This IsEumig...

Unveiling the Remarkable 824 Sonomatic

And Bringing Dual 8 Projection

A Few Steps Closer to Perfection

First we gave Super 8 film makers:l chance to edit Super 8 mag sound with the precision of a computer in our revolutionary 820 Sonomatic projector. Now the new 824 Sonomalic Dual 8 projector gives you that benefit-and more. Here's what we've done to make Super 8 and Regu lar 8 projection more precise and professional than evcr! Fail-safe accuracy in the recording mode with Programmable stan and stOp at the exact frames you select. That means you can crasc nubs and clicks, record musical transitions, or add narration with spli l-second precision. Double-Track Recording on either the regu lar sound stripe, the balance stripe, or bmh snipes simultaneously. Now you can mix sound without diminishing your existing sound track. A Mu lti- Coated /1.2, 12.5-25mm Eumig Suprogon zoom lens that delivers am:1zingly sharp and bright images, even at the fringes of the screen. A HiLow intensi ty lamp switch is also provided with:1 blue indicator light.

9

(eumig~

Your choice of automatic or manual sound leve l control with a profession:1 1 VU meter to tel l you exactly when your input level is optimum.

Eumig's exclusive High Quali ty Sound system with a 10 watl RMS (IS -watt music powerl amplificr performance assured by a factory issued Test Certificate on each projector.

Sononull ic Prog ramming Sulton. and true fram.. counter. Profusion.. l VU meter.

And, of course, a host of carefully planned convenience

features, all geared to make it easier to obtain the

resul ts you want, whether recording or projecting.

Features like a master on/off swi tch; stand,ITd remote

control microphone; multiple voltage settings for world ,

wide usc; automatic threading with 60Cl ft. reel capa

city ; universal recording jack; optional Daylight Preview

Screen; :1nd an optional heavy duty carrying case.

See the projector that leaves 1 ittle room for improvement at your Eumig dea ler today. And own it tomorrow!

Eumig (U.S.A.) Inc. , Lake Success Business Park, 225 Community Drive, Great Neck, New York 11020 CIRCLE INFOCAR D 11

Bauer.

One ofour bestIS our name.

o You know who we are. We've made our reputation by offering the best in Gennan engineering and technology. And the most advanced design ideas. So when you see the Bauer name on a super 8 sound camera or projector, or any Bauer product. yoo know you're getting the best.

8 The Bauer look and feel. Bauer cameras and projectors look professional. Because they are. The minute you hold a Bauer in your hand, you sense the quality. Solid and serious, yet comfortable. The unique grip folds away allowing a [ower, steadier tripod support as weD as more compact carrying.

Built~in creativity. If you want a Bauer, you want to do more than record events on film. Up to 73

~lectronic components, including 6 Ultegrated circuits, assist you in adding the professional touch ... automatically. Consider our 5 105 XL Model Probably the perfect, existing light sound camera. 1be fi\e time macro zoom adds unbelievable excitement to your movies.

o Automatic fades. The touch of a button creates a fade-in at the start of your film. Or a fade-out at the end of a scene. (FuD manual exposure control aDows you to manually create fades of varying length, too.) Single frame control. Shoot one frame at a time for animation.

o BuRt-in intervalometer. A timer that shoots single frames at regular

intervals, from 1 per second to 1 per minute, giving you automatic time-lapse photography.

Instant slowmotion. With silent cartridges, the touch of a button doubles filming speed for slow-motion

photography.

o 5x Mocro Neovallln Lens. The S 105 XL has a super-fast f: 1.2, zoom lens that gives you razor sharp focus from infinity right down to the surlace of the front lens element.

o Automatic recording level. Lets you concentrate on creating your film. Set the switch to rugh or low, based

BAUER

lAIC] AIC Photo. Inc., Carle Place, N. Y. 11514

on your sound source, and get perfect recordings. You can morutor the sound via earphone or with a light signal in the viewfinder.

oAutomatic m exposure control. With full manual override for total control.

GTwo motors Allows power zoom operation without filming.

o OpflolMll Accessories. Bauer boom mike, rechargeable battery system, carrying cases, etc.

Bauer Sound Projectors. Each projector perlonns flawlessly. You get a reaDy bright image on the screen. Completely silent running motor. Precise, careful handling of your film. Easy operation. And most of all, perlect sound quality and equally good tonality in playback.

So".., i.. Rei. TM of Robert Bo..,h rt..\okinoGmbH. InCanada. write to: Kingsway Film Equipment. Ltd .. Ontario M8Z5G8. CIRCLE INFOCARD 16

Publisher Paul M. Sheptow

Editor Bruce F. W. Anderson

Assoc iate Editor Joanne Jacobs

Design Co nsult ant Chris Blum

Production Artist Hideo Iwata

Ed itorial Consultants Gunthertloos Mark Mikolas

Contributi ng Editors Yvonne Andersen MikDerks Dennis Duggan Rod Eaton Lenny Lipton Betty McAree Jim Piper Elinor Stecker Donald Zimmerman

Ty pesetting Lehmann Graphics

Advertis ing Patr icia Corbett

Edi torial and Advertising Offices 3161 FillmoreSt. San Fra ncisco, Ca . 94123 (415) 563-4630

Subscript ion Inqu ir ies Super-8 Filmaker P.O. Box 10052 Palo Alto, Ca, 94303

Editor~ Page The response to our rece nt Tools and Tric ks contest was tremendous . If we 'd known so many ofyou had fi lmmaking tricks up your sleeves, we'd have run len

contests, Nearthe ent ry dead line, we we re besieged by special deli very letters and phone call s te lling us, " It's o n the way." We'd like to than k a ll ofyou who took the time and effort 10 share your fil mmak ing inventions with the rest of us. A special than ks also goes to Magnetone , Eumig , Kodak and Fuj i fo r generously donat ing Iheir products as pri zes, Grand prize winners ofthe Magnelone and Eumig Juwel st ri pi ng mac hines were C leg Holiman of Boulde r, Coloradoand l oel Kauffmann o f Elk hart, Indiana. If you' re ti red of waiting for splices to dry , C leg's design fo r an inexpensive hot splicer a ppea rs in thi s issue' s Tools and Tricks, Joe l se nt us a "clapboard" signal device that fires a light and sound signal simultaneo usly, mak ing it possible to put picture and sound in penect sync when you ' re sound filming. Look fo r it in the September issue ,

T he six o the r winners we re each awarded te n rolls of Kodak o r Fuj i mo vie film . Kenneth Gu llekson of G lendale, Californ ia had the most unusual entry, a special effects "blood pellet" that makes a realistic looking gu nshot impact. Steven Young of Fresno , California built an elect ronic frame counter to keep t rack offootage for edit ing. Gary Seals o f Garland , Texas created a mini-effects box that mounts o n your camera lens , and Dale EngleofNew York C ity came up with a camera-mounted device fo r shoot ing ti tles against a moving bac kgrou nd. A microphone boom with a homemade shock mount was devised by Robe rt Moore of Long Beach, Cal ifornia, and James Nartker of Napoleon, Ohio gave us his bright idea fo r the canopy light refiecto r that appea red in the May issue. Congrat ulations. a ll of you! Your ent husiast ic response to the Tools and Tricks contest unde rscores what this magazi ne is a ll 'lbou l. SUPER-8 F I LMAKER is written by fil mmakers li ke you , people who want to share what they know , so we all can better enjoy making fi lms. We'd like to hear from you and always welcome you r com me nts. suggestions and cri t icism, Enjoy the sum mer!

SUPERS FILMAKER 3

VOLUME FIVE NUMBER FIVE JULY/ AUGUST 1m

FEATURES

Filmmakers of the Frozen North 19 Beverly Ensom

Icy temperat ure s in Canada' s Northwest Territories freezes up film so that it snaps li ke potato chips. F ilmmakers in thi s forbidding climate have to find ingenious ways to beat the cold , for it' s not every day you get to film a walrus hunt.

Instant Movies from Polaroid 22 Lenny Upton

Will you soon be making in stant movies? Fi nd out how the new Polaroid system works, what the fi nished fi lm looks like and how instant movies may change filmmaki ng .

How to Buy Your Camera 26 Denni s Duggan

Autho r Denni s Duggan offers dozens of good camera buying tips along with a Super-8 test c hart you can tear out oft he magazine and take with you to the camera store. With the charls, you can test d rive your new camera befo re you buy. You can avoid making a wrong dec ision and save yourself some money.

A Joyous Toronto Film Festival 32 Beverl y Ensom

T he Toronto Super g Film Fest ival isone of the biggest in Nort h America. What ' s happening in Super-8? Find out in Beverly Ensom's report . .....

Making a Spine-Tingling Thriller 34 MikDerks

T he mysterious Dr. T hriller t raps two young filmmakers in a ch illing plot with unexpected twists that will keep you on the edge ofyou r s eat. They will also te ll you a lot about how to plot your own thri ller. Tu rn to page 34 . . . if you dare !

Microphone Tips fo r Better Sound 40 Gunther Hoos

Which microphone shou ld you use to get the best sound for you r so und camera or recorder? G unther Haas reviews what he considers the best mics fo r filmmak ing, and te ll s how to use them to get a high quality sound t rac k. There a re (ips on bu ilding your own windscreens, booms and other accessories.

Directing a TV Film with Harry Falk 46 Larry Sturhahn

An inside look at what it ' s like directing a film fo r an episode ofthe successful T V series The S treets ofSan Francisco. You' ll find out how scenes a re set , cameras positioned and the shooting done to make maximum use ofeach set-up.

COLUMNS Tools and Tricks: Build a Hot Splicer 51

C leg Holiman Home Movies: Low Cost Titles, Effects 54

Michael O. LaRochelle Animation-8: Movement in Spaee 56

Yvonne Andersen Special Effects: Make a Film from Slides 58

Rod Eaton Filmer-aft: A New Wonder Film 62

Lenny Lipton Product Probe: Minolta XL-660 64

Dennis D uggan

DEPARTMENTS Headliners 6 Letters 10 Queries 12 Readers Tips 14 TakeOne 24 The Collector 60 Calendar 65 Super Services 66

Cover Art: Before you buy acame ra, you should take it for a le st drive (see page 26). Illustrator Victor Moscoso puts you in the drive r's seat !

