Archive for the ‘Super 8’ Category
Morgan Fisher @ Raven Row
First visit here, loovely space.
24 February to 24 April 2011
This exhibition is the first to survey over forty years of the work of Morgan Fisher (born 1942, lives in Los Angeles). It is organised around the two major areas of Fisher’s work: his films – for which he first became known in the late sixties – and his work in painting, which began in the early nineties. The exhibition also includes installation work in film, painting and architecture, as well as video, photographs and works on paper.
Fisher’s films, usually grouped with the structuralist movement, explore their own means of production, examining the conventions that underlie film to generate radical new forms. His work in painting continues this strategy, examining the unspoken assumptions that have governed painting to create works that are no less radical.
The exhibition will include four of his celebrated 16mm films, as well as Color Balance (1980), a three-projector installation. Two rare works for monitors will also be shown, one for the first time. The exhibition will also include a range of Fisher’s other work, from his late-sixties spray-painted and Pepsi Case works to new paintings, painting installations and an architectural installation all made in response to the architecture of Raven Row.
Enjoyed this exhibition, more the 16mm films, and now I’ve got all into this…actually the projectors more than the films.
These clips are from (), pronounced ‘parentheses’, Fisher ‘drastically limits’ his role as author, devolving responsibility for the editing – the established means of the film author – to an obscure set of rules, leaving the illusion of an expressive narrative only in the imagination of the viewer. In classical Greek the word parenthesis means the ‘action of inserting’. () consists of inserts, a kind of shot in narrative films that shows details necessary to the story. Inserts are the most purely instrumental of shots. We tend not to notice them because we see only the point they make. () liberates inserts from their stories so you can see them for themselves. I couldn’t edit the film because that would have re-instrumentalised the shots. Instead I chose a rule that constructed the film, assigning each shot its place. The rule has nothing to do with what is happening in the shots, so what happens at each but is a matter of chance.
– Morgan Fisher, The Wilkinson Household Fire Alarm, 1973 – 16mm; Colour, sound; 1 minute 30 seconds check out the lovely grainy quality of the 16mm projection and beautiful projector!
Colour Balance (1980) 3 projector installation. I tried to film the projectors too but was too dark to show up, so heres an edited clip of the colour circles intermingling.
Super 8 projector
and now I’ve bought this…. Fujicascope M36
for £30. Uh ho, buying frenzy!
Nizo camera differences
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481 |
Nizo
561 Macro
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Nizo
801
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Nizo
801 Macro
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| power source: 6 x AA batteries or Nizo Accumulator (8.4 V, 0.5 Amp) \ 2 x PX625 button cells for light meter interval timer: 6 fps up to 1 frame per minute time exposure: 1/8 to 60
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| No viewfinder information?, not much zoom |
Magic shutter magic
So after the excitement of the Super 8 workshop, of course I want everything straight away. First things first, definitely want a Super 8 camera with the Auto B setting. So far I’ve discovered the following cameras have it:
Eumig 881PMA
Bauer A512, C Royal 6E, 10E
Nizo 481, 561, 801
I like the Nizo’s aesthetically, not many on ebay. 801 is about £200. Also a projector? http://www.widescreencentre.co.uk sell cheap film stock and can also include processing..and telecine to DVD or Quicktime.
In the meantime, in an effort to understand better exactly how the Auto B long exposure function works I came across the iphone app Magic Shutter.
Here are some bad photos I just took on London Bridge waiting for the bus. Its impossible to keep out camera shake so its all blurry, even trying to rest iphone on a flat surface isn’t enough – definitely need tripod if I want some points of light to be sharp. With the ‘B’ setting, the ‘aperture’ stays open as long as you dictate manually so its possible to see how exposure is built up across the image, slowly the whole frame turning white. Its only imitating long exposure photography, but its helping me to understand the best way to pan / move the camera around. Whether on film it would be better to move the camera or the subject….
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and a very obvious video on the bus!
N.o.where Super 8 workshop
Great workshop at N.o.where to learn about filming with Super 8. One day intensive course to learn about film stock, camera functions, shooting our own short films, hand processing the film, projecting it and examples of other artists using Super 8.
