Super
8 film and Double 8mm is a limited medium. To take best
advantage of it, you must understand, accept and work within
its limitations. We repeat this frequently to help filmmakers
avoid the twin constraints of high expectations and complicated
techniques that can strangle this otherwise excellent gauge.
There were many basic limitations that underlie all the
Super 8 film and Double 8mm production systems we designed
in the 1980s editions of the book. If the basics are understood,
accepted and put into practice from the beginning, your
filmmaking can be released and be wonderful. Super 8 film
and Double 8mm filmmaking seems to be best suited to the
solo filmmaker who can enjoy the subject of the film and
the making of it.
We
use Kodachrome 40 & 25 wherever there is sufficient
light for it and even when the camera (by an indicator in
the viewfinder) tells us there is not. Kodachrome 40 &
25 , although rated as less sensitive by 2 f/stops than
Ektachrome, has the ability to capture great detail in shadow
areas. The detail Kodachrome Kodachrome 40 & 25 can
record within shadow areas is truly amazing. The reason
for this is its fine grain structure; it has the smallest
grain of all common motion picture films. The blacks of
Kodachrome 40 & 25 are denser than those of other motion
picture films, too. If you want to render fine detail and
deep tones, there is no substitute for Kodachrome 40 &
25 . Camera original Kodachrome 40 & 25 can be projected
on full size theatre screens by arc light with breathtaking
effect.
There are other advantages to Kodachrome 40 & 25 . It
runs more smoothly through cameras than the Ektachromes
because it has a thinner emulsion. It seems much more tolerant
of temperature extremes than its Ektachrome cousins which
may be why so many National Geographic photographers counted
on Kodachrome slide film at all the ends of the earth. Even
after processing, Kodachrome 40 & 25 seems able to withstand
more physical abuse than other film stocks. It is unrivalled
for long-lasting color and should be the choice for filmmakers
filming subjects of lasting interest, like grandchildren.
The
dye stability of Kodachrome 40 & 25 is far superior
to other color films because Kodachrome 40 & 25 is essentially
a layered, fine grained black and white emulsion to which
highly stable dyes are coupled during processing. Kodachrome
images from the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s reveal very little
fading today, making Kodachrome 40 & 25 our choice for
recording images that are precious, unique and deserve to
be kept in an archive, whether personal or public. At the
rate that the world's cultures are changing today, many
images that a culturally sensitive observer can gather may
be worth archiving.
PROCESSING
We
recommend sending Kodachrome film to Kodak itself for processing
at its lab in Switzerland. In the US, this means sending
it to Kodak's fair Lawn NJ plant and waiting a couple of
weeks. Local labs sometimes offer cheap and fast service
for Kodachrome but the result can be uneven color and damage
to the film. We have seen scratches and gouges from careless
processor loading, coarse grain and poor color from chemicals
that are not fresh or too hot, curl and shrinkage from drying
temperatures set too high (to speed through the work), and
dust storms dried into the film surface.Poor processing,
chemicals, handling or temperature will set your films on
a path to early deterioration.
BLACK & WHITE
Super
8 and 8mm filmmakers have maintained a strong interest in
black & white film, particularly for the gritty grain
of Tri-X and the platinum-surfaced, mid-range tones of Plus-X.
Kodak offers two excellent black and white Super 8 reversal
(direct projection) films. Plus-X (EI 50) has fine grain
with lots of mid-grays but is not as fine as Kodachrome
40, and Tri-X (EI 200)with more contrast than Plus-X. One
final precaution: black & white films seem to be much
more susceptible to scratching right after processing so
they must be handled carefully.
WHEN TO FILM AT 24 FRAMES PER SECOND
All
Super 8 and 8mm cameras run at 18 frames per second, many
also run at 24 fps, and some run at other speeds as well,
both slower and faster. This means that 18 fps was the standard
Super 8 framing rate. All Super 8 front screen sound
projectors can project films not only at 18 fps but also
at 24 frames per second (which is the 16mm and 35mm standard
film industry speed for theatre projection). Shooting at
18 fps affords you certain advantages not found at 24 fps.
It is good to shoot at 24 fps:
a.
when filming for 16mm or 35mm blow-ups so you will have
a 1:1 correspondence of images;
b.
when your subjects move fast. Dancers, athletes, cars and
fast moving events all call for filming at 24 fps to smooth
out motions that are the center of attention.