SUPERa FllMAKER iI pJblilhed II t llTl&S each year (Jat'llFeb. MallApr. May, JL.fWI, JIAy'Aug. SepvQct. NO. Dec) by the PMS Pubkshing Company. Inc . 3161 FIllmOre St.. S", F,...:eco, Ca. 94123. Copyr ;g,1 1971 by tne I'MS Publishing Company. II\C, All rights ,_wei.Repr

Super-8 reading list Want to curl up with a good book or pamphler~ Here are a number of pu blicll tions that will be of interest 10 filmmakers, and many of them are free. Aspiring sc reenwriters will apprec iate Film SaipllI"ril

ill~'s practical advice and many detailed exumples. The author. Dwight V. Swa in . is a veteran screenwriter. It 's available from Hastings House. Communications Arts Books. 10 E. 40th 51" New York. N. Y. 10016-$14.50. hardcover: $7.50. paperback. Write the same address fo r the l it les of Hast ings House's

Every face from "robust oid . to " Ru ssian peasant" to

or witch" is covered in ",,,',,, ,, Make-Up Gllidl' for

Professioll. a free 32page booklet on movie. s tage and photogmphic make-u p. Write M. Stein Cosmetic Co" 430 Broome St.. New York. N.Y. 10013.

r; 1 ,1 1 .11~~11111 1

CONGRATULATIONS,

YOU'RE ABOUT TO BECOME

A DIRECTOR.

5X Zoom. The 84Qmm lens has separale"lMde"and"Tele"power zoom switches plus a manual control ring tOf complete flexibility in framing the Image, changing Image size

Action. Creating it. Controlling it. If that's your goal in super 8 filmmaking , the GAF!I SS-S05XL is your camera.

Automatic exposure control , a fast f/1 .2 lens and a 22(J' shutter give you the freedom to explore the poss ibilities in almost any "avai lable light"situation,whether indoors or out. An exposure compensation feature leIs you vary automatic exposures 1 stop whenever shooting conditions-or your own creative instincts-call for it.

There 's also an earplug to moni tor sound before and during record ing. A remote control switch on the microphone so you can star in your own movies. And a bright, Ihroughthe-Iens viewf inder that not only shows you exactly what you're shooting before you shoot it, but also f/stop, over/under exposu re warning, a recording signal, film advance and end of film signals.

What's more, the SS-505XL has a price tag that's remarkably low for such a great camera. Lower, in fact, than many other sound super 8's

with comparable features. Ask your photo dealer for a

demonstration soon. It 'll convince you Ihallhe SS-505XL gives you everything you need to stop just filming and start directing

CIRCLE INFOCARO 65

Sound Monitor ing. When you can check the sound level before yoo sian shooting. you aVOid wasung film (and money). Not aU super B's lei you Bu1.lhe 505XL does

How to difference

an a Ii ker.

You don'l have to look al a 101 of films to lell the difference.

Just look allhe equipment. AI any level of filmmaking from

super 8 all the way up to studio Mitchells in 35mm, the professionals aiways pick the best.

In super 8, there's only one camera that Is unequivocally the best . .. the Beaulieu. Here is a si;';ple technical explanation

film-i diagram really

tells the story. It's a simplified drawing of the Beaulieu super 8 viewing, focusing, and shutter system. It's also a simplified drawing of the viewing, focusing, and shutter system you'd find in professional 16mm and 35mm motion picture cameras which sell for $8.000 to $30,000.

Almost all amateur movie cameras use a beamsplitter prism. It's an inexpensive solution to the problem of directing light to both the viewfinder and the film . But the light loss will be as much as 50% at the film plane. And even the finest prism will in some way degrade the image.

In super 8, only Beaulieu uses a reciprocating mirror shutter system that transmits 100% of the light to the viewfinder and the film. There is nothing between the lens and the film.

Aside from vastly superior light transmission, there's another important advantage to this design. The Beaulieu can use any C-mount lens or

movie or still lens with C-moun\

a big bonus. Another professional feature of

Beaulieu cameras are the highly acclaimed Schneider power zoom lenses that have zoom ratios upto 11.7to 1.

When it comes to sound, Beaulieu is again uniquely superior with the most sophisticated high fidelity single system sound. Plus the capability of using double-system sync sound. You can even use both systems, simultaneously. The frequency range is 50 to 12,000 Hz:t: 1.5 dB at 24fps.

Two Beaulieu super 8 Multispeed cameras are available. Bolh have the widest range of filming speeds available in super 8 plus single

frame as well as rewind capability for super-impositions. Both cameras allow the use of all filming speeds when using either sound or silent super 8 film cartridges. The top of the Beaulieu line is the 5008S Multispeed. The 3008S Multispeed allows you to buy a Beaulieu at a lower price. And, of course, for the professional who only uses double-system sound

recording, there is the extremely versatile 4008ZM4 with speeds from 2-80 fps. See the whole line of Beaulieu super 8 motion picture cameras at your Beaulieu dealer. They're the only super 8 sound cameras you can sti ll use when you turn professiona!. For a beautiful catalog, write to A. Lundquist, Dept. S8, Bell and Howeli/Mamiya Company, 7100 McCormick Road, Chicago, Illinois 60645.

Beaulieu

BEll' HOWElUMAMIVACQMPANV IBHmC I C'." 110'" _ ",........ c-nr "" ' ..... ........

CIRCLE INFOCARO 10

From Cilia to the Stars I've taken some ofthe most phenomenal footage you' ve ever seen using my Nikon R-IOand Beaulieu4008ZM IV,special lenses and a $7 ,000 Zeis microscope (on loan). Imagine paramecium as big as sharks on a 7-foot screen with the cilia and internal body funct ions visible. Or euglena as large as footballs with their flagella whipping around like an exc ited puppy's tail and vinegar ee ls larger than boa constrictors. With a55 mm macro lens, I was able to fi ll the frame with the image ofa fl y. Then I zoomed in on the head of the fl y. Wo w! I used a 105mm macro lens to photograph a drop of water on a bud. On a 7-foot scree n, the drop is almost 6 feet in diameter and you can see the life in it. Beautiful shots are possible at long di stance, too. I filmed a pair of ospreys court ing and mating at 200 yards. Then I reall y got ambitious. Mounting my Beaulieu on a 2oo0mm "Celestron" lens, I filmed the moo n at three frames per second. It was absolutely incredible! Not only can you study the moon 's surface, but you can see it s greenish cast.

Ofcourse, not eve ryone can afford this kind of equipment-I'm a profe ssional photographer-or gain access 10 a suitable microscope, but if you can, remember Mo ther Natu re.

Gene Zehring, Sr. Mishawaka, Ind.

Look with Your Mind's Eye JoshuaM. BeckerC ' Leuers," MarchlA priI1977) is absolutel y right when he te lls filmmakers to think before they shoot. Before you press the trigger in your mo vie came ra, look at the panorama. C lose your eyes and imagine what it wou ld look like on the sc reen. If it looks good in your imagination , shoot. Ifit doesn 't, but you sti ll want the shot, move from where you are (that means changi ng the angle) and loo k again. Yes, it's true that HolJywood filmmake rs shoot a thou sand fee t and use only a hundred, but you're an amateur and probably broke , so why waste film and money?

Carolus Galan

Whittier, Calif.

lO

To Clean or Not To Clean Thanks for the rem inder (" Queries," Jan .lFeb. 1977) that "sound heads on both projectors and cameras shou ld be given the same care as tape re corder heads." Since the instruction manuals for my Bole x and Eumig were totally s ilent on cleaning and de magnetizing heads, I wrote to the Bolexdistributor. E PO I. They said that cleaning and demagnetizing was rarely necessary and quoted Eumig as saying: " ... the danger of shifting o r misaligning the heads is much greater than any possibility o f problems which might occur due to dirt y heads or magnetization of the sound pickup," When I pers is ted. EPO l 's Bolex projector repairman showed me how to take out and re place the head asse mbly. The process is extremely s imple , taking less than fi ve minute s for disassembly , cleaning and replacement. The heads are so inserted that there is in fact no danger of mi salignment

with normal swabbing. I feel the manual s should be revised. Readers may also be intere sted to hear that EPOI has facto ry instructions on how to correct a defect in the sound system ofthe Bolex SM-80 projector wh ich causes crackling and buzzing sounds d uring project ion. To fix this, a coating is applied to certain contacts; it takes less than five minutes. Write EPO ), 101 Crossways Park West , Woodbury , N. Y. 11797 fordetai ls.

StevenJ. Goldsmith Wh ite Plains, N.Y.

3-D Doldrums The problems inhere nt in Lenn y Lipton's 3- D system ( Head liners, Jan .lFeb . 1977)a re legion. Forone thing. s ince eac h frame is seen three times. sync must be perfect. notju sl fra me fo r frame but fl icker for flicker. A lackofperfect sync

ca used he'ldachesand eyestrain in the '"3-D Era "" (1953-54) and eve ntually he lped to kill commerc ial 3- D. Lipton' ssystem is not new. It is "Natuml-vision" reincarnated in Super-So

What we need is fo r someo ne to wi den the aperture of a Double Super-8camera so that it reaches from sproc ket hole to sprocket hole. allowing room for s id e-byside left and right views. A s ingl e 16mm lens could be used along wi th a mirror-deflector on the fro nt 10 give the two di fferent points of view . A 16mm projector co uld be co nve rted to pull down Su per-8 perfora ti ons and the mirrordeflector(wi th left and right polarized filters) positioned in front of the lens. This system is so s imple surel y so meone co uld produce it.

Bill Schmidt Los Angeles. Calif.

My dOl/hle-balld s tereo sy.Hl' lII works very 11'('11. especially/or Super-8, becal/.\"(' the ("(1111('1'(1.1' lire Jmall alld call he place(/ ChHl'Iy to!!i'ther witlwllI thl' ait/ ofmirmr delices. Mort'ol'er. ~;ill("(' thl' cameras lIre.w Ii!!hl. Ihe shooti"g package is very pleOS(II1I. You're righl ill sayillg my OIerall .\Y.I'lelll i,~ 110/ flew. HIhar' s lIell' is that il

prodlfce.~ .\t ('reo.~c(}pic ill/(/g(' .~ tlrllt are etHy to look (It (llId lire extraordinarily hi'autiJIII.

