I'm starting this topic as a split off from Scotness' solicitation of questions for Kodak thread. There have been some excellent Super 8 promotional ideas proposed first by MovieMaker and continued by others in that thread, and I think they deserve their own topic. Plus, we can avoid diluting the Kodak question thread by splitting the two discussions.
I posted the following in the Kodak question thread, which is what I believe touched off the discussion:
monobath wrote:It is good that someone from Kodak is willing to answer questions. Although I wonder if we'd really want to hear an honest answer to a question like "Is the future of Super 8 assured?"
I feel the days of "assured" Super 8 viability are really gone already, even if Kodak is still introducing the occasional new stock in Super 8 and continues to do so for the next 10 years. The real problem is that Super 8 isn't _marketed_ at all, and no one makes affordable cameras or projectors. Super 8 film is really only available to those who know about it. It's not in public view. You can't attract the average consumer without new equipment. Electronics and camera stores want to sell $600 miniDV cams, not old used Super 8 gear.
What we really need is some fancy marketing to recreate Super 8 as a consumer-oriented item again. That'll take someone willing to start manufacturing and selling new Super 8 cameras, and a great deal of marketing creativity. I don't see it happening.
And MovieMaker started the brainstorming idea with this...
MovieMaker wrote:Then why don´t we produce a short Super-8 commercial altogether that´s free to use for everyone afterwards to place on many, many websites - even on Kodak´s?
Showing the possible beauty of that film gauge? Like always, words are good but people want to see...
regular8mm wrote:Would Kodak provide S8 film(s) for a Super 8 commercial? If anyone anywhere wants to make a free S8 commercial would Kodak provide some film for them?
How about a S8 film commercial contest? Shooters do so at their own expense and many prizes are offered. NO ENTRY FEE!
MovieMaker wrote:Then why don´t we produce a short Super-8 commercial altogether that´s free to use for everyone afterwards to place on many, many websites - even on Kodak´s?
Showing the possible beauty of that film gauge? Like always, words are good but people want to see...
MovieMaker
were finally at a point where its all too easy. it could be like the timelapse project with but fewer boundaries. one cart each showing the anything possible with Super 8 today. how about we do it first, then ask Kodak to distribute it the same way AOL distributes CD roms. except fewer people will immediately throw them away, hopefully
MovieMaker wrote:I´d be in if we do it like the great "Timelapse"-projects (although I haven´t seen anything of them yet...). The idea of a contest isn´t bad too. I´m sure there are plenty of good ideas out there. Every registered member should be allowed to vote for their favorite.
We could then put the best 10 or 15 on a reel (together with one of the timelapse projects?) and offer it to Kodak for distribution as a CD-ROM, livestream on their websites, etc...
Okay, you can say: "Why do we have to do Kodak´s marketing job?!"
Hmmm... maybe because we want to keep Super-8 even more alive and attract new users? Should benefit us all....
Then why don´t we produce a short Super-8 commercial altogether that´s free to use for everyone afterwards to place on many, many websites - even on Kodak´s?
Mmmmmhhhhh....I like this idea.....A LOT !!!
THE WORLD OF SUPER 8 TODAY
A minute, minute and half, commercial about the Super 8 filmmakers around the world in the year 2004. in a dynamic and flash style and using KODAK -of course- showing why we are using Super 8, where are we, what gear are we using, the main achievements obtained with this format in the las ie: 5 years....and what we want for the next years ...etc
The only we need is a good script and the "best" director and editor available.....There is a lot of shooters in Europe, North and South America, Asia and Australia...ready for to contribute and make this cooperative job...
Zero Cut wrote:
The only we need is a good script and the "best" director and editor available.....There is a lot of shooters in Europe, North and South America, Asia and Australia...ready for to contribute and make this cooperative job...
0C
I´m not sure if we need one script and determine which one of us is the "best" cinematographer, director, editor, etc...
