It can be confusing knowing what type of film you have, we have an easy guide to help you determine what type of film you have.
For additional information on the different types of movie film see these sites below.
16mm Movie Film TransferSuper8 Movie Film Transfer
8mm Movie Film Transfer
The Launch of Super8 Movie Film
Launched in 1965, Super 8 film comes in plastic light-proof cartridges containing coaxial supply and take-up spools loaded with 50 feet (15 m) of film. This was enough film for 2.5 minutes at the professional motion picture standard of 24 frames per second, and for 3 minutes and 20 seconds of continuous filming at 18 frames per second (upgraded from Standard 8 mm's 16 frame/s) for amateur use, for a total of approximately 3,600 frames per film cartridge. A 200-foot (61 m) cartridge later became available which could be used in specifically designed cameras, but that Kodak cartridge is no longer produced. Super 8 film was typically a reversal stock. Kodak makes two types of reversal film in this format today; one color (Ektachrome 100D/7285) and one black and white (Tri-X/7266). The Ektachrome 64T stock has recently been discontinued. In addition to reversals, Kodak also offers two negative stocks (Vision3 200T/7213 and Vision3 500T/7219). In the 1990s Pro-8 mm pioneered custom loading of several Super 8 stocks. Today Super 8 color negative film is available directly from Kodak for professional use and is typically transferred to video through the telecine process for use in television advertisement, music videos and other film projects.
The Super 8 plastic cartridge is probably the fastest loading film system ever developed as it can be loaded into the Super 8 camera in less than two seconds without the need to directly thread or even touch the film. In addition, coded notches cut into the Super 8 film cartridge exterior allowed the camera to recognize the film speed automatically. Not all cameras can read all the notches correctly, however, and not all cartridges are notched correctly (such as Kodak Vision2 200T). See also http://super8wiki.com/index.php/Super_8_Cartridge_Notch_Ruler for a proper guide to how the notches work and finding compatibility with various camera models. Canon also keeps an exhaustive list of their Super 8 cameras with detailed specifications on what film speeds can be used with their cameras at http://www.canon.com/camera-museum/camera/cine/series_8mc.html. Usually, testing one cartridge of film can help handle any uncertainty a filmmaker may have about how well their Super 8 camera reads different film stocks. 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 Super 8 film release was a silent system only, but in 1973 a sound on film 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 18 or 24 frames per second. Kodak discontinued the production of Super 8 sound film in 1997, citing environmental regulations as the reason (the adhesive used to bond the magnetic track to the film was environmentally hazardous).
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 [2] due to the decline of facilities equipped for the K-14 process. Kodachrome was "replaced" by a new ISO 64 Ektachrome, which used the simpler E-6 process. The last roll of Kodachrome was processed on January 18, 2011 (although announced last date of processing was 12/30/10) in Parsons, Kansas, by the sole remaining lab capable of processing the format.
Super 8 film stocks other than Kodachrome—from color and black and white reversal, to color negative—can be processed same day in several labs around the world.
In April 2010, Kodak announced the discontinuation of Plus-X and E64T. In the same press release, they also announced that they would be replacing E64T with a super-8 version of Ektachrome 100D, a popular reversal stock available to 16mm and 35mm users. Previous to Kodak's announcement, the stock had been supplied by third-party vendors such as Pro8mm and Spectra Film and Video in the United States, and Witter Kinotechnik in Germany.
Kodak does not offer processing for its black and white Super-8 films, preferring instead to refer its users to third-party processors.
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 improvement of digital video technology. The growing popularity and availability of non-linear editing systems has allowed film-makers to shoot Super 8 film but edit on video, thereby avoiding much of the scratches and dust that can accrue when editing the actual film. Super 8 Films may be transferred through telecine to video and then imported into computer-based editing systems. Along with the computer editing option a number of enthusiasts still choose to edit super 8 film with a viewer and rewinds and then project their edit master on a film projector and movie screen.
Some feature films have been shot on Super8mm and most that have current distribution today were edited on video. Some titles include Colony, Brand Upon the Brain!, Things, Since I Don't Have You, Beasties, Nudist Colony of the Dead, Nekromantik, Bleak Future, and Curse of the Queerwolf.
Negative stocks, however, must be transferred to video in order to be viewed and edited properly. Unlike 16mm and larger formats, the capability to make a film-based work print does not exist for Super-8 in the US, as it would be cost-ineffective. The German company Andec Filmtechnik offers a printing service for Super-8 negative in Germany, but it is unknown how much longer it will continue to do so, given the relatively low usage of it. In addition, projecting the processed film would produce a negative image, and would also damage the film itself.
Kodak Super 8 mm cartridges cannot be reloaded; however, a reloadable cartridge was manufactured in the Soviet Union.
Kodak discontinued reversal print stocks several years ago. Andec Film in Berlin now makes prints from Super 8 negative film, although optical blow-ups to 16mm or 35mm are available at other labs.
Super 8 mm Film History
Source: Kodak
The story of practical "home movies" began in 1923. Although 35mm film had been the standard for theatrical releases for decades, the large film was cumbersome, expensive, and dangerous due to its flammable nature.
For years, the Eastman Kodak Company had worked to develop a system of movie equipment and film that would be easy enough for the advanced amateur photographer to use, yet reasonably affordable. The result was the Sixteen Millimeter "Cine Kodak" Camera and the Kodascope Projector". The camera itself weighed about seven pounds, and had to be handcranked at two turns per second during filming. A tripod was included in the package, all of which cost a whopping $335.00! And this in a time when a new Ford automobile could be purchased for $550.00.