YOl/r idea for COIII'l' rtill1! DOllbleSuper-8 c(llI/era is a w)O{/ olle lI'hich l am sure hosoccllrrt'd 10 11/(111), people. I II /953. both Bolex (llId Eigeer offered siereoscopi

Introducing

the sankyo XL-600S.

If you're not quite ready

for an Arri or a

As a serious cinematographer, your first concern should be with optics. Sankyo's are superb. An incredibly sharp f/ 1.2 lens with 2200 shutter opening for true low light capability. Even with our big 6 -to-l zoom range_ Sankyo doesn't sacrifice speed for range_

And when the lights are low, you'll see what you're shooting through Sankyo's large, bright, total information viewfinder. You've never looked through a brighter one. Or one that told you more.

To save you the expense and bother of going to an optical house and a recording studio, Sankyo gives you fades with a touch of a button. The sound fades along with the picture. Simultaneously and automatically.

As for sound, it's Hi-Fi. Sankyo offers you

a choice of filming speeds. The standard

18 fps ior economy. The professional 24 fps

for movies that sound as good as they look

And, because you're creative, Sankyo

provides manual overrides for all of its auto

matic systems. It makes you the boss . The Sankyo XL-600S. Super8 has never

been better. Sank 0 The Movie People Y

149 Fifth Avenue, New York. New York 10010 (212) 260.0200 13000 S. Athens Way. Los Angeles. Calif. 90061 (213) 321.0320 CIRCLE INFOCARD 17

Wl How can I check to make sure my or U her 4000 IC tape recorder and How can you check magnetic re

W

projector is really running at 24 an y IIF projector. SuperS So und cording stripe to see if it's in good frames per second? (95 Harvey St., Cambridge, Mass. condition before applying it to the Curtis J. Potsic, Patrick AFB, Fla. 02 140)and Optasound (25 E. 26t h film? Is there a machine which can

.... Unless your projector is synchro

...-- no us wit h AC house current or is

..... crystal-cont ro lled , it probablyp.. runs betwee n 23.8 and 24.3 frames _ per second (fps). Variations in the

cu rrent, drag on the mOlor and

=how long it 's warmed up will make a difference. It 's easy to make ~ you rselfa piece o f liming leade r.

...,. Scratch a frame o f blac k leader, count or measure with a sy nchronizer 1440 frames (20 fee l) and sc ratch another frame . When yo ur projector runs from one mark to the other in precisely one minute. you' lt know it 's running al 24 fps. If you're a big spender, you could send $9 .75 for a Projecto r Speed Test Film to Raga Product ions. P.O. Box I I. Leth bridge. Alberta, Canada. My movies always seem to flicker , Would it help iff had my 18 frames per second film converted to 24 fps? AI Rau, Hastings, Mich.

AtlS fps, the interminent motion offilm is smooth ly fused and o ur eyes should not detect fl icker. Converting to 24 fps wi ll not solve yo ur proble m. What you call fli cker could be "picketing," a choppy effect thai makes it look as though you were watch ing the image through a picke t fence. Th is can occur when somethi ng mo ves left -to-right or right-to-Ieft across the sc reen and can be eliminated by s lowing you r pans and avoiding rapid movement very close to the camera across the fie ld of vis ion. Another possib le source of yo ur prob lem is an out-of-sync projector. Ask your deale r to chec k that the sh utter blades are in perfect sync with the film movement.

Is there a gadget I can buy or make that will keep my movie projedor in sync with my tape recorder? George Mueller. Milwaukee, Wisc.

Sync hronizing is possible if your projector comes with a once-perframe (II F) switch and the recorder has control circu itry (e lectronic synchronize r). Not a ll tape recorders are suitable . The Film Grou p (Box 9, Wethersfi eld , Conn . (6109) makes a Recorder Resolver which works wit h a modified Sony TC-S008 , Uher4oo0L

12

St.. New York. N. Y. 10010) se ll modified recorders that will run in sync with a projector. C inema Sync Syste ms (14261 Ave . Men doc ino. Irvine , Ca lif. 92714) and Elmo Manufacturing Co. (32-10 57th St., Woodside, N.Y. 11377) also offer resolving recorders. However, there is no dev ice that can hold a projector and an unmodified tape recorder in sync. To conve rt your projector for sync work . see" How To Build and In stall a ifF Switch" ("Tools and Tricks, " May/J une (976). How do I make an invisible splice? When proj ected, tape splices reveal tiny bubbles and cement splices leave a black line on the screen. Also, would there be any problem

striping fi lm that has been cement spliced? ChesterD. Campball. Nashvilte, Tenn .

If you' re projecting original film. no splic ing tec hniq ue will remain totall y invisible. Tape splicescan show bubbles, trap d irt and stretc h. Stretching can produce a white flash a t the frame line when the butt end s of your splices separate slight ly. However. a wellmade tape splice, especiall y one that is four or six frame s long, can avoid most of these prob lems. When using ce ment spl ices wi th partial frame overlaps, there is no way to avoid a black line. To our know ledge, there is no spl ice r wh ich can sc rape emulsion and ove rlap an entire frame. On the brigh t side, you' ll have no problems striping over properly-made cement splices as long as they are beve l-edged, such as those made on a Bolex, Hahnel or Braun splicers . For more information, see " Tips fo r Better Splici ng," May, 1977.

take ofT stripe without damaging the film? Kwok Wai Chiu, Hong Kong

There 's no way to chec k the stripe befo re appl ication. but o nce it's on .t here are seve ral things you can do to establish if the st ripe is causing your record ing proble ms . First. inspect the stripe for prope r adh esion. The n reco rd sound and play it back seve ral times. l fdro pouts always occur at exactly the sa me place in the fi lm, the s triping is probably at fault. Howe ver, if dropout varies each time. the projec tor recording system is suspec t. The tape itself is rare ly defective. Improper applicat ion ofstripe , such as too much or too little ce ment or twists in the stripe, are the most common source of problems. The"Cut-A-RuC' splice remover di stributed by Superior Bulk Film (442-450 N. Well s St., C hicago , 111 .60610) is des igned to remove un wanted stripe .

Will processors handle film which includes nude scenes? How far can I go? Glenn West. Chatanooga, Tenn .

A great deal offi lm and lab work these days involves nudit y and sex in film , but mostof it is "arti stic" or strictly "soft -core. " Call up the lab you have in mind and ask abo ut their polic y.

What is mea nt by "cutting on action?" Leslie Meek, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Cutting on act ion is an edit ing tech nique which makes cu ts less obtrus ive by cutting in the midd le ofmovement , ins tead of be tween two s tatic shot s . An example might be s tart ing with a man throwing a ball in a medium shot and cutting to ac lose-up as it leaves his hand. Eliminate one or two frames of action at the cut for a smoother effect. It 's a bad idea to make your cuts in the camera. Film the ent ire action in a medium shot and repeat the last part fo r the close-up. Known as "overlapping ac tion ," thi s gives you so me opt ions to work with when you s it down to edit the film . Kodak put s out two pa mphlets called Motion

SUPERS FILMAKER

Pictllre Prodllctioll-Colltilluity I & /I (VI- 17 and VI-IB, Eastman Kodak Co., Dept. 454, 343 State St.. Rochester, N. Y . 14650) for45 cents each which explain all the bas ic continui ty tec hniq ues.

Whcrecan I get a Super-S displacement recorder? Ralph Chesek, Harrisburg, Pa.

Displacement recorders re-record sync sound on striped film 18 frame s behind its original position. so that it's d irectly in line with the picture frame correspo nding to it. 80th picture and soun d can be . ' straight cut" exact ly together wit hout the 18 frame gap ofsingle syste m. When edit ing is completed , the displace ment recorder re-records the sou nd 18 frames ahead for proper sync playback on a projector. The Moserdisp lacemen! recorder. marketed by Fi lmkraft (6850 Lexington A ve., Suite 217, Hol lywood. Calif. 90038) cost about $1.200. Apart from the cost , you shoul d conside r that the so und trac k will be thi rd generat ion on the final print with a resulting loss in qualit y. In addition. once the track is displaced , neither a standard ed it or nor a projector can pla y the picture and track in sy nc , so you never get to see your fi lm with sy nc sou nd wh ile ed iting. T his can be a greater handicap than worki ng with th e sound in it s normal 18 frame advance .

In Yvonne Andersen's article on creating animated monsters ("Animation-S," July/Aug.1976), I'd like to know which of the four techniques she describes produces the most realistic effect. Also, how do I get flowing movements? 8artAikens, Eugene, Oreg.

The fourth technique I described using liqu id foam rubber to build the creature has the possibility of producing the most realistic effect. Butrealistic is not always what yo u want. You might want acomic effect for your ani mation . You can get smooth movement s from yo ur animated characters by moving the m forward about !4 inch every two frames. -Yvon/le Andersell

Query replies preparui with the help afMark Mikolas, Gunther Haas, and Dennis Duggan.

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CIRCLE INFOCARD 61

CIROSuper8 film splicer

and tape: FOR SOUND-ON-AlM to position each preas tape ju.t " N(I SIlENT MOVIES right. by hand. With the C t RO

wraparound met hod. it'. all one step _ and precise pos itioning i. automatic.Perfect registration fast. The CJ RO S.ve lhe soundtrack

makes its own perforations in the splicing tape, Ct RO wraparound tape stop" sho.t of the sound stril'" on that

and trims the edges automatically. .ide of the film-so yourllOund con

tinu,," unintel1'"Upted. p""", lapel!

