Tips For A Super Fast Turn Around From The Lab For Your Super 8 Film and 16mm Film – Rhonda Vigeant (C) 2018

Recently I saw a post on Instagram from someone saying that the biggest problem this person experienced with their super 8 film project was that it took “forever” to get the  processed and scanned film back from the lab.   I didn’t ask which lab it was, as I felt there is no need to judge or put down the efforts of others trying to make it in this business.  The post  did however  get me thinking about how many filmmakers who want to use celluloid think that  labs take “forever” to get the film processed and scanned.  I am quite sure that newbie super 8 and 16mm  filmmakers are not aware that  our company, Pro8mm can turn around your film project with processing and scanning in 2 to 3 business days.   We can even do  same day rush services  for an additional fee, as we typically do for commercial jobs here in LA or out  of New York, Atlanta and Canada.

What Many Filmmakers Don’t Know About Film Labs

At one time there were  many labs throughout the country and the world that processed motion picture film.  Now there are a handful, and of that handful, only a very few get enough work on a daily basis to process the film every day.  Many companies want the scanning work, which is more lucrative and much less risky than the film processing business. This is why some labs take “like forever”. Read on…

Here Are Some Important Things To Consider

Tip #1 Going to the Source:  

One thing that dramatically effects turn around time is whether you are sending your film to the actual lab or a company that is acting as an agent for another lab.  As we said, many vendors just want the scanning business and while they may list themselves as a motion picture film laboratory, many are not.  They only scan film, or are a very small lab that can only process certain types of film.  Modern super 8 film has 3 distinct processes , each requiring its own processing machine and chemistry.  These are:

1 Color Negative

2 Black &White Reversal

3 E-6 for Ektachrome .

Some lab facilities only have one of the 3 and send the other 2 out to another facility to be processed.  When this is the case, you have a longer turn around  time because you have to wait for the film to be sent out and returned to that facility, who will then either scan the film in-house, or perhaps send it out to another facility  that they outsource to for scanning.  We know this  because of the facilities we work with that send us film for processing and scanning on behalf of their  clients.  Some of these vendors instruct us not to tell clients that we are doing work on their behalf.  This slows down the deliverable project to the client . We send the film back to the vendor that outsourced to us who then might be scanning it , and then on to the client. 

Tip #2  Scheduled Processing vs. Waiting for Enough Film to Make it Worth It:

 Some facilities maintain a regular schedule for processing film. Others process when they have enough film to make it worth it.  If you go with one of these labs,  you have to wait until enough other customers send in film.  At Pro8mm we start our daily run at 10:30 every day,  Monday to Friday.  Because we are a one stop shop (cameras, film, processing and scanning) we have maintained enough volume over 45 years in this business to process film in our lab every day.  

Super 8 and 16mm Color negative film gets processed Monday through Friday.  We also schedule the days we are going to run E-6 color reversal and  black and white film ( twice a week) or do push/pull processing ( twice a week) .  This schedule allows us to give clients real-time information on when their project will be done. 

Tip #3 Processing and Scanning at the Same Facility:  

This is always best because the film goes straight from the chemical processing to the digital scanning. Because this is done at the same facility there is no waiting for the film to go between facilities, and much better quality control because you have only one place to question if something is not correct. You don’t spend extra money shipping to various places and the entire process is streamlined and  expedited significantly 

It is really important to  develop a relationship with the Lab directly.  This way  you will find  out about ways to save time and money,  and special promotions on services that they offer.  For example you can get super 8 film processed and scanned in one day  and have the digital files sent back to you anywhere in the world over the internet.  There is extra cost but it can be done. 

Tip #4 Shipping and Digital Upload:  

Check out your shipping options  both when sending film to the lab , and  the shipping back of  the film and hard drive.  While the postal service is often cheaper (Fed-EX now has about a $24 minimum for ground shipping) the post office is often much MUCH  slower.  We prefer to use FED-EX because of the ability to track the package and their delivery time corresponds with the time the film needs to be here in order to make the 10:30 AM  processing run.  When shipping film  to us you do not need to be concerned with X-Rays that will damage the film, however we suggest you still write FILM: DO NOT X-RAY on the box.  For jobs under 20 gigs, we can also send you the files via WE TRANSFER as soon as the scan is completed.  Additional Fees apply.  

