Everything you always wanted to know about Super 8
Often maligned, Super 8 Film actually represents the summit of Amateur Movie Film Technology, and is the result of about fifty years of research and development. While it never quite lived up to the expectations of some of its creators, the little film format represents the first modern film system. Many of the innovations of Super 8 are found in contemporary 16mm and 35mm motion picture systems. Here is a brief overview:
Format:
Super 8 Film is 8mm wide acetate motion picture film, sold in 50’ lengths. These rolls are packed in molded plastic cartridges, which allow for instant drop-in camera loading without threading. All Super 8 cartridges fit in all Super 8 cameras, Kodak is the only manufacturer of Super 8 Film still offering product.
These small plastic cartridges have physical notches cut into one forward edge, telling the camera, in effect, what ASA film is inside. The 50 length of film will run for either 3 minutes and 24 seconds at silent / standard speed of 18 frames per second (fps), or for 2 minutes and 47 seconds at 24 frames per second. Generally speaking, the standard speed of 18 fps is perfectly fine for most customer applications. 24 fps should be used if the film is going to be transferred to video or blown-up to 16mm or 35mm.
For about 20 years Kodak manufactured magnetically striped film for sound movies. Kodak no longer has the capability to do this (as a result of environmental legislation regarding manufacturing), and no sound film stock remains in any Kodak Inventory. Period.
History of the format:
One hundred years ago, George Eastman set his research lab to work to develop practical home movies. Motion Picture Film in 1900 (as today) was 35mm in width and (as today) required developing and printing before viewing. This was an expensive proposal to say the least, and further complicating the issue was the fact that the film support in those pre-petroleum days was made of cellulose nitrate, a substance so flammable that is would spontaneously combust for no apparent reason–and burn underwater. Not something one would want in the home or school.
Eastman scientists, led by John G. Capstaff, endeavored to find a narrower negative (which would be significantly less expensive), and a way around the negative-positive process, saving a huge step in the image-chain process (and again, saving money).
It was determined than an image 10mm wide would deliver a very satisfactory picture on a home-sized screen, of about four feet in width using the 1910’s technology available. To this, 3mm were added to each side of the film for sprocket holes, to transport and index the film. Thus the format of 16mm film was invented. Capstaff found that by utilizing the reversal process discovered back in the 1880’s whereby a negative was partially developed, bleached, exposed to white light and redeveloped, the film yielded a direct positive image. This image was ready for projection- and in fact was sharper than the negative-positive method of photography. World War One stopped research on the movie system, and at war’s end several innovations, like a non-burning safety support were available for this new movie camera, called Cine Kodak. In April 1923, a complete line of 16mm cameras, projectors, accessories and film went on sale.
The Economy Spells Trouble:
The booming economy of the 1920’s ended abruptly in October of 1929 when the Stock Marker crashed. Home Movies, the hobby of the upper-middle class became prohibitively expensive. Back in Kodak Park, the R&D Group took advantage of the advancements in emulsion and lens technology to find a solution to the high cost of 16mm filmmaking. Tests were made using a film frame 1 / 4 the size of 16mm. Film was perforated with double the number of sprocket holes (on both edges of the film). It was then exposed twice in the camera; one half of the strip was shot in one directions, the roll flipped over, and then the other side exposed (much like recording on two sides of an audiocassette). The image from the tiny frame was still judged acceptable for home use on a small screen. The big advantage was that now 25 feet of this new film, called double 8mm ran for as long as 100 feet of 16mm on the screen!
Eight-millimeter film dominated the amateur market for thirty years, until Kodak decided to improve every aspect of the format, calling it, Super 8.
Providing Real Customer Solutions:
The first step was to determine what aspects of 8mm moviemaking customers did not like. First and foremost was threading the camera. Although metal cartridges had been available in both 16mm and 8mm for decades, they were expensive to manufacture and notoriously unreliable. This issue was solved with an injection-molded cartridge that was impossible to mis-load. Because the film was single 8mm width, there was no need to flip the roll over.
Next came the need to choose between an indoor and outdoor color film. Offering ONLY indoor (tungsten) film, and equipping every Super 8 Camera with a built-in correction filter for daylight use solved the problem. Also eliminated was the need for the customer to set the ASA of the film to ensure correct exposure. A notch in the cartridge signaled a switch in the camera as to the ASA of the film.
Since this format was created nearly from scratch, new sprocket holes were designed. These were smaller than the ones in 16mm film or double-8mm film, allowing for a frame size that was some 50% bigger than regular 8mm. By placing the perforations at the side of the frame instead of at the corners, picture registration or steadiness also improved.
Lastly, room was left at the very edge of the film, opposite the sprocket holes to allow for a magnetic sound record, something that was available from 1973 until 1994.
All in all, the Super 8 Format was well designed and successfully implemented. Over the years, new film choices emerged; the original film in Super 8 was Kodachrome II, a 40 ASA color film. Tri-X Reversal and Plus-X Reversal black and white films, and the now-discontinued Ektachrome 160 and 160 Type-G Color Films followed these. In recent years, VNF 7240 was offered to take the place of the Ektachrome Products, as well as a color negative film, Kodak Vision 200, called Surveillance Film.
Processing: Kodak Processes Kodachrome 40 Film. All others require processing by independent commercial laboratories. A directory of these labs is available on our Website.
Cameras:
As a rule, all Super 8 Cameras are battery-driven, have automatic exposure control and built-in color correction filters. All run at 18 fps and some will run at 24 fps and perhaps other speeds for special effects. Virtually no manufacturers make Super 8 Cameras these days, due to the proliferation of camcorders, but used Super 8 cameras are abundant in classified ads and in larger photo stores.
Sound: The only way to shoot sound Super 8 nowadays is via the double-system method.
OM Products:
For many years companies like Agfa, GAF and Fuji made Super 8 film. Most notable is Fuji’s Single 8 System, a brilliant (and now discontinued) design using polyester film in a rewindable cassette (facilitating special effects), and compatible with Super 8 Projectors. Super 8 film cartridges do not fit Fuji Single 8 Cameras. Agfa abandoned Super 8 in the 1970’s and GAF left the business in the 1980’s.
Super 8 in the Millennium:
Super has almost completely disappeared from the home movie market. Today it finds use in Television Applications, some Documentary Films and Music Television. Every once and again Super 8 will appear in features too, usually for a home movie effect.
Super 8 Facts at a Glance
Year Introduced: 1965
Films Currently Available from Kodak:
Color: Kodachrome 40 and VNF 7240 Ektachrome (ASA 125)
B&W: Tri-X Reversal and Plus-X Reversal
Special Use: Vision 200 Surveillance Negative Film.
All Super 8 Cartridges are 50 in length and will fit all Super 8 Cameras
Processing: Kodak and 1-3 labs in the United States processe Kodakchrome.
All others require a commercial Laboratory.
Running Times: 3 minutes 20 seconds at 18 FPS (standard)
2 minutes 47 seconds at 24 FPS
S. Garfinkel EKC PMI 10/99