T he CIRO joina Ihe film Aib le with cement. You lose one cove r the track. clusing a sound

with apedal transparent frame of the movie with every splice dropout; and with cement splices.

tal"'. It punch... holes in the lape change you make. you get a click;n~ noise. that exactly match the film 's own Tape 5 11m.. cheape rl I"'riorations. POI!ition pins hold the A roll of CIRO Super B tal'" film straight and Aat. I t"s last, easy will give you about 350 splice . and. ahove all. prec"". Press tape splices COIIt ""tween 2

The s trongest splice and 3 cen ts each . For 2'h cents, you You ~et a much s tronger and get "round 5 CIRO 'plices!

longe r-luting join than with a ' l'I'm 'I'I' Tape pey, lor splice r? cement splicer. And CIRO-edited CIRO tape i. lOp quality. film rultll more smoothly through (E very roll i''Iuara"teed not to your projector than press ta]>ed or telescope. for example. ) It cos", far cemented film. les. beea""" it comes in a roll ami

Invisible lapa edgn b""au.~ ;/', nat nlr~ady ~rlara/ed. When you attach the CIRO Soone, or laler, you r tape savings,: !:!:I:!: I:! :,1.:

tape, if. automatically positioned will. in eft...d. oftset the COIIt of the InYls lbl . tapa edgea, p,eclH80 that hoth its edg.. are betl"''''''' "plice r itself. It'. worth con.iderinK! pol illoning. trock not coy..ed.fram... of your film. Since the tape It. nvailahle at your camera itself is transparent. this adds up to slore. Or write to 118 ataplices that are practica lly invisihle Repal, damaged tltm on the screen. With bOlh cement You can u"" the CIRO and its CitO Equipment Corp and prellA tapes, you can see the transparent t81'" 1o mend tom film 6820 Romol.... SI,"I edges go by in midscreen. and broken sprocke t hole.. II's a. HOllywood. Cali f. 90038

No lOl l 111m tra me. easy as mnking a "plice. Ph...... : (21 3)466-35111 II you cha n ge your mind 8 0lh , Id.. _ one . tep

about a c ut. just peel the splice Press tape splicers require you apart and tape the film tORethe r the to tape one .ide. then lum the film way it was ""fore. 11181". not pos. o'"er and do il again. And you have elRO

CIRCLE INFOCARO 39

Ie Rubber-finger Take a Closer Look yO ll can rill th c sc reen w ith a When I first got hooked on One of the mOSllIscful items on my subject area Y.! by Yo! inches . If you filmmaking, 1 tried to do all the ed it ing tab le is a small $uper-8 have the patience, and your bugs " right" Ihings . like wearing spe- projcclion lens I pi cked u p at a arco" , \oo acti ve . who know .. the cial"li nt-frec" colton gloves for camera shop a few years ago. I can possibil ities? Maybe the villa in in ... editing. I wondered w hy my tape gel a remarkabl y sharp Hnd finel y your next drama will have it zillion spli ('; cs were so lousy till I looked deta iled view ofa si ngle frame of legs. Or lhe leadi ng mantid mig ht

... at my glo ves under a microscope. fil m by plac ing the fron t of the get the lad ybug . They looked like a furry Pers ian lens up to my eye and holding the Mik e Wi lmoth Wl cat. de posit ing lo ng lengt hs o f film tothe back o f the lens. A To ledo. O hio

II C0110n fibers all over the place. fi uore sce nt lamp aimed away fro m I admire Lenny Lipt on' s courage my eye and lOward ~ a pi ece of Scarrace when he says . .. Use your bare re fi ec ting w hi te p;l per is t he bc ~ t Ru bbe r cement is a ll you need to fingers," and I think he' s probably light source. Unlike incande scent make realis tic scars . Brush a thin right , but I j ust don't ha ve the ligh t. nuorescent light Ic ts me view layer on the skin, let it dry and then nerve. And rubbe r glo ves a re no the ac tual colorof thc fi lm . I' vc just fold your ski n together to form good . They're hot. sweaty, cum- used thi s simple technique to a crease . A day-old cut can be I!I

W III be rso me and hard to get on and oIT. exa min e origi na l footage fo r edge- made with s imila r tec hn iq ue. Rub to-edge sharpness a nd co rre ct ex- blue-green an d vio le t watercolo rs But l did discover somet hing posure . II is espec ia Jl y use ful in o n your a rm and wipe wit h wet

thaI' s inert. fi be rless and about as comparing origina l footage to tissue to leave a fain t di scoloration

II clean as can be: medical finger prints for properde n ~ it Y, gra in resembli ng a bruise. Now apply cots . The cots, rubber finger le ls bu ild up, erc. l f yo tl ca nlfind a the rubbe r cement. let it dry and covering th e cnd s of the fingers . simple 8mm or SuperS projector fold the skin toge ther. For a mo re are used by doc tors fo r examina- lens at your own ca mera de ale r . serio us injury, add some theatrical tion s. You can order them by the blood or food colo ring mi xed wit h hundreds from any surgical supply a little fl ou r. When you're through hou se. If the cots come powde red. shoot ing. you can ru b o ITt he rub-rin se the powder off and le t t hem be r ce ment or wipe it off with dry in th e air . Then 1'011 a cot on the gasoli ne. > fi rst two fingers and thumb of each Hou man Sabah i hand. With the cots. you can press Vancouver. Was h. eac h splice hard and t ight without worrying about finger prints o r InstantArmature fi be rs . I have exam in ed vario us Here's an easy. inex pens ivc a rmasplices closely both on the editor lUre for animated characters . A ll and unde r a dissec ting mic roscope yo u need are three s izes ofdowels . and I can verify tha t a rubber finger a li ttle double-s ided carpe t tape. cot is definite ly c leaner lhan an you can order one fo r a ro und S3-5 and about 20 inches of bend able edit ingglove . from places like Edm und Sc ien - wire, such as 18 or 20 gauge an-

L.B . Williams . M .D . ti fic Com pany. Edscorp Building. nealed stove pipe wire. First cut Santa Barbara. Calif. Ba rrington . N .J . 08007. Although the dowels into body pa l1 s . I used

you can use a zoom le ns forthe ~-inch dowel fo r the bod y, head Baby Pants Screen same purpose. they tend to be and feet. \tl-inc h dowel fo r the You can make you r own low-cos t difli cultto cont 1'0 1 and harder on upper arm. thighs and calve s and rear projec tio n sc reen for creating Ihe eye in my op inion . %-inch dowel for the forea rm and homemade special effects . Almo sl Steve Beers hands. Dr ill holes about \-7- inch e very drug s tore carries a materia l Wet hersfi e ld . Conn. deep in lo the parts at the points ca lled surgical ru bber shee li ng. where they will be a ttached . Now, whic h is used for making baby Bug Your Audience sand otTt he sharp edge s and sand pant s, amo ng other things. To I nsec ts make colorful and unusual the head . hands and feet to the make the sc reen . just bend a s u bje(,~ t :. f(l r the ama te ur proper forms . A 5- or 6-i nc h sand-clothes hange r into the shape yo u filmmaker. Th ey're ncver camera ing d isc for your powe r dri ll o nly < want. stre ich the sheeting ove r it shy. and they work free! If you r COSIS abo ut $2 and makes this step tightl y and tape it in place. The Super-8 camera ha :. through-Ihe- easy. Next. cut 13 lengths o f wire sheeting is free o f grain and ho t- le ns ren cx viewing. here 's an in- IY.z-inc hes long. Use needle nose spots . and fall-oITcan be co n- expe nsive way to bri ng a strange plie rs to be nd th e end s of the wire , trolled by varying the tens ion of and fasc inat ing "ma

virtually any pos ition and will ensure against accidental shift s in position during filming. I have found these creatures to be exceptionally wel l-mannered actors which are lightweight , eas ily repaired , flexible and su rprisingly durable.

V. Brian Pe tersen Encino , Calif.

Split-screen Titles You can create impressive titles using a matte effect seen frequently on television commercials . The effect starts wit h a frame-filling pi ct ure which then pulls back to one corner of the screen , leaving the rest ofthe space black as a background for a printed message. Ordinarily, this is done in a lab, but here' s a Super-8 substitute that doesn't require backwinding.

Start with a sheet ofsome cheap material , suc h as 11I- inch "Upson" board. A 4- by 8-foot sheet wi ll cost about $5 at your local building suppl y store. Cut the board in half with a matte knife or sheet rock knife, making a 4-fool square pi ece. Then cut a 14-inch square wi ndow at least 6 inches in from the top and th e right side. Paint the board flat black. Place a sheet of clear glass in front ofthe matte board----di stance will be determined by zoom and camera position-and write your title s with white vinyl stick-on leiters on the glass. I fthe glass causes reflections that are hard to eliminate, cons ider using colored light s and mak ing the reflect ions part of the effect. You can position a li ve actor in the wi ndow or use a rear project ion screen. Start your scene with a shot of the window filling the entire frame and then zoom back and pan to the left, moving the window into the upper right corner ofyour viewfinder revealing your title over the black part of the picture. Make su re you r depth offi e ld encompasses both board and glass .

Rod Fisher Idaho Falls, Idaho

We will g ive a Iree, one-year subscription to

readers whO submit tips that we publish.

Send your tips with a sell-addressed.

stamped envelope to: "Tips," SUPER-8

FILMAKER, 3161 FilimoreSt.,

San Francisco, Ca. 94123.

The Revolutionary ~ Bmm Non-Rewind Reel System

No need to ever rewind a film again! Film guide picks up film

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and guides film smoothly ;nt,o ~-f-l!-----If

projector.

Snap-on cover keeps f ilm

from "spilling" off reel during

projection.

Now you canviewatl Super 80r

Single 8 li lms without tedious film

rewind ing between each showing.

Simply snap a 400 It. NoI1-Rewind

Reel onto the take-up reel arm of your

projector. After each projection. film will

be ready for the next showing. Saves lime.

and film is never subjected to the stress. strain.

and possible damage that may be caused by fast rewinding.

Initially an adapter and two Non-Rewind Reels (one serving as take-up.

the other as feed reel ) are needed. Then add Non-Rewind Reels to

your film library as required Gepe Non-Rewind Reels work wi th most

projectors having sprocket film drive and reel arms. Write for more info .

~ HPMarketing Corp, 98 Commerce Road

Cedar Grove. N.J. 07009

CIRCLE INFOCARD 13

SUMMER

FILM

INTENSIVE FILM MAKING WORKSHOP 4 weeks of hands-on screenwriting, lighting, directing, and editing. All students will write, shoot, and edit a film. All equipment will be supplied by the school.

