What is Super 8 Video, and Why You May Want a Super 8 Home Movie
Super 8 is growing in popularity and I’ve been using it to capture home videos. It feels utterly nostalgic to use, and the videos make me remember my own family home movies growing up. And it’s all analog! Which means it is a movie, but captured in film. Super 8 is a common add-on for weddings, but I’ve been loving it for capturing families during sessions. Here I break down how Super 8 works, and why you may want to consider a Super 8 home movie for your next family session.
So what even is Super 8?
Kodak launched Super 8 in the 1960s as a way to bring video making to the public. At the time it was cheaper than previous formats and allowed families the opportunity to take little videos of their vacations and milestones on film. The way home videos were often recorded back then involved little snippets of a memory as a movie. A family is often scene all waving at the camera, or they may be blowing out birthday candles, running around the yard. These videos offer a glimpse into family life in a way that photographs alone can’t immerse you.
My love of Super 8 started when I discovered my family’s home videos from the 70s in a storage box after my grandmother passed. There were 4 rolls of film. I sent them out to Kodak to process into a movie for my so my family could watch them on a screen. The video transfixed me! It was the first time I had seen my parents and grandparents (and even great grandparents) moving, talking, and expressing themselves on video. My grandmother - at the age I am now - smiling in the kitchen, and preparing a birthday cake for my uncle. And my grandfather smoking a cigar lighting a fire in the yard. Totally and completely them in a way a photograph could never express.
Unlike digital movies stored on hard drives, Super 8 uses a film cartridge to take pictures that are stitched together to create a movie. For every second, the camera takes 18 pictures - capturing movement and shifting emotion as a video is made. Each film cartridge is 3 minutes of video, so it is mostly used to capture small snippets of a moment.
I use a camera from the 1960s to make Super 8 home videos. While we’re used to seeing higher resolution movies in our everyday lives, Super 8 feels like an instant memory. It creates home videos in the same way my parents and grandparents created theirs. The light leaks and scratches add to the tangible quality of film - reminding us that those moments were imprinted on a tiny piece of plastic and pulled together to create a movie.
In a digital world of exceeding my cloud storage, and endless files on a hard drive, it’s nice to have something analog. Tangible. A roll of memories.
Super 8 home videos
When I first brought a Super 8 camera to a family session, I began to tear up as they all sat down and looked into the camera. I imagined the kids watching these videos of their parents as they were older, and showing them to other relatives. They are little time capsules that add so much emotion and value to a family photography session.
And in a world where we are all recording iPhone videos, wouldn’t it be nice to have something that’s more permanent and lasting? With Super 8 videos you have the option of receiving the actual film roll from your video. So in 50-100 years time when the next generation stumbles upon the film roll, they can actually watch the video (no matter what has changed in our technologies). Instead of trapping on a piece of technology where the files may not transfer, you will have a tangible roll of memories. Of course, you will also receive a digital copy that you can watch over and over again in the meantime.
Thinking about a family home video that captures ALL of you? All the candid moments and little details? Get in touch to collaborate on a special home video of your dreams!