Super 8 titles- new product idea

[MovieStuff]

First, I am wondering how many here shoot their titles directly on super 8 compared to creating them in post on the computer. Second, I am guessing those of you that DO shoot their titles directly on super 8 experience the same problem I did years ago while trying to line up my camera level and centered on the tripod or copy stand. Nothing ever comes out square or on target!

So, what I did all those years ago, was take a used super 8 cart, gut it, and put a small battery powered light inside it. I was using a Canon 1014 at the time, which made it really easy to hang wires out the back end of the cart. The light would shine through the gate of the camera and would not only show where the ACTUAL edge of the gate was, it would also indicate focus. So the method would be to set up the camera on the copy stand, turn off the room lights and fire up the light in the camera. I would get a projected rectangle of the film area (just like using an Oxberry) and could line up my title art within that rectangle. I could even use a square and a ruler to make sure my titles were level and centered. After alignment, the back light cart was removed and film inserted. Once I started using that method, my titles were perfectly centered and level every time. I later designed a light to go in my Bolex for doing 16mm titles as well. Worked just great.

So, if there were a big enough interest in this sort of thing, I would consider offering a self contained "light-cart" that would fit in any super 8 camera for doing precise line ups for titling. It should pretty much be universal. No doubt there is an abundant supply of out of date film available to get carts from. Maybe the only good use for all those jittery K40 carts! ;)

Roger

[CHAS]

Hell yeah -- I'd go for it. Nothing worse than titles coming out slightly crooked or off to one side. Count me in!

[Roy Brown]

Roger

I would be very interested in this product.

Roy

[marc]

That sounds good. Could you also make a stripper for double 8mm film and intervalometers for super 8 cameras? Maybe with a range of 1 fps to 1fpm. What do you think?

[ds21z]

As long as you can make it work / fit a Beaulieu 4008, 6008, 7008 that is.

Great idea and innovative!

Now, how about a machine to reperf 16mm into double super 8 so we can have all of those lovely 16mm stocks!

Ds21z

[MovieStuff]

The re-perfing thing has been brought up from time to time. It's actually pretty complicated. The perfing is not that hard but doing everything in the dark and keeping the film clean and not scratching the emulsion is not an easy task.

Anyway, I'll keep my eyes open for some out of date S8 carts and see if I can find time to knock together a new prototype. I'll post some pics then and see if I can formulate a price.

Roger

Afterthought: You know, considering how off most super 8 viewfinders really are, I find it funny the opposition so many people had to the idea of a paralax viewfinder on the new Super16 camera recently posted. For general shooting, I can't imagine it being more off than a lot of super 8 TTL viewfinders! But that's a whole different thread.... ;)

[Herb Montes]

You know Roger some 16mm cameras are not much different when it comes to reflex finders not exactly framing in close photography. I have to constantly deal with this when lining up my cameras on my animation stands. Even though I have a focusing gate prism for my Bolex cameras I find it easier to put a light in the gate and open the shutter. Most 16mm cameras allow you to remove the pressure plate to access the gate. I use a group of tiny lights I get at Radio Shack held together with tape and hooked up to a battery pack.

[Maurizio Di Cintio]

Hi, ROger.
I'm interested in this product too.
Keep me posted.

Ciao.

Maurizio

[Paul L.]

I would have been interested in such a thing if damn Kodaliths weren't so expensive. I loved making my own titles, but it's just too damn costly. I believe my local lab charges $11 per 8.5x10 Kodalith..... combined with the cost of shooting and developing the super8 title. It's just not worth it to me... I'd rather just make them on a PC.

[Herb Montes]

Paul, not having Kodalith services available I used a simple trick to get clear letter titles I can backlight. I get those vinyl stick-on letters on sheets. I apply them to a sheet of clear acetate for my title. I then use black spraypaint (making sure the paint doesn't melt the acetate) in light coats over the sheet and letters. Once it is dry I use an Exacto knife to peel the letters off leaving their clear outline on the acetate. Color lettering is done by putting a colored sheet of acetate behind the lettered one on my light board to film.

[Lucas Lightfeat]

Roger - one thing to bear in mind when creating this light thing, is that on my Nizo 6080, when ejecting a cartridge, you need to use a fair bit of force on the slider, because the cartridge is so tightly inserted. This is the same with all the sound Nizos I've had. I'm just saying that this will tend to misalign the camera again, so make it a fairly (or even very) loose fit, I say. It's a good idea though - yet another! I, however, am not yet set up for finishing on film

Lucas