MASTER FILM MAKER WORKSHOP The opportunity for advanced film students to study with celebrated professional film makers: screenwriters, cinematographers, directors, and editors.

ALSO' 35mm CINEMATOGRAPHY WORKSHOP

All classes begin August 1, 1977. For information ilnd brochure contact

SHERWOOD O4KS

EXPERIMENTAL COlLEGE

6353 Hollywood Boulevard Hollywood, Celifornia 90028

(213) 462-0669 A NonProfit EduCiitionill Organization

CIRCLE INFOCARD 37 SUPER8 FILMAXER

Please begin my subscription as soon al poasible:

0 2 years/$17 0 3 yeara/$25 o bill me later o this Is a ranawal

Rstes and credit apply only to U. 5., U.S. Poss., APO- FPO addresses. All othars please add $1.00 per year postage.

Plell$e begin my subscription as loon as pOlllble:

0 2 years/$17 03 years/$25 o payment enclosed o bill me later o this Is a renewal

Rates and credit apply only to U.S., U. S. Poss., APO- FPO addresses.

All others please add $1.00 per year postage. 5 2282

~

PLEASE CIRCLE YOUR INTEREST IN SUPER-8; A. Professional B. Educallonal C. Student D. Hobbyist

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BUSINESS REPLY MAil No postage stamp necessary it mailed in the United States

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Place

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Here

Place

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P.O. Box 13069 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19101

50 YOU THINK YOU'VE GOT PROBLEM5:LOOK

AT FILMMAKERS OF FROZEN NORTH

BEVERLY ENSOM Few Super-8 cameras can boast a sealskin barney. Terry Pearce's can. What' s more, he somet imes take s his came ra to bed with him. Not startli ng when you consider thai Pearce is fi lming Eskimo life 190 miles north oflhe Arctic C ircle in Canada' s Nort hwest Territories. In his home town of Igloolik (population 650). the average February temperature is - 35 degrees Fahrenheit (F .). Te rry Pearce is one ora handful of fi lmmakers using Super-S in the Canadian north . In addition (0 coping with the ext reme cold, they must face the challenges ofa territo ry whose vastness and isolation are hard to comprehend. When the icy temperatures freeze up film so that it snaps like po(ato chips or the minus-degree weather causes batteries to drain instan

taneously, there's no neighborhood camera shop to provide new film or friendly advice.

Yellow- knife. the capital ofthe Northwest

Territories. has one camera store .

SUPER,S FILMAICER

If you' re 1,400 miles away in Frobisher Bay, you might as well deal by mail with the ex perts in Montreal or Toronto- I ,250 and

1,450miles away. T he latte r are also

the closest places for processing.

But then there's

the question

ofmail

service

and

whether there will be any that week.

The Canadi an govern ment sponsors mos t filmmaking in the Northwest, as the territory has li tt le private industry. However. with cutbacks in federal spend ing, the gove rn men t can on ly encourage Super-8 efforts in a limited way. Terry Pearce, fo rmerly an English photojou rnalist. has fi nanced his own filmmaking in the north for the past two years. When he is not fi lmmaki ng, he earns his living as an audio-visual consultant. His most recent ass ignment was with the Inuit Cu ltural I nstitute, advisingon design, eq uipment and staff training fo r a darkroom fac ility. Pearce points out that Es kimo life in the Nort hwest Terril ories has changed dramatically over the past

15 years . Snowmobiles have, fo r the most part, replaced dog sleds, the people li ve in houses not igloos and they no longer bu rn whale blubber to provide light and heat. Since the launchingof the govern ment communications satelli te A flik in 1972, tele phones are a part oflife in half the communities, and, for beneror worse, so are Police Story and the late movie. Nomadic camp life has almost disappeared and permanent villages dotted overthe north are now ' home' to the Canadian Eskimos," ex plains Pearce. " Igloolik is one of these vill ages, where I now live with my wife and so n. A small plane comes twice a wee k, weatherpermi!l ing, carrying passengers, mail and fre ight."

Pearce's Super-8 fi lmmak ing centers around day-to-day life

in the nort h. In the villages. he fi nds it possible to fi lm

at al most any ti me ofthe year because there is

always a warm building to step

into after a few minutes in the

cold. O n hu nting trips away

from the se ttlement

in winter, he fi nds fi lmmaking

practically impossible . 'With

temperatures of -60 degrees F .

and wind-ch ill factors of -120 de

grees F ., you have enough to do

keeping yourself warm. "

Even when it is " warm" enough to fi lm, the working parts ofa normal camera can't be expected to function smooth ly fo r any length of time. Pearce describes his fur barney , a rather sophisticated solution to the prob lem of extreme cold : " It 's made in three pieces. T he body part has a zip at lhe back so that the camera can be reloaded without removing the barney. T he sealskin covers on the lens and the grip do not have to be removed for normal operat ion of the camera. On the left side of the barney, small semici rcular ve nts have been made to faci litate viewing the footage counter and operating the exposure meter override" (see photo). To the east of Pearce. in Frobisher Bay, other Super-8 fi lmmakers are producing a 15-minute television show each wee k for the Inuit people. in their nal ive language. With he lp from the Canadian Broadcasting Corpo ration (C BC) and the Natio nal F il m Board , the Nu natsiak miut group is prov iding TV programs of specifi c interesl to native people and trying to he lp them preserve their cultural heritage . Nunatsiakmi ut has used Super-8 to record a typical day in a northern day care cent er, Ihe use of Eskimo tools and tec hniques in skinning a seal and drying the sk in ,

and the care of snowmobiles.

Their show is run bac k-to-back

with anot her 15-minute prog

ram produced in Montreal.

T his half- hour once a

week is the only nat ive

content in 112 hours of

nort he rn programm

ing.

T he e BC plans to use Super-8 as the basis

for all its northern

TV

20

who has assisted the Nunatsiakmiut group. found that his hands were numb afte r a few minutes without gloves in February weather. His solutio n is to remove most of his handwear only for the

actual shooting, and Ihenjam hisj~ hands back into his mitts as soon

L _____"--_____~! as he's fini shed . Terr)' Pearce's ~alskin barney Is not for soundproofing his camna: Il'sfor keeping Ihefi lm insldl'from rr~1.ing!

se rvice. with N unatsiakmiut as o ne ofth ree production units. While Nunats iakm iut now transfers Super-S footage to ~-i nch video cassette tape in Montreal and then edit s in that form, the C BC hopes to make the nort hern se rvice completely Super-8 in o perat ion , with every aspect of produclion done by northerners.

Mosha Michael quit his job as an apprentice carpenter to join the Nunatsiakmiut group in Frobisher Bay. His interest in film was aro used by an animation workshop he attended in Cape Dorse t. Michae l has de vised a few ofhis own met hods for dealing with the ext reme cold and special northern lighting problems. To prevent his Bolex 280 from freezing to his nose and cheek, he stuck foam rubber to the back of the camera. Si nce the dazzl ing snow fools a camera's automatic exposu re control into underexposing, he finds manual exposure a must and says he al ways opens up the shutter a t leas t oneJlstop more than his meter indicates.

Michael also says he leaves his camera outdoors during coffee breaks, because condensat ion can form on a cold camera brought indoors and then freeze up very quickly when iI's brought o ut s ide. The filmm akers a t Frobisher Bay have also found that the working part s ofa normal human body can't be expec ted to function smoothly for any lengt h of time under such cold condit ions. Tom Egan, a C RC Super-8 specialist

These photos by Terry Pearce show (from top to boll om); Eskimo children a t school in

1 ~loolik ; Nuna tsiakmlut filmmakers ~evee Nowdluk, Corinne Corry and David Hoisey in Frubisher Bay; twilight In Igloolik a nd a pair of icl'-frosli'd bicycles: Terry Pearce 's wife and their child; filmmaker Mosha Michael and the filming orday- to-day Eskimo life.

SUPER-8 FlLMAXER

Egan also discove red that northern light can be tricky. While viewing footage, he noticed that the images oft en had a blue cast. He took his color meter wit h him the next time he went to Frobisher, and su re enough , Egan found the color temperature 200 degrees Kelvin higher than he was used to in Ott awa. From then on , the N unatsiakmi ut people kept #1 haze filte rs on their cameras.

"With my Super-S Nizo in one hand, I continued filming .. I used my other hand, covered with blood and walrus fat, to help my Eskimo companions. " Most of the northern filmmakers agree that the extreme cold of January and February make work almost impossible then. Andrew Steen , a Yellowknife fi lmmaker working for the Canadian government 's Northern Career Programme, does all ofhis shooting in the summer and his editing in the winter. Steen is producing a series oflO-minute film s depicting jobs now held by whites that could be done by native s, includi ng forestry, land-use operations and parks jobs. The series wil l serve as an orientation and training tool.

Even though it was springtime , David Z immerly's nose fro.ze while he was fi lming at Rankin Inlet. ([he skin turned black and peeled ofT a few days later.) Zimmerl y is an ethno logist working for the National Museums ofCanada and has lived with an Eskimo familyat Rankin Inle t on and ofT for the past four years. Zimmerl y carries two Beaulieu cameras with him , using them to record daily life and the hunting and fi shing trips

that provide most ofthe family's food. When traveling by sled, Zimmerly carries only one camera in asealskin bag tied around his neck so that his body will cushion it on the rough terrain.

That kind of portability is an important reason Super-8 is preferred for o utdoor work in the Northwest. Few people use double-system sound-the recorde r isj ust o ne more thing to carry around unde r your coat. T he northern subject matter also seems todictate the use ofSuper-8, as ev idenced in the following account by Terry Pearce ofa walrus hunt.

"The hunt took place on the ice floe s in Foxe Basin. A lthough these enormous islands of ice are quite stable, they do shift around the Basin as the winds change, and you have to be prepared to move you rse lf and yourequipment quickly.

" We had been hunting walrus for about 10 hours, and by the time my Eskimo friend s had successfull y shot three of them and hauled our canoes up onto a large piece of floating sea ice, it must have been about three in the morning. But the hour of the day was the least ofour worries. It was Jul y, and in the high arctic a t that time ofyear, the sun never sets. There is perpetual daylight. "With my Super-8 N izo in one hand , I continued filming , while occasiona ll y, in between 'cut s.' I used my other hand , covered with blood and walrus fat , to he lp my Eskimo companions to bu tcher o ne of the 2.000-pound animal s. "One problem I have discovered in bei ng a -s ingle- handed' filmmake r with the Esk imo hunters is that everyone partaki ng in a hunt must share in the hard work. Any man who j ust stands and watches (or films) is not on ly frowned upon but will probably also get cold . And so I have found th at be ing able to fi lm with my camera in o ne hand and a knife in the ot her, and at the same t ime being adept at jumping from o ne moving ice Hoe to another , is a defin ite asset for th is kind of filmmaking. " 0

Beverly IIS0/1/ lilies ill 011(111'(1, Cal/ada (llid is (ljreel(l1/ce IIIriln ollfilm (jill/ filmmaking ill Canal/a.

21

POLAVISION= WILL IT

BE THE "BIG MAC" OFSUPER-S?

LENNY LIPTON

Needham, Massachusetts, April 26, 1977. Nobody cou ld accuse it ofbeing an ordinary day. Forthi s is the day that Dr. Edwin Land C hairman of the Board of Polaroid demonstrated what the company call s "immediately visible living images" (their new instant movie system). And it isn' t every day that 3,800 shareholders and membersof the press ge tachance to film , fo r eight seconds each , an y one of 42 sets fi lled with performe rs , laid out in a footba ll field size warehouse. An air ornear hysteria was created by anticipation of this muchawaited product and by the crowdingofnearly 4,OOO soul5 into this converted warehouse. That' s not to suggest that the event went anything but smoothly. In fac t , o ne would be hard pressed to orc hestrate a better run participatory event , given the great number of persons and thei rexpectatio ns . The specifications of the Polavision camera may not seem impressive to many diehard filmmakers. It 's a ve ry simple box-type machine ru nning at IS frames per second only, wit h a reHex (through-the-Iens) viewfinder and an automatic exposure meter that cannot be manual ly overridden . T his early model is not a sound recording came ra, although the silent film "cassette" (Polaroid does not call it a cartridge) doe s carry magnetic s lriped film . The camera has a2 :1 zoom rat io wit h a modest IIl.S lens, and fa r and close focusing ranges. The exposure meter itse lf is not through-the-lens , but rat he r an adjacent type, look ing th rough the camera's upper hous ing.

T he loading door is on the right side , lens fac ing you, like Fuji Single-8 cameras (see Figure I). That 's because the fi lm cassette

itself more nearly resembles the Fuji cartridge than the Kodak unit. The camera also has an adjustable eyepiece, which is par for the cou rse. Powercomes from four type AA batteries located in the pistol grip , which a company spokesman claimed would run 50 cassette s. The camera has a builtin type A fil te r, like a ll Super-S cameras and recently Fuji Single-8 machines, and there 's also a pl ug fora movie light s itting atop the body, Based on my few seconds with the machine , I can tell you

vision Instant movie camera.

that the viewfinder was bright and crisp and the camera comfortable to hold. However, it runs very noisi ly by the sl andard s I appl y to even bottom-of-the-line Super-S equipment. T he film cassette it se lf resembles the Fuji co re to core (reel to reel) unit , but it is larger than the Fuj i device, measuring some 5 v.. x 2* x !I.z inches (see Figure 2). Unlike the Fuji cartridge , the cassette has a built-i n pressure pad muc h like the Kodak Super-8cartridge. And unl ike both Fuji o r Kodak products , the film actually travels from a feed to a take-up reel. The film within is Super-S, However, it is nol intended for projection o n anything but the Polavision " player. " The fi lm neve r leaves the came ra cassette which also serves as the projection cassette. Ofcourse , thecasselie

with its mave rick dimensions cannot be used in anything bu t a Po lavision camera, As I mentioned before , the stock is magnetically sound s triped so that film shot in a silent camera will nOI have to be sent back to a lab for striping if the user wants to add narra tion or music. I asked Dr. Land if a new cassette that wou ld a llow direct so und recording was planned , and whether it could be used wit h present s ilent Po lavision cameras. Hi s re sponse was an openi ng or " port " could be added to the present cassette , so a camera 's sound head cou ld record o n the stripe. In all probabil it y the sound cassette would fit in silent machines, and in lime , on ly one cassette, the sound ported ve rs ion, would be o ffered.

At the moment the re is o nly one fi lm stock available , a type A (balanced for tungsten light) mate rial wi th an expo sure index (E. I.) of 40, like Kodachrome 40. When used with the built-in daylight filter outdoors the fi lm has the usual25 E, I. The film con tained in the cassette is onl y 43 feel long , not the 50 feet we' re used to. This playsj ust u nder 3 minute s at 18 frames per second (fps). The ultra thin emuls ion is coated on pol yestermaterial, like Fujic hrome Single-8 film. The Polav is ion "player" isa 12inch diagonal rear-screen projector the s ize ofa small portable TV. It has absolutely no cont rols . Presumabl y focus and frame line are faclOry preset and never need to be adjusted. The playe r offe rs rapid rewind at about 400fps, accord ing to Land. When you are fini shed filming, you in se rt the casselle in the playe r, and after a minute and a half of processing, the image is projected. Po laro id did not reveal details about where

SUPER8 f1LMAKER

,

22

and how t he process ing was accompli shed, and it was not possible to examine any ofthe equipment zealously guarded by the Polaroid staffe rs.

It was a great thrill to see movies a minute and a half afte r you shot them. It 's a tremendous selling point , and that 's the way all movies ought to be , if you want my opinion. Can anybody di sagree?

Howeve r, there are for now some serious drawbacks to the system. The processed film itselfisextremely dense , so dense , in fact, that it cannot be projected with an o rdinary Super-S projector. T he image would be too dim. That's why the system uses a small 12inch rear screen and an intense ly bright optical system with a 150watt lamp. The projected image was bright, but it was ext remely grainy, with very high contrast and what (judged to be washed-ou t skin tones in many cases. I would also judge the grain to be more noticeable than that ofany of the Ek tachrome film stocks now avai lable. However, it wasquite difficult tojudge the quality since I

, wasn' t conducting tests myself and because the subject matter had been rigged. As I've mentioned , the re were 42 sets with bright backdrops, and these were peopled by brigh tl y costumed clowns, dance rs, mimes and j ugglers, many ofwhom wore make-up . This made any effort to evaluate the pictorial quality exceed ingly difficult. Despite the fact that the film was very grainy and contrasty, it did appear to be rather sharp, and the SUPER-& FiLMAKER

colors were very saturated and bright . The image was ce rtai nly on a pa r with a similar size T V image. However, I also not iced marked mottli ng or blotches ofcolor on a great deal of the footage I inspected, wh ich I assume is due to uneven processing. I expect that the

Figurt 2: UnUkfSuper-8 111m cartridge!!, tht ntw instant 111m In tht Polavlsion casSfttt runs from a fffll loa take-up rtft.

defects can be minimized and even cured in time for the full scale national distribution of Polavision, which is actuall y a year or two away by my estimate. Initial test marketing will take place at Christmas time , probably in Florida where Polaroid has used the same strategy forthe introduction of the SX-70 products. No prices were announced.

The major techn ical defec~ofthe system, the unusual densit y ofthe processed film 's image, has been turned into its major advantage by an ingenious stroke. Perhaps it was the only viable approach Land could have taken given the technology into which he is locked. G iven the densit y difficulty, it' s only natural that a bright rearscreen type player wou ld have to be employed. Theadvan tage is that the playerremains in the

screen.

li ving room like a TV set , to be enjoyed without turni ng lights out and se tting up a screen .

The Polavision sys tem isn't really aimed at serious fi lmmakers, or even home movie makers. It 's aimed at people who want to see the unedited version of baby 's first step, and they will get to see it almost immediately afte r filming. It' s aimed at people who don't want to edit their fi lm , who want acassette library offamily highlights-picnics.t he beloved dog, and so forth. And Polavision is a imed at the TV accJ imated American who is used to look ing at a rear-projected color image in le ss than optimum condi tions in a fully lit room.

Dr. Land may have scored , but are we to take seriously his opinion that he is offeri ng us "a new mechanism for re lating to life and each otherT' Pe rhaps he's right; maybe thi s is. as he put it , " 'iving photography." In a ce rtain sense, I be lieve Land 's hand was forced. Afterall , each year that goes by, TV tape recording(videotape) gets a little bit nearer to the consumer home mov ie level. The handwriting is on the wall for fi lm if it can't compete with instant tape.

Still , a se lf-process ing film in the usual Supe r-S cartridge, not a special cassette , would have had vastly greate r appeal to millions of users who already own Super-S cameras. Moreover, ifthe film were ofthe usual density there would be no problem in projecting it in existing Super-S projectors. The next move may be up to Eastman Kodak. 0

"

You'lI be dressed fit to fi lm in aclapboilrd FI.LMMAKER'S T-SHIRT from Alan Gordon Enterprises. The snappy clapboard is one of 17 different film making designs. whic h come in eight colors and four sizes. The all-cotton shirts are pre-shrunk to withstand repeated washings . A free illustrated brochu re giving details on designs. sizes and prices is available from Alan Gordon Enterprises. Depart ment T-S. 1430 N. Cahuengil Blvd .. Hollywood. Calif. 90028. LiJI price: $5.98 to $6.95. CI RCLE INFOCARD 26

Settle down for a big show. You Clm scree n filrn continuously fo r over two hours with the2.200-foot EXTENDA-REEL from Ra-Cine Produc ts. Completely portable. the uni t is selfpowered so there is nodrain on the projector motor. You rewind on the unil: noother equipmenl is needed. Extend-ARee l works with almost all sprocketed Super-8 and Regular-8 si lent and sound projectors. Available from Ra-C ine Products Co.. 1687 Perry Ave .. Racine . Wise. 53406. List price: $89.95. CIRCLE INFQCARD 27

