DO A SHOT WITH Pro8mm – Options for Life Style Super 8 Filmmaking

One of the things I love most about being director of marketing at Pro8mm is that I get a chance to come up with and implement new ideas that I hope will resonate with filmmakers. I try to think of things that are way outside the box – fun, cheap, interactive and have great content.

I came up with the idea for “Do A Shot With Pro8mm” which was introduced at Cine Gear Expo 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNsG7TJYtZs&feature=player_embedded Held on the Paramount Studios back lot, I thought, instead of just having super 8 cameras on tripods like we always do at trade shows, what if we brought a bunch of cameras and let people go around the expo and shoot a roll of film, for free? Participants would get a 15-minute hands on training with one of our team members, and then get to check out a camera for an hour to shoot on their own.  Oh yeah-  and they also got some cool swag – A “DO A SHOT” t-shirt that they could keep as a souvenir! Over the day and a half expo we put through about 60 shooters. We brought all the film back to our lab in Burbank, processed it, scanned it in native 1080 to Pro Res 422 HQ, and then edited the content together on a reel. People who wanted to own what they shot could get it back on a data DVD disk for a small fee.

The results were amazing! Many of the people who participated in “DO A SHOT” had never shot super 8 film – or any film at all for that matter – and to get this kind of result blew me away. And needless to say, the crowd just loved the idea. We had many more people sign up than we had cameras and film available.
We had hit a home run for sure, and I knew that I wanted to go further with it. I had to bring this event to South by Southwest Film, Music, and Interactive Festival in Austin, but how could I cover the cost of doing this for a 4 day event and still do it free of charge? I approached Kodak about doing a co-branded event where they would provide the film and we would provide the cameras, processing and scanning. I even had T-Shirts made (in Kodak colors) that said Do A Shot With Pro8mm and Kodak. Once again, people were lined up at the booth eyeing for an opportunity to shoot on the streets of Austin, in the convention center or their favorite band. It didn’t take long for the interactive crowd to start tweeting about the opportunity. I think Harry McCracken’s blog Techland says it best “Austin’s South by Southwest conference has a relentless emphasis on the new – new tech startups, new movies, new music,…but one of the things I was the happiest to come across was old, really old http://techland.time.com/2011/03/16/super-8-isnt-dead-its-just-been-resting/

As you watch the footage from these novice shooters, it is quite apparent that just like when Super 8 was used for home movies, the POV is so intimate, personal and distinct. This is something I see from our clients who shoot Super 8 for commercials and weddings. I think this type of shooting represents a whole movement toward personal story telling, more aligned with community, connectivity, and intimacy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkLZ1R7ulK8

The potential for this idea of showing up at an event with multiple cameras and letting participants shoot events has endless potential. Years ago, the NBA pioneered this idea with a program they called “HOOP IT UP” where some of the most loved players would show up at local inner city basketball courts and let kids in the park shoot film of other kids playing basketball. From the wedding filmmaker who wants to shoot not just the big day, but the bridesmaids picking out their dresses, or put a super 8 camera on every table, or the major brand such as a clothing or cosmetic line that is sponsoring a community event  - this is the creative way to have your client market their brand. It is the interactive nature between shooter and participant that can capture shots in this intimate way.

Super 8 Wedding and Lifestyle Filmmaker Branden Lower of A Bryan Photo http://www.abryanphoto.com says that you have to come from the place of being the uncle to get the shots. Check out his website to see the amazing Super 8 footage that defines this concept of lifestyle filmmaking.

Pro8mm is making available all inclusive multi-camera packages with film, processing, scanning, hard drives, and DVD viewing copies so that any Super 8 lover can get the supplies need to capture their own event with amazing shots of products, places and people that represent brand awarness and lifestyle filmmaking.

The Honeymoon Package: $1,188.00. Send the bride and groom off with a super 8 camera and you do the editing when they return! A perfect add on. 8-Day 1 camera Pro814 rental, 4 Rolls of Film, Processing & HD Scanning. G-Tech 320 Gig Usb2 Hard Drive  & DVD viewing copy.


The Wedding Package: $1,288.00. One for you, one for back up or to pass off to guests to shoot each other! 2 Day 2 Camera Pro814 rental, 8 Rolls of Film, Processing & HD Scanning. G-Tech 320 Gig USB 2 Hard Drive & DVD viewing copy.


The Product Launch Package: $2,088.00. Have participants and attendees shoot the event throughout the day to get that amazing personal pov.  1-Day 4 camera Pro814 Camera Rental, 20 Rolls of Film, Processing & HD Scanning, 500 Gig Firewire 800 G-Tech Hard Drive.


The 1-Day Event Package $3,888.00. Perfect for larger events!  Get amazing footage of your brand and let participants help tell the story! 1 Day 8 Cameras Pro814 Camera Rental, 48 Rolls of Film, Processing & HD Scanning, 500 gig Firewire 800 Gtech Hard Drive
Do A Shot Packages comes with suggestions on how to keep track of the cameras, organize the film and sample release forms. *Pro814 Camera Rental $125.00 with minimum 4 roll package*No Security Deposit required. * 85 Filter Rental, *Transfer based on unsupervised 24 fps rate.