Thus, Home Movie Making was not an inexpensive hobby, but one that was capable of exciting, high-quality results. By 1932, with America in the throes of the Great Depression, a new format, the "Cine Kodak Eight", was introduced. Utilizing a special 16mm film which had double the number of perforations on both sides, the film maker would run the film through the camera in one direction, then reload and expose the other side of the film, the way an audio cassette is used today.
Since the 8 mm frame was one-quarter the size of "sixteen", this method reduced by a factor of four the amount of film necessary to give the same running time - four minutes - as a standard one-hundred-foot length of 16 mm stock. After development, the laboratory would slit the film lengthwise down the center, and splice one end to the other, yielding fifty feet of finished 8 mm movies. The success of 8mm film was almost immediate, and within about fifteen years, 16 mm film became almost exclusively a format of the professional filmmaker. By the 1950's, 8 mm home movie cameras were a common sight at family parties, special events and on vacations.
In the 1960's, research began on an improved system of home movie products that would also have potential use in Audio-Visual Applications. Eastman scientists sought to further simplify the movie-making process while improving the quality of the pictures. Scientists were asked to create this new product unencumbered by existing technology. Rather, some of the best features from previous formats would be considered.
The concept of a cartridge-loading movie camera had been around since 1936, when it was introduced with the Cine-Kodak Magazine 16mm Camera. This time, however, the film cartridges would be made of injection-molded plastic, rather than metal, which required hand-manufacture and were subject to jamming. The 8mm size was retained for reasons of economy, but with several significant improvements:
Cartridge loading eliminated the threading of the film.No flipping of the film load was required; the entire 50-foot cartridge could be shot without interruption. Rather than manufacture both a "Daylight" and a "Type-A" (Tungsten) form of the new film, each Super 8 Camera would have a built-in filter, making it possible to make only the "Type A"" product, which could be used in either kind of light. The perforations (sprocket holes) were reduced in size, allowing for a wider image area that was about 50% larger than standard 8mm film. Maximizing the film width was a concept that originated in France by Pathe, with their 9.5mm camera system. The perforations were also moved to a point adjacent to the center of the film frame, making steady registration simpler. 16mm and standard 8mm formats had placed the perforation at the corners of the frame to reduce fogging of the image at the head and tail of the roll caused during loading of the film. Since Super 8 was a cartridge-loaded product, this was no longer an issue. Virtually all Super 8 Cameras would have built-in light meters, a feature dating back to the early 1950's in 16mm and 1960 in 8mm cameras.
The cartridge itself provided information to the camera about the speed (ASA) of the film inside and filter information in the case of black-and-white products. Precision notches were set at specific points on the edge of the cartridge, activating mechanical or electronic switches in most Super 8 Cameras. Most Super 8 Cameras were built with battery-powered motors, eliminating the need to wind a spring-driven transport.
In April of 1965, this revolutionary new format was introduced, and while the marketplace has changed in the past thirty years, new generations of filmmakers with film projects and applications which were non-existent in the 1960's have come to embrace the small film. Many of today's great cinematographers and directors began their careers decades ago, at the counter of their local photo shop, buying a cartridge of Super 8 film.
8mm Film Today
Although shooting with Super8 film with today's market is not as common as shooting in DV, it does produce a great quality video. When someone shoots in DV, they try to create the same look as Super8 film, so why not just shoot with Super8 film? It is easy and inexpensive to take your film & convert it to digital, and the quality is amazing.
Popularity
Amateur usage of Super 8 has been largely replaced by video, but the format is often used by professionals in music videos, TV commercials, and special sequences for television and feature film projects, as well as by many visual artists. For a professional cinematographer, Super 8 is another tool to use alongside larger formats. Some seek to imitate the look of old home movies, or create a stylishly grainy look. Many independent filmmakers such as Derek Jarman, Dave Markey, Jem Cohen, Damon Packard, Sam Raimi, Jesse Richards, Harmony Korine, Teod Richter, Nathan Schiff and Guy Maddin have made extensive use of 8 mm film. Oliver Stone, for example, has used it several times in his more recent films, such as The Doors, Natural Born Killers, Nixon, U Turn, and JFK where his director of photography Robert Richardson employed it to evoke a period or to give a different look to scenes. The PBS series Globe Trekker uses approximately 5 minutes of Super 8 footage per episode. Says creator Ian Cross, "it gives our show a particular look." In the UK, broadcasters such as the BBC still occasionally make use of Super 8 in both drama and documentary contexts, usually for creative effect. A recent example of particular note was the 2005 BBC2 documentary series, Define Normal, which was shot largely on Super 8, with only interviews and special timelapse photography utilising more conventional digital formats.Thanks to over a dozen film stocks and certain features common in Super 8 cameras but unavailable in video camcorders - notably the ability to expose single frames and shoot at several non video standard frame rates, including time-exposure and slow motion -Super 8 provides an ideal inexpensive medium for traditional stop-motion and cel animation and other types of filming speed effects not common to video cameras.
Another visual effect uncommon in video cameras that certain high-end Super 8 cameras can do in-camera is the lap-dissolve. Upon activation of the lap-dissolve feature, the shot being filmed fades to black, the camera back-winds the film to the beginning of the fade and, at the beginning of the next shot, fades in.