While the analog film process does have a time line in its workflow it should never take “forever”.  Pro8mm prides itself on accommodating  YOUR production schedule.  Whatever it takers.  We offer same day rush and after hours service.  Our normal turn around time is 2 to 3 business days, and you can have the files sent to you over the internet if you have under 20 gigs.

So get out there and shoot some Super 8 or 16mm film.  You know you want to!

Visit us at Pro8mm.com

 

 

Pro8mm to launch weekly podcast: The Home Movie Legacy Project

 

 

December 20, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Pro8mm of Burbank, CA launches a weekly pod cast commencing January 9, 2013 that compliments their new division, Home Movie Legacy, www.homemovielegacy.com

 

The Home Movie Legacy Project will air live on Wednesdays at 4PM Pacific Time (7EST) with your host, Rhonda Vigeant (author of GET “REEL” ABOUT YOUR HOME MOVIE LEGACY…Before It’s too Late!) If you are the family historian passionate about preserving and sharing family films, a filmmaker wanting to use legacy or found footage in a documentary, a wedding or life-style filmmaker wanting to include super 8 film in your work, a production manager looking to incorporate Super 8 film in a current project, a genealogy buff, memory keeper, or archivist, this show is for you!

http://rockstarradionetwork.com/shows/thehomemovielegacyproject

Rhonda will draw upon her many years of running Pro8mm, a company known worldwide as being the Super 8 experts for production and legacy footage for over 4 decades. Pro8mm has developed proprietary technology for the entertainment industry to use Super 8 film in today’s most popular television shows (American Idol, The New Normal, The Neighbors, American Horror Story), theatrical releases (Argo, Super 8, The Fighter) and dozens of music videos, commercials for national brands and Independent Films.  They have worked on thousands of super 8 and 16mm projects for the entertainment industry, and have handled millions of feet of film to archive the legacies of the world’s most famous faces. They have digitized historical material for hundreds of documentaries, as well as Presidential Libraries, and Museums.

Some shows will focus on compelling interviews with people who are sharing their personal story using home movies from the past and the present, sharing what was discovered, what was challenged or what was confirmed. Other shows will feature technical content with guest speakers that will teach you how to best move your analog media into your digital life, including how to organize it, repurpose it, share it on social media, or monetize it for a wider audience.  A filmmaker forum segment featuring Phil Vigeant, President of Pro8mm, and author of The Power of Super8 Film: Insider Secrets Every Filmmaker Should Know, (Rhonda’s business partner, husband and tech guru) will be routinely included to help you learn what the entertainment industry does with their digital assets, tips on how to become head of your own personal studio, and why filmmakers can and should continue to shoot on film in a digital world. Home Movie Legacy isn’t just about grandpa’s old home movies. The term is all-inclusive and casts a wide net on the past, present and future independent filmmaking.

Rhonda is completely passionate about the value of legacy home movies in particular, and educating people how to best care for and share them.

“Everyone has a legacy and Home Movies are a living, recorded history of our lives, our family, our community, relationships, celebrations, the way we looked, dressed, and interacted. If a picture is worth a thousand words than a home movie must be worth a million. No where else can we rekindle those moments of times gone by or see ourselves interacting with our loved ones who have passed away. It jolts the memory with such a strong emotion in a way that nothing else can. My life’s work has been dedicated to the belief that not only is it important to see these images, but it is equally as important to preserve them with integrity for future generations so your family legacy on film lives! My show will be a call to action to GET “REEL” ABOUT YOUR HOME MOVIE LEGACY…. BEFORE It’s TOO LATE!”, while enjoying stories about the masses and the moguls who launched their careers by shooting home movies on film and continue to make it a vital part of their professional work today”.

Check Our Calendar http://www.homemovielegacy.com/calendar/ to view upcoming guests!

