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Introduction
In a fast-paced world and culture, it can be difficult to understand the tangible beauty that comes with Super 8 Film. When the world is used to unlimited photo storage in the cloud and snapping photos endlessly without a thought for true composition and meaning, it can seem absurd to invest in a super 8 camera, whether new or used and then to consider the cost of film alone and the uncertainty it comes with or if you got the shot right and the continued uncertainty of where to develop the film and what format to get the film back in and what the heck telecine means can all be very baffling. This book aims to serve as a field manual and guide in your artistic methodology.
Super 8 film was developed in 1965 as an improvement upon 8mm film. Technically it’s the same size of film, 8 millimeters, but Kodak developed a plastic-based cartridge instead of the metal canisters that were utilized by 8mm cameras. It’s important to note here that if you have an 8mm camera, it will not accept Super 8 film. To our knowledge, there are no 8mm films being processed and developed anywhere in the world today. While there are a few other market offerings of super 8 film besides Kodak, this book will focus only on the Kodak film products as Kodak is a benchmark for film quality.
Super 8 film, and film, in general, is experiencing a revival of interest and use. Fueled by movements like Film Is not Dead (#FIND) and a cultural shift towards authenticity away from the often sterile digital images that are created by the billions each day, the film provides a unique aesthetic that presets and actions in popular digital imaging tools and video editing suites just can’t recreate organically.
Don’t be mistaken, those digital tools have tremendous power and benefits that aid in the creation of film content and the visual creative arts as a whole. The point is, however, why spend money and time on presets that everyone else can purchase and hit a button to implement when you can create your own unique and authentic style that is singularly your creation. Meaning, the grain, the noise, the dust, and scratches are all created by you, your film and your camera. They aren’t downloaded from a marketplace with 20,000 other downloads. You are the originator, you are the creator, you are the artist. Being the one who is content creator and exporter puts you in the best position as an artist and visual communicator. You do not have to worry about if someone will recognize your preset package or the app you used, instead your work, like you, is one of a kind. Creating images with super 8 film is a very simple process, that frankly can be hard to get wrong.