Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Something Old & Something New: The Advantage of Shooting Weddings on Super 8 Film

The saying “Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue” is a good luck saying which dates back to the Victorian era and many brides will ensure that they have something of each on their wedding day. While “something old” is meant to connect the wedding to something in the past, and “something new” is meant to represent good luck and success, somehow the saying seems to apply extremely well to wedding videos. Weddings shot on Super 8 film bring that vintage look that connects you to past, yet still maintain the timeless and fresh impression of the modern bride.


While the brides of the 80’s and 90’s were all about being shot on video, the past 10 years have shown a huge resurgence toward creating montage wedding footage on Super 8 film. Maybe nostalgia is the driving force in this new twist. Or maybe part of the reason for this resurgence comes from the greatly expanded repertoire of film stock in the market.  But with tough competition from digital choices, super 8 wedding films today have definitely gone boutique.

I remember exhibiting at WEVA about 7 years ago (Wedding and Event Videographers Association.) At that time there were only a tiny handful of attendees who had any interest in adding a Super 8 package to their weddings. The idea seemed daunting and counter intuitive to the masses, and many had just invested heavily in the newest technology at the time, the digital video camera. There were laundry lists of concerns coming from the filmmakers when I tried to explain to them why they should shoot on Super 8 film instead of digital. I would hear questions like:  How do I price it? How will I know if I got the shots? What about sound? How do I edit it? What’s the turn around time? What’s the point?

Like all great ideas, sometimes it takes a little notoriety for an idea to catch on. A number of wedding filmmakers who shot on Super 8 film are now regularly featured in The Knot, Martha Stewart Weddings, Elle, Brides Magazine, The Wedding Channel, and the wedding forums and blogs for their gorgeous, timeless work shot on Super 8 film.


There are many reasons why these popular wedding photographers and “videographers” are choosing to shoot on film vs. digital.  First of all, film is the only proven archival medium.  We know the image will still be here for future generations to enjoy.  Next, the film stocks are remarkable. Since Pro8mm invented Super 8 negative film over 15 years ago, the expanded latitude allows even a new filmmaker to achieve gorgeous shots. We especially recommend the Pro8/19.  This is a 500 tungsten Vision 3 stocks that is so versatile. You can go from indoors to outdoors without a filter and still get clear, amazing images. For those who braved shooting weddings years ago on old film stocks like Kodachrome 40, the challenge was difficult. You would have to use an 85A filter outdoors if you were shooting the ceremony in full sun. You would then have to set up lights if the reception was indoors, and the low-lit dance floor was always a problem. Combine that with about 1 stop of latitude and you had to be pretty good with a camera to get good images. Today Super 8 film ranges from 50 to 500 ASA with stocks that have up to 19 stop of latitude and 3 uniquely different film processes: color negative, color E-6, black and white reversal. Because today’s Super 8 film has greater latitude, expanded ASA’s, a variety of original stock to pick from, and you can even scan Super 8 film to HD directly, shooting Super 8 film is easier and more aesthetically beautiful than ever. There are also some special lab techniques such as cross processing, skip beach, pushes, and pulls that create tremendous variety in origination.

On average a good shot lasts for about 10 seconds so even on a budget, you have lots of shots to work with. Although that may sound intimidating to the hours of video that could be shot for a similar amount of money, the uniqueness of having real film adds a great artistic addition in quality that no plug-in can match. It is almost impossible to replicate a films unique way of capturing light therefore no plug-ins or app can replicate the look of real film.

Pro8mm has been crusading for the momentum of this growth in the wedding market by making pricing easy. Our all-inclusive fixed price packages (film, processing, prep and clean and scanning to a Pro Res file) allow for easy calculation to add a Super 8 option. For example, a 4-roll package (10 min of film) is just $336. An 8-roll package (20 min of film) is just $558 That’s for everything except the hard drive.
Weddings are a great format to experiment with because they personify originality and nostalgia. This generation was raised on MTV and nothing makes a young couple happier then to look at their wedding more like a music video rather than hours of footage that captured every second of the day. It is the highlights we remember, and Super 8 is the perfect format to capture a medley of moments.

Phil Vigeant is the President/Senior Colorist at Pro8mm. He is the author of ”The Power of Super 8 Film – Insider Secrets Every Filmmaker Should Know.”  He was worked on thousand of Super 8 projects for production and archiving including Music Video’s for client such as Madonna, BeyoncĂ©, Katy Perry, Paula Abdul, Mariah Carey, Neil Young, Aerosmith, Black Eye Peas:  Commercials for Nike, Billabong, Volcom, Fossil, Blue Cross, Truth in Advertising, and Television for shows like, American Idol, 48 Hours, Mad About You, National Geographic, Histories Mysteries and over 50 Feature Films that have used Super 8 film such as Super 8, 8mm, JFK, Factory Girl, My Sisters Keeper Lords of Dogtown , Red Corner, Armageddon and Pearl Harbor.

Friday, May 13, 2011

Join Us for the Super 8 Weddings Teleseminar!

Please join us for our next teleseminar, Super 8 Weddings on Wednesday, June 8th!

No where do we see the love of Super 8 Lifestyle filmmaking so prevalent as we do in weddings. While brides of the 80’s and 90’s were all about being shot on video, the past 10 years have shown a huge resurgence toward creating montage wedding footage on Super 8 film.

From simple low-budget weddings to Hollywood Celebrity Extravaganza Weddings, brides, grooms, and even the guests want to get in on the act.

June is traditionally considered the start of "Wedding Season," so we thought what better time to have a teleseminar on shooting Super 8 weddings!  This event will feature wedding filmmakers Steve Moses of Vantage Point Productions www.vppvideo.com and David Savinski of Capture Forever www.captureforever.com 

These two wedding filmmakers have made a HUGE commitment to their craft, and will  talk about what it is like taking a risk at someone’s wedding, that the footage being captured on 30-year-old cameras will do the job they were hired to do.  These wedding filmmakers personify the Super 8 lifestyle!
 

Steve and David, along with Phil Vigeant, super 8 expert and author of "The Power of Super 8 FIlm", will be sharing their Super 8 wedding sucess tips, a nd will teach you:

  • The best film stocks for shooting weddings
  • The backup debate: whether or not to have backup cameras
  • The pros vs. cons of having a video assistant
  • How to make a movie clip of your wedding footage, and how to get music rights
  • Beyond the wedding- what other "wedding" footage adds-on you could provide to make your wedding services stand out and expand your business

STEVE MOSES of Vantage Point Productions has been in business since 1982, and has shot over 2,100 weddings. Steve has been offering Super 8 wedding to clients since 2009. Along with his wife and partner, Laura, they have run a highly successful boutique studio since 1988. Their work has been featured in: EventDV magazine Top 25 Studio in the world 5 years in a row 2006 - 2010, 11 WEVA CEA’s  - Gold (Demo 2008) Gold (Pre-Ceremony 2007), 2009 WEVA Hall of Fame Inductees, 6-time WEVA presenters, Presenters, IN[FOCUS] 2010, Reaching the Next Level instructional DVD series, Educational topics: Sound design, shooting techniques, marketing & artistry, stylized filming & editing.



DAVID SAVINSKI of Capture Forever comes from a lifetime of art, growing up with a paint brush and camera in his hand. Through his love of the moving image, David formerly studied directing and cinematorgraphy. David runs Capture forever with his wife, Angela, and dogs Monster and Bouvier. David has recently added Super 8mm wedding films to his business, and he will be talking about how it gave him new opportunites in his already established wedding photography business.

Please join us for our Super 8 Weddings Teleseminar!

Wednesday, June 8th, 2011, 4:30pm to 5:30pm Pacific (7:30pm to 8:30pm Eastern).



Click Here to Register: http://tinyurl.com/43p7fjt

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

My Super 8 Movie! A Contest Celebrating Super 8 Filmmaking



MY SUPER 8 MOVIE!
A Contest Celebrating Super 8 Filmmaking
  
The highly anticipated summer blockbuster film "Super 8" is set in the summer of 1979. "A group of friends in a small Ohio town witness a catastrophic train crash while making a super 8 movie and soon suspect that it was not an accident. Shortly after, unusual disappearances and inexplicable events begin to take place in town, and the local Deputy tries to uncover the truth - something more terrifying than any of them could have imagined."(source: imdb.com)

Does this bring you back to the making of one of your first Super 8 movies?  Most of the film industry greats started out this way, making movies on Super 8 film.  Wouldn't it be remarkable to share your early film as part of our "Super 8" the movie celebration?

In celebration of J.J. Abrams movie "Super 8", we want to see your Super 8 movie!  Pro8mm will be giving away prizes for 8 lucky super 8 filmmaker's original super 8 films. Prizes include a 4 roll film package or get your original SD Super 8 film scanned for free to native 1080 HD with a free digital HD version of your film!
 
How To Enter MY SUPER 8 MOVIE CONTEST:

  1. Upload your Super 8 movie or trailer to YOUTUBE
  2. Email your YouTube link to Jaclyn@pro8mm.com, and she will send you a contest entry form. 
  3. Once your link and entry form are received, our "preview committee" will watch your film and review your form to make sure your film meets are entry requirements
  4. If your film is approved, we will post a link to your video under our "FAVORITES" on the "My Super 8 Movie Contest" channel on You Tube, (Pro8mm's Contest Channel),http://www.youtube.com/pro8mmcontest  
  5. Votes will be solicited from the public. Voting will be done via the YouTube
  6.  "Likes and Comments" feature. 
  7. The winners will be announced via the YouTube Channel, our Facebook page (www.thefacebook.com/pro8mm), and our monthly newsletter.
  8. The top "8" winners will win either a 4 roll film package, or get their original SD Super 8 film scanned for free to native 1080 HD to Pro Res!
 
CONTEST RULES AND REGULATIONS:

  1. Your entry must be an actual film that is at least one roll of Super 8 film, but does not exceed 30 minutes. Test footage is excluded.
  2. All entries must be uploaded to YouTube, and emailed to us in that format. We will not accept films mailed to our office, or posted on other Internet sites as contest entries.
  3. All entries must be submitted by June 30th, 2011 so we have time to review and pick the winners.
Any questions, pleased email  Jaclyn@pro8mm.com 

Below is a SAMPLE CONTEST ENTRY, "Ms. Marvel's Day Off," directed by Ruckus Skye, D.P. by Pete Wages. 

SAMPLE SUPER 8 MOVIE CONTEST ENTRY

Join Us for the Super 8 Lifestyle Filmmaking Teleseminar

More and more we hear filmmakers we work with say that one of the things they like best about shooting on super 8 filDaniel Lirm is the “lifestyle behind it.” So we started asking, what do you mean? What is the super 8 lifestyle?  Do you mean the lifestyle of the filmmaker who chooses super 8 or “Lifestyle Filmmaking shot on super 8 film”?

After giving this some thought, we decided it is both. There is a certain type of filmmaker who defines the super 8 life style, and clearly chooses to tell stories on this medium. There are also certain life style events, that work extremly well with the 8mm format. 


Our next teleseminar series will focus on lifestyle filmmaking, and the qualities, attributes, skills and applications that a filmmaker must know in order to be successful at one or all of these different lifestyle applications.

We will have a number of guest speakers throuPhil teachghout this series who are working in different genere's of life style filmmaking every day, such as weddings, fashion, and national brands, and have become experts in their particular field. 


Our first teleseminar in this series will feature Phil Vigeant, Super 8 expert and author of "The Power of Super 8 Film, Insider Secrets Every Filmmaker Should Know," who will talk at length about the applications for Super 8 lifestyle films, and how you can take advantage of your skill and love of filmmaking to tell stories through Super 8 lifestyle images. 


Please join us as we kick off this new series of teleseminars on Wednesday, May 11, 2011 from 4:30pm to 5:30pm Pacific (7:30pm to 8:30pm Eastern).


  Register Now for this FREE teleseminar!
Call in lines are limited so make sure you reserve your spot today!

Click Here to Register: http://tinyurl.com/3k6vp32