WHEN
TO FILM AT 18 FRAMES PER SECOND
We
need to point out the advantages to filming at 18 fps rather
than at 24 fps. 18 fps permits more light to reach the film,
allowing for better images in low light. 18 fps makes a
50'/15m cartridge run for 3 minutes 20 seconds, a critical
difference in a micro-or-no-budget film, compared to the
2 minutes 30 seconds run of 24 fps cartridges. Cameras run
more quietly at 18 fps than at 24 fps.
SETTING
YOUR DIOPTER
Not
enough emphasis can be put on the importance of setting
the camera's eyepiece. If you neglect to do this, your scenes
may appear in focus through the lens, but your images will
be out-of-focus. Set the diopter of your camera each time
you start filming or when your camera is used by a different
person. Do not assume that the eyepiece has stayed where
you last set it, or that two people's eyes are the same.
There
are several ways to set the diopter including those outlined
in camera manuals. We suggest this is the easiest way to
adjust cameras with split-image rangefinders (the circle
with a line through it in the center of the viewfinder).
Point the camera at a bright light source, throw the lens
totally out-of-focus, and set the diopter (by twisting the
eyepiece or turning a wheel) until the horizontal line
within the circle is as sharp and clear as possible. For
cameras with microprism rangefinders (a circle with a prismatic
image within it) do the same but concentrate on making the
circle etching itself as sharp and clear as possible.
If
you are the primary user of a camera, mark the correct diopter
setting for your eye by scoring a line across the moveable
and stationary rings after correctly setting the diopter.
Fill the scoring with China marker wax to be able to match
them later. Some people have found two dots of nail polish
color works too, in different color dots for different users.
On
cameras that have ground glass focusing screens, attempt
to make the grain of the glass as pronounced as possible.
With ground glass focusing screens the diopter adjustment
is more of a nicety than a necessity; adjusting the diopter
will change the relative definition of the viewfinder image,
not the image on the film. Sometimes the ground glass of
the viewfinder is not precisely adjusted relative to the
film plane. You can prove this when telephoto images you
precisely focused end up out-of-focus on the film. The camera,
usually a Beaulieu or Leicina, must then go to a shop for
adjustment of the back-focus. Send the test roll in with
the camera.
LIGHTING
Light
affects everything: planes, sizes, shapes, textures, shadow,
contrast and color. How you arrange these things in the
frame determines what lines of force or pools of interest
can be created. The strength of the lines and restfulness
of the pools increase with skill. There is no substitute
for playing around with your camera on inconsequential subjects,
trying to draw the best out of every lighting situation.
In fact, we advocate using video cameras to learn about
framing, and the dynamics of maoving image photography before
you expose real film!
The
ideal lighting for a full range of detail on direct projection
film (called reversal film) is bright and flat lighting,
like under very hazy skies or in a brightly lit, white walled
room. This is also the most boring lighting. Composing an
image with this lighting is like trying to make mashed potatoes
visually appealing. You must work hard to reveal some texture.
Try
to give the center of interest in every moment of filming
as much light as anything else in the frame. This requires
the documentary filmmaker to be fast on his or her feet
to move around the subject. When your subject walks near
a window, you must be fast to close in and film with your
back to the window. Keep the center of interest prominent;
throw a cluttered background out of focus. When filming,
wear white; this serves as a reflector to soften shadows
in close-ups. Even deep eye shadows can be minimized with
a strong close-up.
Under
fluorescent lighting, always use a filter or everybody will
look ghastly green. Place an FLB filter (available in most
sizes from Spiratone) over the camera lens to replace the
reds that fluorescents lack. Short of this, use the camera's
built-in daylight filter. Plan shots to keep flourescent
lighting fixtures themselves out of the frame.
When
you have added light to a scene, try to make it flatter
than you want the final result to be. Do this because reversal
film will record the image with much more contrast than
is apparent to the eye. Reversal film was created as direct
projection material, meant to be shown in a darkened room.
Negative film stocks (which have been offered to Super 8
filmmakers in the last decade) compress the inherent contrast
of a scene as they were created to be shown on television
or as print material (both post-production paths increase
contrast.) Artificial lighting can be very beautiful when
used with reversal film if it is softened by a large reflector
or a diffuser. For this reason and low cost, we tend to
recommend the large inexpensive hardware store type of reflectors
with 500 watt, 3200ĽK or 4800ĽK bulbs in them (not Photofloods).
If your project incudes personelle, lighting gear and such,
you are already working beyond the scale of most Super 8
filmmakers we know.
