestro" is much cheaper because it is only 60 meters long. In the US, it costs $150 on check or wire transfer, with PayPal $160, in the UK it would cost about $195.
And my last question: Do you already have future plans for the release of further abstracts on Super 8?
Yes, I have, I even have one on the storyboard. And now! The title is a mystery... But I can tell you that it is a very sought-after, coveted and popular title among some collectors who ...
... one of the most desired short versions would be "Return of the Jedi," wouldn't it?
I'll be honest with you: it's not! It's going to be a movie classic, a favorite of probably almost every movie collector I know. They will really want him, and he will bring back a lot of memories to them.
Thank you very much for this very interesting interview, David! I wish you a huge success for your brand new and great short versions, and let's keep Super 8 alive!
by Joachim Schmidt
Dave's new titles for 2021
GODZILLA , KING OF THE MONSTERS
Super 8 – Black/White Sound, 180m, 30 minutes running time
To be released in Spring 2021
... followed by an equally long/short cut version of
THE FIFTH ELEMENT
COMING TO A SUPER 8MM PROJECTOR NEAR YOU
OK PHIL THAT SHOULD SUM IT UP NOW
Comment
-
I liked that "interview."
Comment
-
A wonderful read and extremely positive David which is REELY welcome.Comment
Comment