If you would like to be considered to be a guest on the show, email me, Rhonda@homemovielegacy.com

 

 

 

                 2805 West Magnolia Blvd, Burbank, CA 91505

Urban Outfitters Inc., releases Pro8mm’s Rhonda CAM

Urban Outfitters Inc. Releases Pro8mm’s Rhonda CAM – Dec. 17, 2012

The funky, fashion mega house Urban Outfitters Inc. is now selling Pro8mm’s Rhonda CAM on line at www.urbanoutfitters.com. Additionally, they will carry the Pro8/19 (500T) super 8 film stock, inclusive of pre-processing and HD scanning to an Apple TV digital file.

In June 2012, Pro8mm, the super 8 experts for production and legacy  footage, released the Rhonda CAM, a trendy Super 8 film camera geared toward consumer use and personal story telling on film. Pro8mm co-owner Rhonda states, “I wanted to design something young and fun that would appeal to a next generation of filmmakers. I really wanted something that not only looked cool, but it was simple enough to use; a camera that they would be inclined to just pick up and shoot.”  

Inspired by many of Pro8mm’s Super 8 wedding clients and lifestyle filmmakers, the Rhonda CAM was designed to meet the demands of consumer and pro-sumer clients. The greatest appeal of the Rhonda CAM is its small size, light weight, and low-light filming conditions. Weighing only ½ a pound, the Rhonda Cam is the perfect choice for on-the-go lifestyle filmmaking. It is the lowest light Super 8 film camera on the market, which makes it great for indoor and outdoor use. It is the perfect entry level Super 8 camera.

Click for Urban Outfitters Rhonda CAM demo on UO TV

A few months after the camera’s release, a publicly traded American company that owns and operates over 400 retail locations across five retail brands: (Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Free People, Terrain, and BHLDN), contacted Pro8mm about adding the Rhonda CAM to their growing film and camera line. Urban Outfitters originated as “The Free People’s Store” in 1970 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, focusing on fashion and household products that include luxury brands and several designer collaborations. They are best known for catering to “hipster” culture, which incorporates an influence from past decades. (Wikipedia) It makes perfect sense that a Super 8 camera refurbished from the 1970’s would fit entirely into their vision. It is an honor for Pro8mm that Urban Outfitters chose the Rhonda CAM as their first motion picture film camera for their film and camera department, among their many trendy still photography cameras.

As a small, family run business, Pro8mm is thrilled to have their products endorsed by a major retail store such at Urban Outfitters. Marketing coordinator, Jaclyn states, “We are very excited and honored to be a part of the Urban Outfitter’s family.”

Checkout the Rhonda CAM on Urban Outfitters.com!!!

Rhonda CAM on Urban Outfitters                     Rhonda Roll on Urban Outfitters

Additional Releases about the Rhonda CAM:

SnowFactory.com: http://www2.snowfactory.com/news/business/rhonda-cam-super-8-camera-urban-outfitters/ 

Introducing the Rhonda CAM: http://pro8mm-burbank.blogspot.com/2012/04/introducing-rhonda-cam.html 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/therhondacam

You Tube: www.youtube.com/therhondacam

About Pro8mm: Pro8mm is applauded for being a one-stop shop where Super 8 and 16mm cameras, film, processing, digital mastering and treasured family archival services come together for production and archiving. Pro8mm is viewed as the leading experts in Super 8 film, whose products and services have been used in major motion pictures, music videos, television shows, commercials, documentaries, weddings and more. All of our services are performed in house, which allows our dedicated team to provide the fastest turn around times possible with the best quality control for your filmmaking needs.

Get REEL About Your Home Movie Legacy Before It’s Too Late! A free teleseminar from the Super 8 Experts!

Get “REEL” About Your Home Movie Legacy Before It’s Too Late!

A Free Teleseminar – September 18th, 2012

A new book from Pro8mm, by Rhonda Vigeant, Get “REEL” About Your Home Movie Legacy Before It’s Too Late is coming this fall!