History of Super 8
The Super 8 film cartridge was introduced in 1965. It was the latest in a line of film gauges and was designed to be the easiest to use. Previous film formats were 9.5mm and Standard 8mm, both of which are still available today.
9.5mm
9.5mm is unusual in that the sprocket is in the middle of the picture. The film comes loaded in a tin and generally lasts a minute at 18 frames a second.
Standard 8mm
Standard 8 was introduced in the 1920s as the amateur format to rival 16mm – it was half the cost and the cameras were much smaller and easier to transport. Standard 8 is a unique system in that the film is 16mm wide but is transported through the camera twice (the film is perforated on both sides). Once you have run it through once you remove the film from the bottom spool and run it through again – once processed you have a 25ft reel of 16mm film that has to be slit down the middle and then re-spliced to provide 50ft of film. Standard 8 is still widely available in colour and black and white, and most projectors have a dual gauge switch that allows you to go between Super 8 and Standard 8.
16mm
This is a widely used film format that straddles both the professional and amateur gauges. The film comes generally on 100ft spools that are locked into the camera in subdued light. n.o.where has a 16mm processor, steenbeck editing tables, telecine facilities, contact printers and an optical printer for working with 8 and 16mm film.
Super 8 film stocks
Super 8 comes as either a negative or positive (reversal). Each film is 50ft which gives 3 minutes and 20 seconds at 18 frames per second. Unfortunately sound film (with magnetic strips) is no longer made. ASA is how much silver there is on the film. The lower the number the more light is needed, i.e. 40 is to shoot outside, 160 indoors and 200 and above in low level lighting conditions.
Reversal (positive) film
A reversal film is what most people would shoot in Super 8 – Kodachrome, Ektachrome, Quarzchrome, and the black and white Tri and Plus X stocks. It is harder to find reversal film and it is a dying art as so many people require their films to be telecined (converted to a digital format). It is possible to develop some reversal films as negatives – such as Ektachrome and Tri and Plus X, but this could only be done through hand processing. Reversal film is designed for projection, cannot be printed from (unlike a negative), is higher in contrast, and should be correctly exposed, as this cannot be corrected.
Kodachrome stock is no longer made, not able to be processed.
Ektachrome 64T – colour
Ektachrome 7240 125 ASA – colour (discontinued 2004 but still available)
Tri X 7266 200 ASA – B&W
Plus X 7265 100 ASA – B&W
Negative film
Negative stocks include Vision 200 and 500. These are fast colour stocks designed for low light filming when the other stocks don’t have enough light to yield an acceptable image. A lab in Germany is able to produce one light prints of these negative films on super 8 print stock, so you get a negative and a positive back from the lab. Negative films have greater latitude for exposure and have to be printed for projection. It can also be transferred to video directly without having to make a print.
Vision 7217 200 ASA – Colour
Vision 7218 500 ASA – Colour
Pro 8mm – Colour, range of speeds from 50 to 800 ASA
Wittner – this Germany company have recently begun loading cartridges with Super 8 film in 40 and 100 ASA speeds.
Exposure / ASA
The Super 8 cartridge has a notch on the front which depresses a lever inside the camera – therefore automatically selecting the correct ASA setting. There is no way to manually choose the ASA value. So the camera ‘knows’ how little or how much light each stock needs. The film is loaded either in the side or at the back of the camera. Inside the cartridge there are 2 spools that wind the film as it is shot into the second chamber, the cartridges are self contained and do not need to be loaded in darkness – if you are changing camera during filming you will lose approximately 4 frames which become exposed when you open the back of the camera, creating a white flash. Standard ASA speeds are 40,100, 160, 200 up to 800 (for incredibly low light). Exception: if you want to ‘push’ or ‘pull’ the film in hand processing you can scalpel out a different notch on the film cartridge to fool the camera into shooting with a different ASA speed.
Auto and Manual Exposure
Most Super 8 cameras have a built in or automatic light meter. Light / exposure is measured in f-stops which are a measurement of light hitting the lens.
The range of F stops are as follows:
F 1.9 / 2 / 2.8 / 4 / 5.6 / 8 / 11 / 16 / 22
With F 1.9 being the largest aperture to let in the most amount of light in dark conditions, and F 22 the smallest aperture to let in the minimum. Some cameras combine these wide apertures with a shutter angle of 222 degrees rather than 180 – XL in the name which denotes they are ‘Extra Light’. Canon, Eumig and Beaulieu all made Super 8 cameras with this feature. Exposure values are shown through the viewfinder as a strip with a needle showing all the F stops and red warning areas either end to indicate under / over exposure. Different cameras will have different ways of displaying this information.
Batteries
Most cameras require AA batteries to power the zoom and other functions. Some cameras require separate silver oxide watch batteries for the light meter. Similar to the Lomo, the light meter batteries are crucial as without these working properly all the film will be over exposed. If the light becomes faint or flickering, or if your camera has a needle in the viewfinder to measure the F stop and its not moving, change batteries immediately.
Lenses
Most Super 8 cameras have a fixed lens that you cannot change with some exceptions that have interchangeable lens. In the front of the lens ring you can usually see numbers that give the maximum aperture and the focal length of the lens (e.g. 1:1.8 / 10-30mm). Some low end cameras have only one focal length, but most cameras have zoom lenses, meaning that the focal length can be changed. 10-40mm = cheap, 6.5 – 65mm = good. The zoom is actually the distance from the glass of the lens to where the film is exposed inside the camera. 6.5mm is a wide angle, 65mm is very close up.
The zooming range tells the difference of the shortest and longest focal length. Usually zooming can be done manually by rotating the zoom ring that is situated in the root of the lens near camera body. Often there is a small handle or lever in it to make zooming easier and smoother. Some models have a separate button or wheel on the side of the camera that mechanically adjusts the focal length – but bear in mind this uses a lot of battery power. The focussing ring is situated in the front of the lens. Usually there is a distance table marked on it (in metres and / or feet,) starting from the nearest focussing distance and ending to infinity sign.
Macro
Macro is usually found on the lens and allows you to take the camera from normal telephoto and wide angle into extreme close up – many Super 8 cameras have this feature which does allow you to get extremely close to objects provided there is enough light. Flower symbol or MCR setting. If your camera doesn’t have a macro setting you can purchase a screw on magnifying lens.
Eyepiece / Viewfinder
Its very important that the eyepiece is set to your eye – usually there is a ring or locking nut that helps you adjust this. To set the diopter, first turn the focussing ring to infinity. Then turn the zoom to the extreme telephoto end (wide). Aim the camera at something with a hard cross section such as a window frame and turn or move the loosened eyepiece until the image is as sharp as possible. Remember to tighten the eyepiece locking mechanism afterwards. The viewfinder will give other information such as under / over exposure, film transportation signal (how much is left), macro indicator (flower symbol), sound monitoring. The viewfinder will also have a focus indicator which can be either split screen – you bring the images into focus by aligning the image in the screen together, prism focus – a circle filled usually with a triangle – turn focus ring until you bring the image into focus.
Some cameras have a clear window on the front (simpler models) and when you look through the diopter, you are just looking through the window and not the lens, so your frame will be higher than what is actually being shot, so be careful when framing shots as you will crop off the top of the frame. Most more sophisticated cameras show you the actual camera shot through the diopter.
Daylight / Tungsten light conversion filter
Bulb = indoors, Sun = outdoors
Colour Super 8 films are balanced for artificial light (Tungsten = T on film stock). Practically all Super 8 cameras have a built-in conversion filter that makes a correction to colour temperature in daylight filming. This built in orange 85 filter must be removed in indoors filming (switch to ‘bulb’ picture setting). Exception: with D film stock which is balanced for daylight, switch to the ‘bulb’ indoor setting when outside to avoid a ‘double orange’ film. If you want to use D stock inside you have to purchase a separate blue 80A filter, which can screw onto the lens to compensate the orange.
Single Frame
Single frame speed is possible with cameras that have a ‘1’ frame speed setting. This allows you to take single frames (stills) and create stop motion effects. Also, for continuous filming without having to keep your finger on the trigger – some cameras have a ‘run’ switch to allow work on a tripod, if yours doesn’t, attach to tripod and use tape to depress the trigger and control ‘on’ and ‘off’ using the frame speed dial.
Frame Speed
18 frames per second for silent film (all nowadays). 24 frames per second for sound film.
Auto B
Auto B is a wonderful feature of many quality Super 8 cameras. The camera allows you to insert a daylight film such as Kodachrome or Ektachrome and film in darkness, as the shutter remains open long enough to expose a frame of film – an external light meter on the camera takes a light reading that controls the shutter. The results are the kind of light streaks from cars and street lamps that you associate with music videos and documentaries – it is a form of time-lapse but with more after image. Nizo (461 and 801) and Bauer cameras have the Auto B function.
(can’t really find any footage like the John Porter clip but here is something else:)
Time Lapse
Usually found on mid range and higher spec cameras. This lets you take a frame from every second to every minute, although some can take longer exposing a frame an hour! To achieve high quality time lapse you need a tripod to steady the picture. On projection whatever it is you were filming (trees, clouds, and the tidal movement of the sea being particularly frequent examples) unfolds in compressed time on screen. If your camera doesn’t have a time lapse function but does have like a headphone mini jack socket, you can purchase an extra control, ebay Canon Remote Switch, about £5 or Rowi timer unit on ebay Germany.
Backlight compensator
The backlight compensator comes into play when filming against the sun, or a strong light source – where this would usually cause silhouetting pressing the backlight compensator opens the aperture up one F stop giving even exposure. Some cameras have a backlight button which can be pressed during filming i.e. if you pan from a normally lit scene to looking into the sun with a person infront – you can depress the backlight button before arriving at the person to keep the exposure even, as it had been read in the previous frames, so that the person remains detailed and doesn’t turn into a silhouette as the light meter reads the frame – takes into account the bright sun and closes the aperture.
Footage counter
Essential – all cameras have one of these – they generally start at 50 (ft) and count down to 0 or visa versa. They might show in feet or metres. e.g. Nizo cameras have a light that pulses faster and faster as you use up the film. All film cartridges when removed should say ‘exposed’ on the strip to indicate you are at the end.
Sound
As mentioned earlier, sound film stock is no longer made so all Super 8 film is silent. There is a process developed by Pro 8mm in California where Super 8 films can be ‘crystal synced‘ and (I think) a digital unit is attached to the side of the camera, or its adapted (you can buy them) to record sound, the camera is forced to film at 25 frames per second – universal standard to record sound/dialogue. Wild sound is sound not related / recorded with the filming but added later.
Note: If I want sound, and further complicated techniques like double exposure by hand rewinding the film, need to look at 16mm.
Film processing
When I’m away I won’t be able to do hand processing and requires the purchase of extra equipment and space to do this. Research where I can send films away to, Berlin? £20 per film?
Hand processing – spooling into the developing tank
Loading the developing tank is very fiddly and must be done in complete darkness. Get all the equipment ready first, spare spool, developing spool – both halves and a sheet of something clean on the floor to wind the film onto. Hold the cartridge with the label towards your palm. Hold your finger on the exposed film and twist the inner spool away from you to break. Pull the film out onto the floor but keep hold of the end of the film. Fold over the end into a hook and thread into the spare spool. When its onto the spool, hook the remaining end into the developing spool, sprockets down and wind on (so hard to do). Keep the film flat as it enters the spool so it doesn’t snag and listen carefully for the sound of it snagging, check with your fingers between the gaps in the developing spool that the film is winding on correctly. Screw on the top half of the developing spool and place into the tank, secure lid.
Hand processing – the E6 reversal process
Using a Lomo Universal developing tank.
Ektachrome 64T is designed to be processed in this chemical which is supplied by Tentenal as a 1 litre kit (£20-30, will process about 12 films). The chemistry in the kit will go off in a short space of time, if opened, under 3 weeks. It is better to process films in batches, if you only have 1 film it will be cheaper to send it off for processing at a lab.