EXPOSURE
CONTROL
Super
8 and 8mm film is usually most pleasingly exposed using
each camera's own built-in exposure meter. Despite this,
fine 16mm and 35mm camerapeople we've known often bring
their hand-held metering habits to Super 8 with bad results.
Super 8 and 8mm cameras are consumer items; their meters
are not necessarily calibrated to work with professional
light meters. If you must work with your hand held light
meter, make no assumptions about Super 8 settings. Test
your camera carefully to learn how to get good exposures
with it.
The
rest of us will be very satisfied using the through-the-lens
metering system in the camera as they are usually quite
reliable. When the most important part of the scene is lighter
or darker than the average light in the rest of the scene,
move in or zoom in on the important part and let the camera
determine the proper exposure. Then lock the aperture on
this setting (or set it manually) before returning to the
wider perspective. Be aware that zooming in beyond 50mm
usually gives a slightly overexposed indication; you need
to compensate for this if you choose to film at a wider
frame. This indication of overexposure happens because zoom
lenses transmit less light above 50mm, and therefore the
automatic metering will indicate a wider f/stop.
Remember,
whenever a lighted lamp or bright window appear in the frame,
they will cause an automatic iris to close down. The same
goes for automobile windshields flashing in the sun. Even
when these light sources are outside the frame, they can
cause an automatic iris to oscillate. If possible, lock
the iris to prevent a momentary darkening of the frame.
If
you cannot lock your camera on a predetermined setting but
can adjust it for an overall correction, set it according
to the lightness or darkness of your subject relative to
the overall lightness or darkness of the scene. Good judgement
and the automatic metering system usually work well together.
WHEN
TO USE A LIGHT METER
An
incident light meter is a standard tool in professional
cinematography, but with Super 8 film, it's a liability.
16mm filmmakers who come to Super 8, be forewarned. We have
seen more unevenly, imperfectly exposed footage from filmmakers
who have set their exposure with a separate light meter
than from those who haven't. Why? Super 8 cameras have unusual
exposure logarithms. You cannot count on an exposure set
according to an external light meter, especially a reflected
or spot reading type. The zoom range setting, the viewfinder's
beamsplitter prism and the internal exposure metering system
all affect the light reaching Super 8 film. The best exposures
come from apertures set with the internal meters reading
the area of most importance in the scene at the focal length
(if possible) of the particular shot. Long zoom lens extensions
will cause the aperture to open up 1/2 to 2 stops more than
a medium extension would indicate. We do not recommend separate
light meters. Those who ignore this advice are urged to
test carefully their own equipment for its particular, idiosyncratic
variations and to maintain their sense of humor when their
exposures are wrong.
The
place to use a light meter is where you have control over
the lighting and can use the meter to help balance the lighting.
(Remember the contrast inherent in reversal filmstocks.)
Use an incident meter (with a white dome) to keep the main
light level within one-half stop in the entire action area,
from above head height to waist height. This is more difficult
than it might appear, but it is necessary if the lighting
is not to draw attention to itself when the scene is filmed
on projection contrast film, as are Super 8 reversal films.
An easy-to-use low cost meter for this function is the Sekonic
L-246; slightly more complicated (and versatile) is the
L-398.
Whenever
possible, film in the following manner for video transfer:
1.
Use soft lighting, or move into soft lighting (away from
harsh lights or open sun). Interiors are best lit by windows
or 500 watt, 3200ĽK bulbs in hardware store reflectors.
2.
Avoid large areas of white or light colors and masses of
white sky. If you must include these, don't allow them to
cause your camera's light meter to stop down its aperture.
Use your backlight button, or set and lock the exposure
on darker elements in the scene, especially if they are
the main areas of interest.
3.
Include an extraordinary number of close-up shots, compared
to medium and long shots.
4.
Allow for a 10% cut-off of the frame around the sides of
your image during the transfer. Allow even more space around
titles.
5.
Shoot Kodachrome 40 in all situations unless you have an
aesthetic preference for another stock.
The
best exposure for video transfer of Super 8 and 8mm reversal
film is normal exposure of the area of interest,
whether it be out in the sun or under a beach umbrella.
Video chops off detail at both ends of the illumination
scale, hence the desire of videographers for flat lighting.
This means that compared to the projected image of a properly
exposed, full range Kodachrome 40 image, any video transfer
will lose shadow and highlight detail. It is possible to
shift more of this loss toward the highlights or into the
shadows, but a loss will occur somewhere. Such is the state
of video so far.