Join us on Tuesday, September 18 for a free teleseminar, where Rhonda will share practical tips from her book about caring for your old film reels, best practices for digitizing and a clear call to action for creating and sharing a home movie legacy that lives!

• Clues from the box: How to use film boxes, film types and notes to figure out what might be on a reel
• Call to action for creating and sharing a home movie legacy that lives
• Fantastic tips on how to care for your original 16mm, 8mm, and super 8 film material.
• Best practices for digitizing- how to create a modern work flow to get your analog material into your digital life.
• How your films can bridge the generation gap, the importance of oral histories, ways to share on social media, and even monetize your film as stock footage.
• Best practices for dealing with deteriorating film
• Types of transfer methods- Film Chain vs. Flying Spot Scanner

Rhonda Vigeant is co-owner and Vice President of Marketing at Pro8mm, a company dedicated to the professional use of Super 8 for both production an archiving. Rhonda has over 30 years experience working with the home movie legacies of film industry moguls, famous faces, and the masses! She is a member of the Southern California Genealogical Society and is a catalyst for promotiong the use of home movies, in research of family history.

We will be announcing our 2012 Holiday Home Movie Deals at the teleseminar!

 Click to register: http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e6bxtjgt5851828e&llr=4ko9ufbab

The Super 8 Film Summit Workshop! Climb to the Top of your Super 8 Game!

The Super 8 Film Summit 3-Day Workshop! Climb to the Top of Your Super 8 Game! October 19-21, 2012

Pro8mm, of Burbank, CA is announcing their 3rd annual live Super 8 filmmaking weekend workshop! With a fresh new style, Pro8mm is taking you out of the classroom and onto the set. We have evolved our traditional boot camp style workshop into an intimate hands-on learning experience.  Give film a shot through hands-on Super 8 shooting with the experts!

 

Grab your Super 8 movie camera and get ready to watch, learn, and practice your Super 8 filmmaking. With some essential tips, tricks, and guidance from our expert Super 8 filmmakers and trainers, 30 like-minded Super 8 enthusiasts will get the opportunity to spend a weekend learning how to successful successfully shoot Super 8 film in a production-style capacity and incorporate it into a modern day state of the art workflow. 

 

“Essentially, so much has changed over the last few years. In fact, more has changed in filmmaking in the last two years, than the last 10 years.  The world of computers, hard drives, data files and encoding is changing so fast. But analog film still has an important place in our HD digital world.  There are many myths and facts surrounding the never ending film vs. digital debate.  But once you have a grasp on it, you can apply your Super 8 knowledge and shooting skill into that world. My goal for the Super 8 Film Summit is to not only get you up to speed by teaching you the technical information, but the practical knowledge needed to be a great all-around filmmaker and stand out from the competition,” says Phil Vigeant, owner of Pro8mm.

 

WHAT TO EXPECT

 

The weekend will kick off with tours of Pro8mm, where the workshop is taking place. You will get to spend some quality time in the processing lab, with the colorists, and the camera techs.

The next two days will be a mix of class-room style sessions, followed by instant field training where you can practice the concepts taught first hand.

 

“The previous Pro8mm boot camps were great, and so many filmmakers have collaborated and gone on to do amazing things from these events.  But there was a need to put the camera into the filmmaker’s hands.  We decided that our next workshop should to be hands-on, which is why a state of the art 4-roll Super 8 film package is included with every registration. We’ve also had to limit it to 30 people, so that the experts can give each filmmaker individual attention based on their experience level. The Summit isn’t just for new Super 8 filmmakers. Anyone looking to brush up on their skills can benefit from it,” says Vigeant. The weekend will end with a screening of some of the film participants shot, so you can see where you excel and where there is room for improvement.

 

MEET OUR EXPERTS!

Throughout the weekend our field experts will take filmmakers around shooting in small groups.  They include cinematographer Laura Merians, who has shot Super 8 spots for Whole Foods, and In Style’s Tia & Tamera, among other projects. Daniel Lir and Bayou Bennett, owners of Dolce Films who are award wining filmmakers and screenwriters.  They have done some fantastic Super 8 spots for Smashbox Cosmetics.  And filmmaker David Dibble, a rising Super 8 star who has done outstanding Super 8 work for The Going Green Film Festival, music videos such as PNKYSWR, and more. While these filmmakers also shoot digital, they have learned that digital can’t replace what film can do. And if you want your movies to look like film,  you have to originate on film. They have perfected their craft and are going to teach you the tools that are getting them hired!  The entire weekend will be lead by Super 8 expert Phil Vigeant, owner of Pro8mm who has been running a company that services small format film for over 30 years. He is author of the book “The Power of Super 8 Film.” Credited with inventing Max 8 16×9 shooting, and negative Super 8 film, Phil brings his technical expertise on film stocks, processing, and scanning options, which will be covered in detail at the Super 8 Film Summit.

 

 

Concepts you will learn and practice:

-All basic Super 8 camera features and functions; Lenses — ultra wide, telephoto extenders, C-mount vs. fix-mount; Filters; Focus; Exposure; Transport; Off-speed shooting; Anamorphic; Max 8; Stabilization; eBay pos cameras; Specialty cameras; Back-up; Light meter; Testing before shooting; Sync sound, 18 vs. 24 fps, 85 filter. -Types of Super 8 Film Stock — Fuji vs. Kodak; Color temperature — tungsten vs. daylight; Alternative processing methods — DIY hand processing, Cross processing, Skip bleach, Push/pull; Custom film; Regular 8; 200 foot loads; Double Super 8; Screwing up on purpose — Prep. -Different types of scanners pros and cons of each — Rank Cintel Mark 3 digi 4, Y-front Ursa Diamond, Millennium 2, Spirit, Projected on the wall, Frame by frame; Color Correction — Scene by scene vs. one light; What are the P.E.C.s?; Gamma correction; Digital outputs such as 444.422.Prores, 10-bit un-compressed. 1080i vs. 1080 p workflows. Standard Def vs. High Def scanning.
The weekend workshop costs $400. This is an incredible value since you are getting a 4 roll film package as part of the price of admission, which retails at $368.00. Essentially you are getting a 3-day workshop for $32!! You can bring your own Super 8 camera, or borrow one from Pro8mm.

THE SUPER 8 FILM SUMMIT IS LIMITED TO ONLY 30 PEOPLE so that we can keep it intimate and give every filmmaker the opportunity to work closely with our experts.

“My husband and I attended Pro8mm’s Power of Super 8 Film Boot Camp, and those couple of days of instruction and inspiration helped springboard our business! We learned a lot, got to ask questions, and meet other professionals in the industry. It was an essential piece of getting started for us and gave us the confidence to really grow Nostalgia Film.” – Shanna Pharis, Boot Camp Attendee

 

Click for more info or to register for the Super 8 Film Summit! October 19-21, 2012

 

The Super 8 Film Summit is presented by Pro8mm

 

2805 West Magnolia Blvd. Burbank, CA 91505 Ph: 818-848-5522 http://www.pro8mm.com

The Super 8 Film Summit!

Tech Talk: 5 NEW Cool Things You can (and should!) Do with your Home Movies!

We already share pictures with friends over the internet and upload instantly from our electronic devices. Why not do the same with your home movies?

The ability to bring cinema into the home for personal story telling changed us as a culture and continues to impact us today. These aren’t just “some old home movies” to watch on an old projector at Thanksgiving! They are the stories of our lives that can provide insight, enjoyment and humor to our families all year long. Technology has given us the ability to share our legacy in a way never before possible. Here are some ideas to get you started:

1) Upload your home movies to cloud via YouTube or Vimeo: Since being found in 2005,YouTube is the world’s most popular online video community, allowing millions of people to discover, watch and share originally created videos, and bring personal stories out of the living room and onto the worldwide web. It is free and easy to set up a YouTube or Vimeo site dedicated to your home movies. It is a simple as signing up with your email address, and start uploading! You will get a dedicated web page (i.e.:www.youtube.com/VigeantHomeMovies) that you can cut and paste virtually anywhere. Home movie clips can be set as private or public, with password protection if you only want certain family members to have access to them. If you are looking to share publicly, you can “tag” names, places, dates and events in the clip. These key words will come up in the Google search. Bonus! When a video clip lives on “the cloud,” it makes a great back up of your home movie files in case of a catastrophe. Floods, Fires, Hard Drive crashes; you name it, it has happened! By storing your files on the World Wide Web in the cloud they are protected even if a disaster occurs.

