First, a new camera - the Bauer 715XLS with the super nice Angenieaux 6-90mm f1.4 lens! Wow! Second, while shooting a scene for my continuing chronicle of outrigger canoe paddling, I captured a lightning strike on film (2 frames captured the burst while shooting at 24 frames per second). Third, while splicing some of my footage to show family and friends recently, I had forgotten the fun of editing film and using the Bolex cement splicer.

I have also started hunting on that popular auction site again, searching for overlooked, underbid items, hoping to score a gem. Interestingly, two items recently appeared that fetched big bucks: a Eumig Viennette submaring housing and camera and a new-in-box Eumig Nautica. Goes to prove that if you wait, the item you are searching for willl eventually appear. I am still sorry I missed out on an underwater housing designed for Kodak Instamatic movie cameras way back when. Went for $30 as I recall. If you happen to know of another, let me know! Email me at: super8filmaker@yahoo.com

Speaking of Kodak, I happened upon a book sale the other day and scored 20 issues of "Kodak Movie News." The best part, other than the price of 50 cents total, is that the issues span the period of the introduction of the super 8mm format! I love it. The enthusiasm sure seems different back then compared to our current ways. While I do embrace new technology for specific reasons, it does seem that we are overloaded with formats (pick a technology of your choice) and then we are forced to upgrade before we have had a chance to fully explore the format in the first place.

Now, back to those magazines. Wafer thin, perhaps ten pages at most, they capture an amazing time. Sure there were lots of problems and issues back then in all aspects of life. But, taken on a purely aestetic level, the images are pure fun. And perhaps that's the point. The capturing of the images allow us to reflect and ponder. Good or bad. Makes no difference. They allow us to think. Today's technology, while great and filled with techinical specifications out the wazoo, perhaps captures too much information and is too immediate. The two weeks it takes for my film to be returned to me makes the reliving of it all the more fun. Today, there is too much sound; in stereo for crying out loud! Too much time; 2 hours per tape compared to 2-3 minutes on film. Too much interlacing, not enough resolving. And that's what super 8mm movie making is all about: art. No matter what your subject or project. The end result is that you have captured life on film and that film, when processed as either individual frames or movies, imparts a certain look that cannot be replicated in any other way. Just look at all those "make your video look like film" methods and websites that abound. They come close in some cases. However, if you want your video to look like film, shoot film. Enjoy the updates and don't miss my lightning strike images! No chance on getting a decent picture if that was caught on a digital mini-dv camera.

Cheers,
Super 8 Man - September 2003