Support your screen in style with the . EKS SCREEN SUPPORT STAND, engineered for fu ll use of the one-piece molded Kodak "Ektalite" sc reen. You can easily adjus t the screen's heigh!. placing the bottom of the screen from 38 inches to 53 inches from the floor. Large knurled loc k knobs faste n the screen at Ihe besl viewing angle . The siand is construcled of aluminum wilh a square tubular frame for the screen and a rou nd lelescopingcolumn with a heavy duty base. A set ofcasters is optional at addit ional cost. Finished in basic black. the support stand comes complete with all fi tlings. Available from Welt/Safe-Lock. Inc. 2400 w. 8th Lane. H ialellh. F la. 33010. List price: $49.95. CIRCLE IN FQCARD 28

You like roughing il . bUI your camera is a sissy . Next time you go hiking. cycling or just communing with nature. treat your equipment toa CAMERAPACK rid e. The seeret of the lightweight unit is an "Etha-foam" liner cut to accept your camera and lIuxiliary equipment. The semi-rigid Ethafoam maintains its shape when the unit is uscd as a backpack. preventing equipment from knock ing toget her. Soft. convoluted foam holds the contents in place. Order an une ut 14- by 16inch liner. and cut your own

custom-made compartments to precisely fit yourSuper8equipment. The water-proof nylon pack comes in royal blue. orange. and green. Shou lder stTiIPS liTe padded for comfort. Camerapacks. P. O. Box. 2607. Framingham Center. Mass. 01701. Li.VI price: $49.95. CIRCLE IN FOCARD 29

SUPER-! FlLMAKER

When time is of the essence. a good stopwlltch is essential . If your movies require tight pacing. the ETI05 electronic digi tal sto pwatch will time you r takes to a tent h ofa second with quartz crystal-controlled accuracy. Bright light-emitting diodes let you read the stopwatch in dark screening rooms. On location. you can hold the sixounce ET105 in the palm of your hand or use the neck strap. which comes with the stopwatch. Three replace able AA heavy duty batteries. also included. prov ide 12 hours of cont ino uous operation. Available from SOS Photo-C ine-Optics. Inc. 315 W. 43rd St.. New York. N.Y . 10036. List price: Stopwatch: $49.95: Leather carrying case: $3.95. CIRCLE INFOCARD 30

Animation is easy with a FLUID ART STAND. Touch colored grease pencils to the backlit opal glass. wanned by five40watt bulbs. When the grease penci ls melt enough to become fluid. paint your pictures with a brush. Since the grease paint can be removed with a rag or a metal sc raper. you can change the painting slightly every few frames for an animation effect. The stand holds most Super-8 cameras and lets you move your camera up and down or choose from five horizontal positions. The incl ine of the light box.,is also adjustable. You can also use the stand fo r other animation techniques. copyingor titling. A Fluid Art Kit includes :til the tools and supplies needed for fluid art animation except fo r rags and paint thinner. A vail;lble from Fluid Art Division. Sunshine Camp. 8363 Trenton Rd .. Forestville. Calif. 95436. List price: Stand: $132: Ki t: $20. CIRCLE INFOCARD 31

Rivendell has come up with the PANALUXE, 1m affordable fluid head that lakes the jerks and jiggles out of panning . Use of silicone-based lubri cant and a specially designed bellring system enabled Rivendell to simplify the gears without losing the silkysmooth action fluid heads are known for . The touch ofa finger on the level allows the camera to glide around al a constanl rate. floating to a stop when pressure is released. The Panaluxe does not require servicing and is guaranteed for three years. Designed

for horizontal panning. the fluid head can be used with or without aconventional pan-and-tilt head. The \4inch bush and stud will fit all standard cameras and tripods. Halmar Enterprises. P.O. Box 793. Niagara Falls. Ontario , Canada L2E 6 V6. List price.' $69.95. CIRCLE INFOCARD32

A smile will be your o nly umbrella when you discover compact. lightweight ROSCO PAK BOUNCE LIGHT KITS. Each kit contains II 48by 56 inch sheet ofmetallic polyester. which can be used 10 control reflections in hard-togetat spots. such as the interiorofacar. Only Ihe weight of tissue paper. the material is extremely tough. The metall ic surface will retain light control properties even after the sheet has been washed, sc rubbed clelm. crum pled in a bag and straightened out again and again. Pak F,

highly reflective silver. provides maximum light output, while Pak W, soft wtlite. d iffuses light for softer shadows. To cool a wann light. use PakD, metallic blue: PakG, metallic gold. will wann acool light . Avai lable from Smith Victor Corp .. Lake and Colfax Streets. G riffith. Ind . 463 19. List price.' SIO per ki t. CIRCLE INFOCARD 33

SUPERS F1LMAKER 25

HOWTOBUYYOUR CAMERA

TEST DRIVE BEFORE YOU CRASH

DENNIS DUGGAN Test Driye Your Camera You want to buy a camera. You've read all the Product Probes and every other review and report you could lay your hands on. Y ou've talked to other filmmakers, and you've separated the facts from the hype in the camera ads . You've weighed all this informa tion against your bank balance, and now you're ready to take ... The Multiple Choice Test Super-8 abounds with choices. Does the convenience ofa s ingJesystem (sound recording)camera outweigh the advantages ofautomatic lap dissolve s and other refinem ents found on the more sophisticated double-system (silent)cameras? Will I shoot at 18 or 24 frames per second (fps)? Do I need an XL or a normal shutter? Will a short but fast (6 to 1zoom, /11.2) lens serve me as well as a longer but slower(1 2 to I zoom. /1 1.S) lens? These are some ofthe questions you ask yourselfand anyone else you can get to listen . And to help you make your decisions. some " expert" is always willing to tell you the "best" choice. It seems to me that it' s always best to leave yourself an alternative. [fthe camera you select has many options, you're free to choose each time you film. Automatic everything is great. but manual override options give you more flexibility.

Your choice ofcamera, ofcourse, should reflect your individual needs and be built to withstand your normal usages. It doesn't need to be built to last 20 years. Super-S technology is improving at a tremendous rate ; automatic focus and instant movies are almost upon us. Five or 10 years from now , the magical marvels

SUPER-8 FILMAXER

of today will probably look like primitive antiques. Imagine 110 10 second "Dial-a-dissolve" or automatic colorcorreclion in any kindoflight. minute-long zooms, or voice command controls. Your came ra should have every s ingle feat ure that you anticipate needing, and probably a few more . Favoring extreme close-ups of wildflowers should lead yo u to look for a lens that has a macro capability over most. ifnot all, of its zoom range . If you plan to shoot indoor dialogue scenes with actors , you'll need a very quiet camera. orone that can easily be quieted with a soundproof "barney ," without making the controls inaccessible. If you see you rself directing action film s with fights and car chases. you may require a speed like 12 fps to make it all look fast without getting anyone killed . A friend who's new to Super-8 proudly showed me a new camera with all the features he's heard me lout- but it also had an eyepiece that stuck out a full inch . This protrusion wouldn't have upset me so much if he weren', making a sports film. Handheld. Skiing in downhill races. The first time he falls with that camera up to his eye may be the last time he skis with a camera. And that's too bad.

Getting What You Want You've given it a lot ofthought , and now you know what features you want in acamera. But how do you tell a superb optical instrument from a plast ic and glass gimmick box? Even more difficult, how do you tell a good camera from a so-so model?The answer is to pay a visit to your local camera store and put your top choices to the test. Eventually, you'll have to

pay for a few cartridges of film and processing. but it' s worth a few dollars to know if your chosen camera can make the grade. Buying a lemon can cost you plenty in ruined film , repair bills and aspirin. And if you suspect yourcurrent camera is a lemon, see how it scores on our tests .

Niceness Counts You'll need cooperation at your friendly. neighborhood camera shop . The kind you won't get if you sail in some busy Saturday afternoon, push everyone aside and start pinning up those snazzy SUPER-S FILMAKER te st charts (see insert box) that have made you the envy ofall. On the other hand, if you're sensible and considera te , you'll probably get the help you'll need . First, you should have a pretty good ideaofwhich camera you want. Then talk to the salesperson and explain what you want to do. Try to set up an appointment to make your tests when the store isn't busy. Some stores are reluctant to let you step outside the door without an armed guard, while others will let a familiarcustomer take acamera home overnight. Having cash or credit cards on hand for the store to hold can usually relax the tensions .

Tactile Maneuvers The heft ofa camera pressed close to your face ... the way your fingers naturally reach out to the right controls ... the ability to follow focus with moving action by feel as well as by eye ... all are important and often underrated considerations. Filming should be as smooth and graceful and natural as playing a musical instrument or making love. Case in point: I bought a Bolex Rex.4 Regular-S camera and had it converted to

27

ChartA

Double Super-S to use on my J. K.

Optical Printe r . Although I put its Using Your Test Charts

work ings th rough rigorous te sting. I ignored its " feeL" Th is Bolex is one ofthe fi nest cameras eve r made in terms ofqual it y construction . It has excellent registration . grou nd-glass focus ing, mUlt iple speeds, and total backwi nd. I thought I'd probably shoot my next fi lm in Dou ble Super-S. I was wrong. After working with we llbalanced Super-S ca meras with big, bright. c lear view finders. easy cartridge Imlding. lo ng zooms and automatic everything. I just co uldn't , or wou ldn't , readjust to the c umberso me product ofa bygone era. The Rex4 sta ys on the opt ical pri nter. Case closed.

