8mm Film
- Thread starter indigo
- Start date
For starters you'd want to shoot at 18 frames/second. That was the standard rate for 8mm and Super 8 film.
People seldom used tripods. When the electric zoom button was invented that was the end of the world. Never before had a feature been so overused.
Framing was too often done with the zoom lens. Forget about walking it in. Panning was another commonly applied technique -- but usually done way too fast and in multiple directions, depending upon the whim of whoever was holding the camera. And the shot durations were sometimes very short in an attempt to save film.
Come to think of it, things haven't changed much in 30 years!
Many shots were just slightly out of focus. Remember that these were usually cheap cameras with optics to match.
The rest would have to be done in post.
There's the 4:3 frame format.
And then other "features": gate weave. Vertical frame jitter. Scratches. Dirt. Fingerprints.
The color would vary. Ektachrome film would go bluish to almost green in the blacks and the saturation would drop. Kodachrome retains a remarkable amount of fidelity in the hues, although there is often some yellowing. The reds almost alway saturate.
There is a slight softness and considerable grain, especially if Ektachrome 160 was used.
Slight falloff toward the edges, and that was usually the fault of the projection equipment.
If you can find examples of material shot back then you can make adjustments to match.
People seldom used tripods. When the electric zoom button was invented that was the end of the world. Never before had a feature been so overused.
Framing was too often done with the zoom lens. Forget about walking it in. Panning was another commonly applied technique -- but usually done way too fast and in multiple directions, depending upon the whim of whoever was holding the camera. And the shot durations were sometimes very short in an attempt to save film.
Come to think of it, things haven't changed much in 30 years!
Many shots were just slightly out of focus. Remember that these were usually cheap cameras with optics to match.
The rest would have to be done in post.
There's the 4:3 frame format.
And then other "features": gate weave. Vertical frame jitter. Scratches. Dirt. Fingerprints.
The color would vary. Ektachrome film would go bluish to almost green in the blacks and the saturation would drop. Kodachrome retains a remarkable amount of fidelity in the hues, although there is often some yellowing. The reds almost alway saturate.
There is a slight softness and considerable grain, especially if Ektachrome 160 was used.
Slight falloff toward the edges, and that was usually the fault of the projection equipment.
If you can find examples of material shot back then you can make adjustments to match.
islandinsuburbia
New member
"When the electric zoom button was invented that was the end of the world. Never before had a feature been so overused."
LOL, Pure gold! Well put. We just finished doing a piece we needed to make it look like old 8mm, another common feature of that stock/projection was some "vignetting" around the borders of the frame. We used Magic Bullets Misfire which in addition to a nice vignette tool also has good grain, fading and post contrast tools that have a wide range of flexibility & control to help you match whatever stock you are working with. Blowing out the contrast for a series of frames at the beginning or end of cuts also adds to the look.
LOL, Pure gold! Well put. We just finished doing a piece we needed to make it look like old 8mm, another common feature of that stock/projection was some "vignetting" around the borders of the frame. We used Magic Bullets Misfire which in addition to a nice vignette tool also has good grain, fading and post contrast tools that have a wide range of flexibility & control to help you match whatever stock you are working with. Blowing out the contrast for a series of frames at the beginning or end of cuts also adds to the look.
tacotim
Well-known member
in this video age, many folks don't think about the best way to achieve the 8mm look, actually shooting on super8. The film is still available from kodak and cameras on ebay and thrift stores are a dime a dozen. lots of info on the web. A good starting point is http://homepage.mac.com/onsuper8/faqs.html I am not affiliated with the site, but i do still shoot super8 film, a very unique look that I think is difficult to emulate precisely.
good luck, tim
good luck, tim
brokenjack
Active member
Shoot 18 frames at a high quality setting and degrade it in post. You're gonna have to add flicker, jitter, and scratches anyway. The color correction tools for desktop, included with after effects, Final Cut Pro, etc should handle the job nicely, and you are not locked in with the camera settings, in case you need to massage the footage. You can always take stuff away, but you can't add it back. 18 fps though is probably best in camera still.
mainstreetprod
Veteran
Add jitter, never use a tripod and pretend its the first time you have ever held a camera. Saturate, saturate, saturate, until the reds and greens glow. Forget sound (most Super 8 was shot silent) and add a projector sound in post. I still have my projector and some film shot in the 70's. Memories!
brokenjack
Active member
I would have totally agreed with you 10 years ago, but by the time you get the camera from ebay, and film from a specialist shop and have it processed by a specialist (no more Kodachrome 40, I think they replaced it with 64T), find out if your camera worked or not, and got it transferred decently enough to video, your already purchased HVX will have drowned in its own tears mending its shattered ego.:violin: