S U P E R 8mm
The second coming of Super 8 has materialized in all realms of the film world. The format is being utilized in music videos, commercials, extreme sports films, documentaries, and feature films.
FSFT became a part this revival several years ago as one of the first facilities in the country offering Super 8 to HD scans on it's Thomson Shadow high-def telecine - featuring diffuse illumination which is vital for the natural, artifact-free optical reduction of the effects of dirt and scratches.
Vacuum Tube (CRT ) light sources found on Rank Cintel machines such as the URSA Gold use collimated light which actually accentuates the blemishes resulting from dirt and scratches, usually necessitating multiple passes through a film cleaner and hour of electronic dust busting in post.
Our S8 transfers benefit from the same noise reduction and da vinci 2K Plus color corrector used for our S16mm/35mm transfers. We have a lot of respect for S8 and we think it shows. One client put it this way: "They treat super 8 like it was 35mm."
Seattle offers one stop shopping for Super 8mm film makers with the best processing in the country available just up the hill from us at Alpha Cine Labs. Alpha Cine offers processing of Plus-X, Tri-X, Ektachrome 64T, Vision 200T, and Vision2 500T, and is one of the few labs to offer ultrasonic cleaning of Super 8mm film.
Click on the images below to see more examples of our Super 8mm transfers.
EQUIPMENT
We use a Thomson Shadow telecine for Super 8 transfers.
Color correction is done using DaVinci 2KPlus color corrector.
We use a Teranex noise reducer for HD transfers and a Digital Vision noise reducer for SD transfers.
TRANSFER
We have two transfer ratios.
The transfer ratio for a one-light is 2 to 1.
For a one light we adjust settings looking at the first few shots and record the film directly to videotape.
We will make further adjustments only for major exposure and color shifts.
Scene to scene ratio is 3, 4 to 1. This ratio is dependent on the shooting style and exposures.
When scene to scene color correction is done we adjust exposure and color balance for each shot and then make the recording.
Working at a one-light ratio we can complete 16 rolls per hour.
At a scene to scene ratio we can complete 6-8 rolls per hour.
TRANSFER TO DRIVES
FSFT was one of the first telecine houses in the country to offer transfer to drive almost three years ago. Since that time we have delivered everything from DVCam25 files to 10bit RGB 4:4:4 Uncompressed captures, as well as TIFF and DPX images sequences.
The rate is $250 per hour of capture/file management, in addition to the telecine charge. We do offer a standby rate of $125/hr. We require that you provide a MAC OS formatted drive.
Download this calculator from AJA, to help you understand how much drive space you will need based upon the type of files you want and the running time of your footage.
For more information see our Transfer to Drive section
PREP
To prep film for telecine we must have the footage on a 400ft Super 8 reel with 12ft leader head and tail.
We prefer cement splices for leader and each roll.
We can run tape splices but the the last few frames of each roll before the splice will not be steady.
We use Alpha Cine Labs in Seattle for prep and cleaning. If your film needs to prepped for telecine
send it directly to Alpha Cine Labs, they will prep the film and deliver it to Flying Spot Film Transfer.
A $10.00 shipping charge may apply to deliver film from Alpha Cine to Flying Spot Film Transfer.
If possible we combine shipping with other jobs to minimize or avoid this charge.
Alpha Cine prep charges:
Prep specifications are 12 feet leader at each end, film mounted on a
400 foot Super8 reel(s) with ultrasonic cleaning.
Customer rolls are spliced together, up to seven rolls per 400 foot reel.
| One roll (50 ft) | $ 8.00 |
| Two rolls | $ 8.00 |
| Three rolls | $ 10.00 |
| Four rolls | $ 12.00 |
| Five rolls | $ 14.00 |
| Six rolls | $ 16.00 |
| Seven rolls | $ 18.00 |
For more than seven rolls - return to one roll rate and start new reel.
Alpha Cine Labs provides processing of Vision 200T, Vision2 500T color negative.
Plus-X, Tri-X black and white, and Ektachrome 7240 color reversal.
Billing for film prep or processing will be directly from Forde Labs.
Alpha Cine/Forde Labs
1001 Lenora Street
Seattle WA 98121
206/682-8230
206/682-6649fx
http://www.fordelabs.com
http://www.alphacine.com
SUPER 8 VS. REGULAR 8
Flying Spot Film Transfer does not transfer Regular 8 at this time.
Please click on the image below to see our example in order to determine if you have Regular 8 or Super 8.
