Super 8 on a huge screen

[Paul Adsett]

John Clancy projects super 8 to over 30ft wide at the recent Film Is Fabulous event:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQ8NFYdig9A

[Steve Klare]

Super-8 has always suffered myths about its capabilities and quality.

One of 'em I was told maybe 40 years ago was it couldn't be projected larger than 3 feet diagonally!

-that's why it's good to come to the conventions: oftentimes you see amazing things!

[Paul Adsett]

It all comes down to the angle subtended at the eye by the screen . If you have sufficient brightness, which John's HTI converted GS1200 has, a 30ft wide S8 picture 100ft away will look as good as a 6ft wide S8 picture 20 ft away.

[Dave Bickford]

I once had a “theatre” in our barn and I could get a fantastic 20ft+ wide picture using a cheap GAF “dual 8” projector. Crappy machines, but the lens was awesome and provided very sharp, bright pictures (in my experience. Your mileage may vary)

[Osi Osgood]

Johns work has been and continues to be most watchable. I always find it humorous when people are shocked to find that what they have just been watching, is a super 8 print, but super 8 has literally had that potential from it's very beginning.

[Ken Finch]

The projector that John used is an exception to the rule regarding narrow gauge machines. I agree with what Paul says about viewing distance and also about the quality of the projector lens. Other aspects to consider are the quality of the actual film print and the ambient light of the room being used.

[Brian Fretwell]

Yes, there was a lot less ambient light at the Pheonix than there was at the last BFCC. The advantage of a real cinema.

[Phil Moors]

A very interesting video and well done to everyone concerned. The short snippet of the ‘Zulu’ trailer looks ok, but is far too big to provide acceptable quality and looks soft and unexceptional. I have that trailer which is a Derann release which is probably not the greatest quality that they released but good enough for a home setting. Hopefully, someone who was their on the day doesn’t describe it as pin sharp, a statement frequently touted about Super 8, but rarely achieved.

[Brian Fretwell]

Well it certainly wasn't as sharp as the 35mm reel shown at Ealing town Hall many years ago, but it wasn't bad. I have seen some 35mm trilers in cinemas that were worse. In fact with one if I hadn't seen the film on 70mm in the West End before seeing the trailer localy I wouldn't have bothered seeing the film!
The Speed extract was good too, however I was sitting in the rear seats near the projectors and those sitting nearer the front may have thought otherwise.

[Brad Miller]

I've done a few 30-40 foot side screens, but the big one was a 60 foot wide screen on a custom modified Beaulieu 708EL Pro machine with external 2000 watt xenon lamphouse. It looked surprisingly good! Had to feed the film out the front and takeup to the side though because the lamphouse dwarfed the projector itself and there was no way to use the takeup arm.