2) Burn Them to Disc- Blu-Ray with WiFi: Since 2008, the cost of Blu-ray players has come down significantly, even for a very high quality player. The manufactures have added new features that make the players more universal. A new Sony BDP-S390, (is around $100) plays: BD-R (Recordable Blu-Ray) in perfect FULL HD 1080p at amazing quality, regular DVD, and has Wi-Fi capabilities with applications such as NetFlix, YouTube, Pandora and more built directly into the player! (This is another great way to watch that YouTube channel you just created on your television instead of the computer! J) Many of the newer players also have a USB 2.0 universal flash drive component, allowing you to play virtually any media such as music, photos and films, through your Blu-Ray player. If you are thinking about putting your home movies on Blu-Ray to share with the family, a new Blu-Ray player is essential to making these components run smoothly.

3) G-connect- Wireless storage for your iPad: It may not be feasible to carry your new Blu-Ray player around wherever you go, but if you have an iPad, you already know that the portability of this device is one of its greatest assets. In order to play your home movies on an iPad, they have to be recorded in an Apple TV (.m4v) file format. You then have to upload the file to your computer from your hard drive, connect the iPad, and down load the file. But at-last! G-Technology has just come out with a portable, wireless storage device for your iPad or iPhone. It is designed for “on-the-go” access to your content, by streaming it directly into your iPad using WiFi, without ever downloading the files to your computer or the iPad itself. Upload your home movies to the G-connect device (instead of a hard drive) and you are ready to go. Very cool! You will knock the socks off grandma with this one! http://www.g-technology.com/products/g-connect.cfm

4) Edit: Imagine yourself as head of your own studio, editing your home movies to tell a specific story. Just like in the studios, the editor has the power to bring a story together in a creative and emotional way. With all the tools readily available on your home computer, it is easy to repurpose your original films into edited story telling.

A Story….Last Christmas one of my family members made me a 5 minute montage of all the family Christmas, starting with my grandparents in the 1950’s through my own adulthood. Edited to ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,’ I saw 3 generations- my grandparents, my parents, and myself as children opening our gifts and playing with our new toys on Christmas morning. It was so fun to see how the traditions of our family Christmas have stayed true through so many years.

Today all Mac computers come with a program called iMovie, which allows you to cut clips and put your films to music. PC’s also typically come with some type of editing software such as Windows Movie Maker. For the more ambitious or experienced editor, you can purchase an editing software program such as Adobe Premier (PC editing) or Final Cut Pro X (Mac editing.) These have many more options for creating special effects that punch up your editing.

Creating your own short story or music video can be amazingly fun, easy, and a great way to re-purpose original content into funny, serious, or loving stories to share with your family.  Gift it to family members for birthdays or holidays. On a more serious note, edited clips of an individual could also been used devotedly to portray ones life and help families heal through hard times when a loved one passes. A montage clip of the person’s life can play at a wake or funeral, giving friends and family comfort through the moving images and happy times of a person’s life.

5) Funding: Technology has given us the ability to share our legacy in a way never before possible, and there couldn’t be a more exciting time. Many families are overwhelmed by the expense of treating their home movies like the studios would, even though in their hearts, they know that is what they would like to do. There are now several options to get funding for your home movie transfer!

Crowd Funding: There are now several websites where you create a fundraising campaign, called‘crowdfunding,’ to raise money for personal projects. Someone in your family may want to propose that everyone in the family makes a donation, which could be used to digitize everyone’s material, and then everyone in the family could get the entire library on a hard drive and edit their own story. Project goals might include organizing the entire library on a hard drive, iPad, Blu-Ray or uploaded to the cloud. Some examples of Crowd Funding platforms include Kickstarter.com, GoFundMe.com, IndieGoGo.com,ChipIn.com

Stock Footage: Could your family home movies be worth money? You bet they can! A single clip of 8mm film sold on Getty Images for over $5,000! How is that possible you may ask? Filmmakers are often looking for authentic 8mm clips that capture specific events, people, time periods and so much more so that they don’t have to go to the added expense of re-creating them. These clips are called Stock Footage, and are made available to the public by posting short clips onto the web. When transferred professionally, there is greater likelihood that your clips could be purchased and downloaded to be re-purposed in documentaries, films, television shows, and more.   As long as the films are your original material, your home movies could be the most valuable asset in your attic! Stock Footage platforms include GettyImages.com, Pond5.com, istockphoto.comand many more!

Thanks for reading 5 NEW Cool Things you can (and should!) do with your Home Movies!! As you may have figured out, this is just a short list among hundreds of applications for watching, editing, playing and funding your home movie project. So what are you waiting for!

Have a home movie idea you would like to share? Post it here or email us at info@pro8mm.com to share your idea in our next newsletter!

© Pro8mm 2012. www.pro8mm.com

A New Promise for Blu-Ray Technology

Recently I had a customer approach me about doing a large, home movie legacy high-definition scan to Blu-ray so that she could show over 17 hours worth of film on 10 different stations at a memorial service. Given my past experiences with blue-ray technology, I was a bit nervous and braced for trouble. I guess I was a bit prejudiced by all the bad experiences I have had thus far with Blu-ray technology. I was a huge fan in the beginning. I believed that it would quickly replace DVD and give Super 8 filmmakers a way to see their work in the incredible quality of HD. Living through the minor problems with recordable DVD, I was prepared for some problems. But to my surprise Blu-ray was actually much more difficult.

Blu-Ray got off to a very rocky start. In many ways this was due to the difficulties of dealing with HD, compatibility in players and new concepts like firmware. Although the image quality was impressive, the problems using this medium in the beginning were almost overwhelming. Unlike DVD that was quickly embraced by the public, Blu-ray has been stumbling every step of the way.

I purchased my first Blu-ray player in 2008. I got one of the best brands and most expensive players to insure I had the best of what was being offered. It wasn’t long before I realized the many shortcomings of the medium. Although the quality was amazing, both my recorded Blu-Ray’s and commercial disc’s would often would not play. I once spent a complete Saturday trying to download a firmware update, burn it to CD, and install it in my player. Even after a whole day’s work, it wouldn’t play and I had to wait for a disc from the manufacture. It took 4 days to get an update from the manufacture, and then I could finally play a new commercial Blu-ray release. During 2008, I purchase 3 more players from different manufactures for testing. Some disc would play in 3 out of the 4, sometimes the menus worked on one machine and not on the other, and I could get the BD-R’s to play if I hit enter, but it would crash if I hit play. All these problems are not a lot of fun when you think you are picking a format that is universal and easy to play, but it fact it is the opposite!

Things did not evolve very quickly in those early years of Blu-ray. The public, as well as my interest, was tested to its limits of tolerance. Along with the inconsistencies of the disc, the job of making a recordable Blu-ray disc was also very slow and riddled with compatibility problems of its own.

But in 2012, with this new project of 17 hours of home movies that the client wanted on Blu-ray, I decided to give Blu-ray one more chance and a fresh look. The first thing I did was purchase a new player. Since 2008, the cost of Blu-ray players has come down significantly, even for a very high quality player. The manufactures have also added new features to make them more universal. The new Sony BDP-S390 I acquired for testing had the specs I needed for this job was around $100.00. It played my BD-R (Recordable Blu-Ray) perfectly first time in 1080 at the amazing quality. It worked so well with Blu-Ray we tested it with just about everything else we had. It played every test DVD we had in the office no problem as well as run media from a USB Flash drive. If that was not enough it is WI-FI compatible so we logged onto the internet and could play movies I had uploaded into the Cloud on You-Tube. The Wi-Fi is also critical to doing an easy firmware update. What an amazing transformation from 2008.