All steps take place at between 38 – 40 degrees celsius. Temperature is critical. – this is for colour film. B&W is 20 degrees celsuis.
1. Pre heat tank with wash water at temperature. Agitate gently for a minute or so and drain.
2. BEFORE POURING DEVELOPER IN CHECK THE TUBE IS SECURED ON THE SIDE OF THE TANK, OTHERWISE THE DEVELOPER WILL POUR STRAIGHT OUT AND DOWN THE DRAIN. Pour in first developer (black and white negative image) – process for 6 minutes and 15 seconds agitating every 30 seconds, drain tank using tube (hold up the tank and the liquid will drain out with gravity) – back into developer bottle. Concertina bottle down so there is less air for the chemical to oxide. Developer 1 is your opportunity to push, pull, tint or solarise the film – opening the lid and flashing a torch in*.
3. Wash water – about 4 litres at 38 degrees, drain.
4. Pour in colour developer – develops the three colour layers on the film, process for 6 minutes at 38 – 40 degrees, drain back into developer 2 bottle.
5. Wash water – about 4 litres at 38 degrees, drain.
6. Pour in bleach fix – this reverses the colour negative turning the black silvers white and fixing the image – process for 6 minutes, drain back into bottle.
7. Wash water – about 4 litres at 38 degrees, drain.
8. Pour in stabiliser bath – this clears the film of all chemical traces thus ensuring a longer life. This bath should last 1 minute.
9. Wash water – about 4 litres at 38 degrees, drain.
* Pushing film means to shoot the film at a lower ASA and then process for longer to increase the exposure. Pulling film is the opposite, this is where making false notches on the cartridges comes in. See example film to see some results, not possible to do at a commercial lab (except for great expense).
to boldly go (Loading and chemicals and stuff)
recipes_for_disaster_hill Recipes for disaster (Loads of peoples amateur filmmaking using found film, detailed hand processing)
Drying films
After the developing its important to get the film out and dry it within about 20 minutes. Spool it onto a spare spool and wind out onto an airer or similar. Shiny side up (not touching anything). As the film dries it will tighten so once you have wrapped it onto the airer, loosen both ends – move down a rung and secure with bulldog clips. Films should dry in about 20 minutes.
Good quality cameras:
Braun Nizo: 481, 561, 801, 801 macro, Professional
Beaulieu: 4008, 5008, 6008
Bauer: Royale, 709XL
Canon: Auto zoom 1014, 514XLS
Websites:
www.nowhere-lab.org
www.onsuper8.org
www.filmshooting.com
www.pro8mm.com
www.widescreencentre.co.uk
www.bolex.co.uk
www.kolumbus.fi/puistot/S8Manual.htm
www.7dayshop.com – cheapest film stock
Further reading:
The Blue Corners Guide to Super 8 filmmaking 1998
Independent Filmmaking by Lenny Lipton, Studio Vista 1976
Darkroom Dynamics by Jim Stone
Darkroom Cookbook – 3rd Edition – chemistry
14th May – British Film Collectors Convention
I want Polarvision!
Artists / Filmmakers using Super 8
Nicolas Ray – Paris (can’t find online)
John Porter – Firefly – Auto B settings, light bulb streaks (can’t find online)
Jeff Keen – crazy!
Super 8 – slight obsession
Right, so why am I so fixated on this?
In 2007 when I was working at Modern Art Oxford, I saw this exhibition.
Just this one piece by Seth Price / Kelley Walker sticks in my head. The darkened gallery space, the clickty click of the 16mm projector – I’d never seen one before and the amazing digital waves film:
For Köln Waves/Blues, Price purchased a 6-second video loop from a company that makes “empty” background images for corporate use, then added color effects and looped it, yielding a hypnotic, emptied-out work that looks back to structuralist and early film experiments even as it presents an image of degraded and détourned digital junk, threatening at each instant to collapse.
Maybe I should buy the book? This is where its coming from….
and also this exhibition I saw at Danielle Arnaud, but that was multiple slide projectors (and 16mm).
Julia Bailey - Research etc 