The Dry Run Before you check ou t a ca me ra . adj ust the viewfinder for yo ur eyesight. This is usuall y done by turn ing a litt le wheel. called a " diopter. on or ne,lr the viewfinde r to a plus or minus pos ition. dependi ng on your particular vis ion. If you normall y wear glasses. leave them o n wh ile you make th is adju stment and use the eye that fee ls most na tu ral. Many of us a re right-handed bu t left -eyed. The s imples t W

Chart B

- -.:

Aside from changing focal lengths between shots. I use it mainly to zoom very quickly between actors ' lines in sound takes. That way we don't have to stop and use the clapboard every time I move to a close-up or a long shot . Of course. the 4 or 5 frames of zoom a re later cut out. along with 4 or 5 frames ofmagnetic recording tape (fu11coat). It's a great time sa ver. Try all the speeds and controls . Does everything work cons istently and without strain? Pan across areas of different light levels. Does the meter re spond instantly to light changes? As you go into orout of instant slow motion. does the meter compensate for the different speed ill1medi(l/e/y? If itdoesn't, the dynamics of this feature wi ll be ruined by a few inches ofimproperly exposed footage at the beginning orend ofthe effect. Ju st how easy is it to fade while you zoom. orto use any other comb ination of effects you might want simult aneously? If the came ra you're considering is s ingle -system sound . how quiet is it indoors? Use a good (optional accessory) mic and put on a pa irof earphones matched to the came ra's impedance. then listen to the response. How quickly does the automatic gain control respond to changes in the sound le ve l? Does the camera bring the amp lifier up to strength before shooting film? Is it possible to monitor sound between shots? Does it have a flash sync a11achment in case you want to do some double-system recording of music or someth ing that's outside the range and capabil it ies of the camera' s own sound system? Does it handl e s ilen t cartridges and shoot them at the same speed? Or doe s that matter to you? How about th e lightemitting diode s (LED) and other indicators in the viewfi nder. Do they give you all the information you' ll need. or are some of them just di stracting nui sances that you'll neve r learn to live with? After you've answered all of these ques tion s for yo urself and you fee l familiar with the workings of the came ra, it 's time to give it

The Final Exam Check the battery condition. Load the camera with a film cartridge. Set the filter key or sw itch for

SUPER,S F'ILMAICER

tungsten lighting (assuming you're ins ide a camera store). Set the lens at its longest focal length (te lephoto). Foc us. Now move the zoom back to it s shortest focal length (wide angle) and begin shoot ing. While you' re shooti ng. zoom to telephoto and keep filming for a few seconds after you get the re. Go outside the camera store (wit h permission. ofcourse) . and ru n the same test. being su re to switch the fill er to the correct pos ition. Now use each of the camera's features and potential s one by one while you record the resullson film. Test the camera ' s low light limits with high speed film, and keep shooting even after the indicators say it's hope less . For sharpness and color rendit ion te sts. use Kodac hrome 40 in day , light (wi th the fi lter in place) or under light s that have a Kelvin temperature of3400 (movie lights) . Photograph skin tones and nature, if there is any in sight. If the camera allows an automat ic exposure ( + or -) adj ustment. try a tes t at about a half stop underexposed . You might like it be11er th an the manufacture r' s idea of "normal" exposu re . Centu ry Prec ision Optics (10659 Burban k Blvd .. Nort h Hollywood. Calif 91601 ) will let yo u have a poster-si ze zoom lens focus te st chart free. Get it and film it. When your film is processed. you canjudgejust how sharp the contending cameras are . Now, c ut out the special SUPER-8 Fl LMAKER test chart wit h thi s artic le. You can use our c hart to test frame lines in a ll cameras and regist ration in cameras with double exposure capabil ity . See the in se rt box for detailed in structions on how to fi lm the chart and what to look fo r. Use a tripod for these tests to make sure th at any un steadiness yo u seei s no tyourownfaull. lf yo u ho ld your shot s to about 10 seconds each, you can run 20 individual tests on a s ingle cartridge. Ofcou rse. ifyou' re looking at a sound camera. you'll a lso want to run some sound film through. Again, these test s shou ld be made both in side and outdoors . but this time don't be too concerned about the vis uals . Concentrate on what you hear. Does the camera sound louder with fi lm running through it ? Does the mic pick up came ra no ise or vibrations from it s top-

mounted position . and does the extended mic boom make the camera unbalanced or unwieldy? Is what you hear through the headphones reflected acc urate ly by the blinking LED or the VU meter? If you plan to purchase a better mic later, try it now . It may not match the impedance of the camera you've c hosen . or. on the other hand , it might radi call y improve the response. Either way. this is th e time to find out. You can ' t expect miraculous sound in a camera shop . but with close miking. it should be more than intell igible .

Graduation Day In a few days your film will come back from the lab . If you don't have your own projector, go back to the came ra s tore to screen the resu lts. They should be delighted to show yo u a projector. Does the lens stay in foc us over the entire zoom range? Ifi t goes out offocus as you zoom up to telephoto. you probabl y didn't set the eyepiece d iopte r correctly, or else you d idn' t focus acc urately. Ifan object th at's in focu s at the te lephoto se tting slips out offocus as yo u zoom to a wider angle . the lens element s are probably set imprope rly and the camera sho uld be avo ided.

The registration and alignment diagrams explain ing our test c hart wi ll show you what to look for in those tests. Whether or not the in-focus shots are reall y sharp and sound is of high qualit y, is something you' ll have toj udge for yourself. Fortunate ly, most po pular brands ofSuper-8 equipment prod uce beller th an acceptable result s for people who plan to show the ir original footage , If you intend to have your work printed. you sho uld be looking for top opt ical quality (whic h usually-but not always-costs a few extra bucks). The Happy Ending If the camera flunks . yo u'll have saved yo urselfa lot of money and heart ac he. while learning more abo ut equipment in general and yo ur needs in particular. If yo u' re happy with the re su lt s. o n the othe r hand, you'll have gOllen some worthwhile practice with the camera and confidence in its abilities. Buy it. You' ve found a friend . 0

31

TORONTOFESTIVALCELEBRATESSUPER-8 BEVERLY ENSOM What made the Toronto Super-8 Film Festival so festive? Wet l. there was every kind ofcinema from Lenny Li pton' s 3- D movies to indus trial tra ini ng. documentary. communi ty action, drama. humor and ' 'experimental" films. There was every kind o ffilmm akcr from Eskimo documentari ans 10 Venezuelan surrealists . And it neve r slopped happening. When participant s we ren', watc hing fi lms. peppering workshop leaders with quest ions. louring labs or s izing up new equipment. th ey were dancing to th e beat ofa rock band or munching s trawberries and Quiche Lorraine at the snack bar. The organ izers did an excellent job. attend ing to the li llie details (like free. hot buttered popcorn in th e sc reening room) as we ll as the big things (Ii ke projectors that worked (III the time). One of their fi rst dec is ions was to make the festiva l non-competiti ve . No prizes were given, but the festival committee did screen every entry and c hose 32 fi lms for pre sentation at a downtown the atre equipped with a Xenon-converted Elmo ST- 1200 projec tor. Ano ther la rge selection o f films was shown at Harbou rfront. the site of the fest ival. whi le the remainder pl us late entries were sc reened in impromptu fashion by the filmmake rs in another room . T his meant Super-S was rolling from noon to night for the three days o f the fest ival, April I ,2 and 3.

Lenny Lipton's 3-D film s were the mos t exciting segment ofthe fe stival. acc laimed by cheeringcrowds weari ng spec ial polari zed glasses . Lenny' s worksho p was so popular

it was called back for an e nco re the next day. Also repeated was Suzanne Swibold and Elizabe th Garsonnin' s discuss ion oft he ir nature and ecology docume ntaries.

in o ther workshops. Arnold Schieman of the National Film Board of Canada discu ssed researc h in elect ro nic blow-up of Super-S and Mosha Mic hael of the Nunat s iakmiut Eskimo sett lement talked about fi lmmaking in Canada's Northwes t Territorie s (see " Filmmake rs of the Frozen North" thi s iss ue). Ju lio Ncri of the Fest iva llnt ern ac iona le de C ine de Vangardia Super-S (August 13-21 in Caracas. Vcnez ucla) talked about the growing popula rity ofS uper-S in Venezuela . Professionals Mark Mikolas and Al Lindo d iscussed their work_ Elmo Canada Ltd . conducted a minisc hool and Canadian Filmtronics Aid let part icipant s tour their Toronto lab wh ich specialize s in Super-S. Through it a ll. the en thu sia sm of the participants was overwhelming.

If you had se t out to demons trate the divers ity of the Super-S gauge. you could not have come up with a more varied collect io n o f films .

Among my personal favorite s were the avant-garde works of Ross McLa ren . a graduate s tudent at Ontario College of Art in Toronto who has won prize s at the Ann Arbor Supe r-S F ilm Fe s ti val in Michigan and the Oberhausen Short Film Festival in West Germany. Although none ofhi s "difficu lt films were c hosen for the public screening , Mc Laren isone of the real arti sts of the Super-S medium.

MIl

-

Man's brululity Is Ih~ Iheme or Eugene Fedorenko '-, po"'erful Sea/hun' .

SUPER8 F1LMAXER

Another unusual entry came from Eugene Fedorenko, a 25-year-old Toronto student , who spen t a great deal of lime but very little money ($15) on a st riking 4-minute animated film cai1ed S ealJlIInt. His stark , ee rie drawings ofthe annual seal killings on the ice floes off the Canadian coast silenced a restless, giggly audience .

Sixteen-year-old David Fine of Toronto submitted a 3-minute film starring a beautifully-fashioned plasticene stereo system which takes on a malevolent personality , beats up it s owner and eventually sucks him into a speaker. Not until the speakers started to st retch and gyrate to the music did I realize that the entire set was crafted of plasticene.

Encyclopedic research went into a 20-minu te documentary on gold by Ephraim Horowitz, 60 . of Flushing, New York. Horowitz held the audience's interest with a welledited mixture of still s, stock footage, shots ofgold jewelry and relics and original footage. Glimpses ofsardonic wit lightened his info rmation-packed narration. Excrement ojthe G od.\ was made on a budget of$ IOO.

Of the educat ional films, the standout came from Concordia Un ive rsi ty in Montreal. Thin Film Technology, an int roduction to mic roelectronics. used extensive special effects and microphotography to explain procedures for making sub-miniat ure th in fi lm resistors and capacitors. No lecture cou ld have dupl icated shots of students working in the "clean room" with close-ups of delicate laboratory procedures.

The vis ual detail was backed by a sound track dialogue in which an articulate lecturer answe rs a student 's questions. Credit goes to Peter Krug and George Mihalka of Concordia.

Trevor Haws and Company, a , group ofhigh school students from

Erin, Ontario , submitted two very different film s, both of which have been televised in Canada as part of aseriesofstudentfilms. In The Departure, a disturbed student takes a gun to school and shoots a teacher , another slUdent and, finall y, himself. The killer' s point

SUPERB FILMAICER

ofview was shot in black-andwhite with flashbacks dramatizing events leading up 10 his menta