Film look done in post--how does it compare to 8mm?
 

This was shot mostly with an XH-A1 for a couple that wanted an 8mm feel to the vid (I posted this in the wedding forum but maybe it's better in this section?)

http://www.vimeo.com/933654

Hi Vladimir,

Customers are strange! I wonder how long before they want VHS-look? :-)

From memory (and I'm too young to know about 8mm) I think 8mm was much better quality - it didn't have scratches throughout, nor hairs, and blotches either. Unless the cameraman was using really old and bad equipment, and lived in a hairdressers. :-)

All the film-look filters I've seen, seem to want to make a piece of film look like something that's been buried in the arizona desert for 60 years and then played football with!

not a fan of the effect, but you've done a good job with the video!

I used a super 8 camera for a few years. It's a good attempt but you have way to much particles and scratches. That was an occasional thing not a constant one. Same with the flicker/pulse effect you have, although that's closer then the particle/scratch effect. Make those things less and add more grain and you'll come closer to what I remember. Oh and dull the colors a bit in the color scenes.

Poor registration made for a shifting image that shuttered side to side on cheaper cameras as I recall.

Thank you for the comments! I will definitely play around with this some more, reducing the scratches, adding grain, etc.
Also, I think I could do that registration shift, maybe by compositing 2 identical layers on top of each other and moving each in opposite directions.

Jason Magbanua posted this sample

www.jmagbanua.com/vids/hannah_rob_super8.wmv

Take a look at a modern super 8 wedding.

Thanks Richard, the piece by Jason is a very beautiful video.

Vlad,

Couples that ask for the film look typically won't be too discerning on what makes the film look. Chances are, they're thinking about dust and scratches, some flicker, and probably black and white. They're easily satisfied.

I used Nattress filters to get a pretty good Charlie Chaplin-esque film look. They're $100 and pretty dang cool.

If you want to modify your clip side by side with actual 8mm footage, use this clip:

http://masonjarfilms.typepad.com/my_...ge-reelor.html

On a side note, I heard about you from a photographer that I ran across when he was in Dallas for a workshop, and then again at WPPI in Vegas. His name is Ben Chrisman.

jones

Hi Chris, thanks for the input. Those look Nattress filters look cool, definitely worth getting.
I've actually seen your Mason Jar Films site before--very nice work!
(and yes, I've know Ben for years, awesome photographer!)

thanks!

Yeah, I randomly met him then found out that he won the WPJA Award for Photojournalist of the Year in 2007. Talented guy:

http://www.wpja.com/for_the_photogra...er_of_theyear/

jones

I say (nearly a year after the question was posted) that some of it looks quite nice. I would have preferred myself to have the color removed (BW filter) and play with that with key framing the brightness and contrast etc. Change to 24p in the timeline to make a 24p DVD and basically left out the scratches and other artifacts. That might not be what they wanted, but I love B&W and I never thought much of the "movie" filters that add scratches and imperfections.