8 mm film |Super 8 mm film | Single-8 | 16 mm film| DVDFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The film is 8mm wide, exactly the same as the older standard 8mm film and also has perferations on only one side, but the dimensions of the perforations are reduced, allowing the exposed area to be increased in size. The Super-8 standard also specifically allocates the rebate opposite the perforations for an oxide stripe upon which sound can be magnetically recorded. There are several different varieties of the film system used for shooting, but the final film in each case has the same dimensions. By far the most popular system was the Kodak system.
The Kodak Super 8 systemLaunched in 1965, the film comes in plastic light-proof cartridges containing coaxial supply and takeup spools loaded with 50 feet of film. This was enough for 3 minutes and 20 seconds of continuous filming at 18 frames per second, for a total of 3600 frames. A 200-foot reel later became available which could be used in specifically-designed cameras, but it is no longer produced. Film was almost always a reversal stock. The plastic cartridge could be loaded into the camera in seconds, without the need to directly thread or even touch the film. In addition, coded notches cut into the cartridge signalled the film speed to the camera to allow automatic film-speed setting. Color stocks were generally available only in tungsten (3400K), and almost all Super 8 cameras come with a switchable daylight filter built in, allowing for both indoor and outdoor shooting. The original release was a silent system only, but in 1973 a sync-sound version was released. The sound film had a magnetic soundtrack, and came in larger cartridges than the original so as to accommodate a longer film path (required for smoothing the film movement before it reached the recording head), and a second aperture for the recording head. Sound cameras were compatible with silent cartridges, but not vice versa. Sound film was typically filmed at a speed of 24 frames per second. Kodak discontinued the production of Super 8 sound film in 1997, citing environmental regulations as the reason. Kodak still manufactures several color and black-and-white Super 8 reversal film stocks, but in 2005 announced the discontinuation of the most popular stock Kodachrome. This is to be replaced by a new ISO 64 Ektachrome. Kodak has also introduced several Super 8 negative stocks cut from their Vision film series, ISO 200 and ISO 500 which can be used in very low light. Kodak reformulated the emulsions for the B&W reversal stocks Plus-X (ISO 100) and Tri-X (ISO 200), in order to give them more sharpness. Many updates of film stocks are in response to the growing popularity and availability of non-linear editing systems. Films may be transferred through telecine to video and are then imported into computer based editing systems such as Final Cut Pro, Avid, or Vegas . Despite this availability a number of enthusiast still choose to edit super 8 film with a viewer and rewinds. While Kodak Super 8 mm cartridges cannot be reloaded, a reloadable cartridge was manufactured in the former USSR. The Fujifilm Single-8 systemFujifilm of Japan developed an alternative format called Single-8, which was released in 1965 as an alternative to the Kodak Super 8 format. Although never as popular as Super 8, the format continues to live in parallel. As of early 2006, Fuji still manufactures Single-8 film, and filmstock and processing is still available from several sources. Double Super-8Double Super 8 mm film is a 16 mm wide film but has Super 8 size sprockets. It is used in the same way as standard 8mm film in that the film is run through the camera twice, exposing one side on each pass. During processing, the film is split down the middle and the two pieces spliced together to produce a single strip for projection in a Super 8 projector. Because it has sprockets on both sides of the film, the pin-registration is superior to Super 8 film and so picture stability is better. EquipmentOnly one Super 8 camera is still in production, the Russian made Kinoflex. However, there are several dealers worldwide who sell old Super 8 cameras at reasonable prices, and they are readily available used on eBay. Kodak is the only company making Super 8 films, but there are several companies that cut 16mm film stock in half and repackage it in Super 8 cartridges. There are also rumours of Super 8 cameras and films being manufactured and sold in North Korea PopularityAmateur usage of Super 8 has been largely replaced by video, but the format is sometimes used by professionals trying to imitate the look of old home movies, or create a stylishly grainy look. Many independent filmmakers such as Derek Jarman and Mark Pirro have made extensive use of 8mm film, and it appears to have made something of a minor comeback in both the art and experimental film world. Oliver Stone, for example, loves to use it in his more recent films, such as The Doors, Natural Born Killers, Nixon, U Turn, and JFK where his DP Robert Richardson employed it to evoke a period or to give a different look to scenes. To give further support to filmmakers dedicated to shooting on Super 8mm film, many film festivals and screenings such as the Flicker Film Festival exist to give filmmakers a place to screen their Super 8mm films. Many of these screenings shun video and are only open to films shot on film. Some like the Bentley Film Festival require film to be turned in undeveloped with no editing providing an additional challenge to the filmmaker. Until 1999, the University of Southern California's famous School of Cinema-Television required students to shoot their initial projects using Super 8, but the dwindling availability of equipment and processing facilities eventually forced the school to switch these classes to Digital Video. However it is still used elsewhere by film students who wish to learn the basics of shooting and editing. External links Adventures
in super 8mm and regular 8mm filmmaking
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Super 8 mm film, also called Super 8 is
a motion picture 