The memorial service was an amazing success. Rather than making an edited composite media piece, the concept of showing every aspect of a person life through their home movies was an impressive way to present a person’s life story. The newer technology of Blu-ray made it all possible to showcase hours of HD quality home movie legacy footage flawlessly.

If you were turned off by the Blu-ray experience as I was, you should as I have fresh look. Start with a new player, as the newer devices are incredible and affordable. The promise of Blu-ray is finally here.

First Footage From The Trendy New Rhonda Cam

http://vimeo.com/44115199          

We had a great time at Cine Gear Expo  with the launch of Pro8mm’s  introduction of the trendy new Rhonda Cam. Everyone who stopped by the booth could pick up a roll to shoot for free!

Named for company co-owner, The Rhonda Cam commemorates her 30^th anniversary with the company.  Evolved from a Canon 310 XL, this super 8 camera was originally produced from 1975-1983. It was adorned as being the world’s fastest lens speed of f/1.0, and a 3x zoom and macro shooting as close as 215 mm from the film plane mark if the zooming lever was set at “Macro.”

More than a retro throw back with a modern look; we are bringing it back because even today, it can do something no other camera can do.  It has the professional application as being the lowest light film camera on the market!  The f/1.0, coupled with modern film stocks such as a 500 ASA is something filmmakers need in low light situations, such as indoor weddings or studio shots.

Part of The Rhonda Cam’s appeal is it’s “toy like” appearance” in spite of the amazing pictures it can film.  It measures just 7” x 4 ½ ” x 1 ¾ ”!

The camera is available with a variety of skins including animal print and camouflage. Eventually it is likely that custom skins will be available.

Rhonda states, “I wanted to design something young and fun that would appeal to a new generation of filmmakers that looked cool and was simple enough to use; a camera that they would be inclined to just pick up and shoot.” I also have heard from many of our regular clients that they have wanted a really small point and shoot super 8 camera that can be thrown into their handbag or backpack.  We thought that we would be bold and come up with something really stylish that would appeal to the wedding filmmakers, and all the genres of super 8 lifestyle filmmakers we work with.  I can’t wait to see it “on set” in the fashion industry, music videos, skating and boarding.  I can just picture a camera on every table at a wedding, matching the décor of the event.

Pro8mm has not modified the original specs of the camera.  Our team of expert camera techs have gone through and tested each camera to bring it back to factory standards, including the focus, take up and exposure The Rhonda Cam runs on two AA batteries.  As a simple point and shoot super 8 camera, we anticipate that it will not be able to perform to the same extent as other cameras in our line, while being the perfect choice for certain filming situations.  The Rhonda Cam has a limited range of exposure (40 and 160) During this “Beta Test” period, we will be able to determine which film stocks run best.  We know from experience that certain cameras prefer certain stocks.  Since we will not be increasing the pick up torques or exposure settings we will make available recommendations moving forward.

For more information, email info@pro8mm.com www.pro8mm.com

COMES WITH A NEOPRENE CASE.

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Specifications:

Focal Length: 8-5 – 25.5mm f/1.0 Macro Zoom

Speed:  18 FPS plus Single Frame

Auto Exposure

Power/Manual Zoom

Power = 2-AA

Measure: 39 x 112 x 176 mm

DO A SHOT WITH PRO8mm at CINEGEAR EXPO, Paramount Studios!

Stop by booth #86 at Cinegear Expo on the lot at Paramount and shoot a roll of Super 8 Film for FREE on the new RHONDA CAM! 

 

The shots are on Pro8mm for the first 50 filmmakers who sign up at our booth on Saturday, June 2^nd. We will be on the lot at Paramount Studios in Hollywood with our free hands on Super 8 film shooting sessions. The one-hour time slots begin at 10AM Saturday , June 2nd. Included is some basic hands on training, one roll of Super 8 film, which we will process, and scan to HD in Pro Res. Free t-shirt to all participants! (Photo ID required to check out the camera)

 

 

Special Thanks To Kodak for co-sponsoring this event with us!