Each individual should be allowed to participate - because each of us has a different approach to Super-8 - and that´s the beauty of it. One´s using it for family stuff only, others for musicclips, others for documentaries and so on...
Short commercials that show our passion for this format and why we´re up to pushing it to it´s limits... just my thoughts.
Angus wrote:I've had an idea for a super 8 commercial.
You could show a child in the 1960's, then watch as this person grows up...everything around them chnges or dies but the one constant is that they can still watch the home movies (featuring themselves as a kid) made 40 years ago ...final scene could be this person making new super 8 movies of their own children...then the bombshell that the entire commercial was shot on super 8.
BTW anybody seen the laundry detergant commercial here in the UK featuring some footballer or other...supposed super 8 footage of him as a kid (could be genuine but looks too grainy) and heavily featuring a Canon 514XL...first time I saw that I said "I got one of those!"
I´m not sure if we need one script and determine which one of us is the "best" cinematographer, director, editor, etc...
Each individual should be allowed to participate - because each of us has a different approach to Super-8 - and that´s the beauty of it. One´s using it for family stuff only, others for musicclips, others for documentaries and so on...
OK...I see your point....But may be we're talking about two different thinks: What I tried to means with my previous post was to make a (one) collective commercial for Kodak of a minute, minute and half (it could be a short too) about the Super 8 today like theme, for to try that the Kodak people can see that Super 8 is more live than they think and, may be, this work could to open some doors in Kodak Super 8 department...This idea is not restrictive and it don't means that other ideas can't be produced
If this "particular" idea is taked, I believe is very hard to make a real commercial without a script and without a direction.....without organization. I can't to imagine a commmercial with many directors and many editors working on that....and everybody shooting and doing what they want...
I am agree that "best editor and best director, etc" is an exageration...The idea here is that for to get a good product is necesary to have experimented people in the directing and editing area...in definitive for to organize this in the best possible way.....and everybody can participate, but under a predefinided guide established by the project leader...who at the end will select the best material for to make this work...
(BTW: as you can see, my english is very limited; sorry for that)...
Carlos 8mm wrote:Hey, I was thinking,
why not to create a kind of video clip made with differents works of differents S8 filmmakers and then present that clip to independent cinema festivals worldwide?
That could be a good way to promote S8 film.
I present several works in film festivals and some filmmakers asked to Us: " Is that 16mm?" and we always said: "No, It´s Super 8".
The common response was: "Super 8? Wow! Amazing! I thought it was discontinued many years ago!"
Many of those guys were videomakers.
<snip portion relevant to Kodak Questions thread - monobath>
Okay, let´s do a one, one and a half minute commercial for Super-8 (whoever want´s to participate) and show them on a special thread on this forum. Deadline should be somewhere in autumn 2004. Registered members of this forum will then be able to vote for their favourites. Then compilate the best 10 onto one CD/DVD (along with other footage from the timelapse projects?) and use it wherever useful to the Super-8 gauge.
I think if we limit the whole subject to one script we´d loose many good ideas and approaches. Just starting a new discussion here...
But you can see how the timelapse projects became bigger. First year 30 participants (??) - this year: 110. Next year: :?:
A lot of the readers of this forum sometimes don´t know what they should shoot. Now let´s give ourselves a theme...
MovieMaker
PS: As a start my company will sponsor the project with 5 cartridges of Plus-X or Tri-X for each of the the 3 most popular commercials.
Since i got the Work Printer, its enabled me to do a little PR for Super 8. i've been burning off DVD promo compilations of my work and passing them out little by little around town. footage orcestrated to music, timelapse, slomo, and everything else.. sort of Baraka style. if we did this collectively on a worldwide scale, would be awsome. it could even be more than a commercial, 30 minutes on a VCD to distribute.. and a 2 minute commercial to feature where appropriate.
Maybe Andreas, our holy moderator of this excellent forum, can make a sticky post regarding this topic where we can outline the "rules" of this new global filmmaking effort?
