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Think Shooting Film Costs More Than High Definition? Tried Super8 Lately?
By Frey | November 18, 2007
So you think shooting on film costs more money than High Definition with a 35mm DOF Adapter? Are you sure? Have you looked at super8? No? Then let’s do the math!
Let’s figure this - the average film maker may, if he or she is lucky, make about 3 to 4 short films a year. It’s not science, and I’m sure there are some that are making many more than that, while others are making less. But, a serious film maker will try to tackle at least a few per year. Let’s just say the magic number is “4″ - and that you’ve decided to do 4 films this year, come hell or high water.
So, let’s start out by adding up the cost of a prosumer 3-Chip HD camera:
Everyone seems to love the HVX200 (for their own personal reasons), but it costs about $6000 with a 16GB P2 card. The price of a Redrock HD Package is roughly $2,450. And don’t forget to add in a few SLR lenses, let’s say a set of three will total $200.
So here we go: $6000 + 2450 + $200 = $8650
That rather large number is your up-front operating cost. In other words, you’ll need to spend $8650 before you can shoot your first film (btw: we’re not talking editing costs here, just shooting costs).
If it follows most of the other prosumer camera market prices, the HVX200/redrock combo will most likely depreciate in value at roughly $800 a year. So, if you sell it at the end of the year, then subtract $7850:
$8650 - $7850 = $800 for 1 year or operation.
So total cost after 1 year of operation = $800 (plus any maintenance/extras).
A decent film camera is easy to come by on ebay nowadays - you can pick up anything from a Russian made 35mm Konvas 2M for under $2000, to a 16mm Eclair or Bolex for under $1500.
OR you can pick up a decent little Super8 for next to nothing. For instance, I managed to pick up two separate super8 cameras on ebay this past month for under $30 each - and I’m talking a sweet Nizo and a Canon 512. Both have exceptional lenses and are a lot of fun to use. Many Nizos sell for $200 or more, so I figure I got a good bargain. The Canons usually go for around $50 or more, so, as far as I’m concerned, I still made out nicely.
Now, let’s add up the cost of a decent Super8 camera. Let’s say you buy one for $50 on ebay. There are many good deals, but try to get one that has multiple speeds and can switch between 18fps and 24fps. I try to do my own camera servicing (it’s not cost effective to send them out to get them serviced when you can buy one in perfect shape for cheaper than the repair costs), so I’ll save money there too.
One quick note: Shooting super8 at 18fps saves money, as the total cost savings is about 1/3 cheaper because you are dealing with 1/3 less film per minute. If you decide to shoot at 18fps, instead of the standard 24fps, will it hurt your image? No, but it will look slightly different. Well, let me rephrase this - slower frame rates won’t hurt your image as long as you’re not doing a lot of pans or other fast camera movements. Action shots will also be affected, so action films should be shot at 24fps. To ease your worrying, many Super8 films have been shot at 18fps (I’d venture to say more have been shot at 18fps than at 24fps). And, in case you didn’t know this - 18fps was the standard frame rate for super8 for many years - 24fps was usually a bonus frame rate on the camera!
But, let’s just say that with this years batch of films, your personal preference is to shoot your super8 footage at 24fps. So, if you buy 24 rolls of super8 film to shoot your 4 short films this year, each would get approximately 15 minutes’ worth of raw film per short. With processing, cleaning and prep costs, then transfers to Digibeta or the HD format of choice - it’d work out to roughly $450 - $600 per film, depending on your lab and transfer facility (it’s even cheaper if you do your own in-house transfers - but we’ll talk about that at a later date).
So let’s add it up:
$50 + (450 x 4) = $1850
And, if you sell that super8 camera at the end of the year, you’ll get your $50 back.
The really nice thing is that your up front cost to shoot the first film is only the cost of the camera ($50) and the cost of the estimated raw film you need to be able to shoot that day. At roughly $15 for a 50′ load, you’ll get 2 minutes and 30 seconds worth of shooting per super8 load at 24fps (you get 3 minutes and 20 seconds from 18fps). Once you shoot the film, then you have to pay for the film processing and other lab/transfer fees, but no one said you needed to send off for processing until you shot everything, did they? Usually, the more super8 film you send to the lab, the more you save.
So, your up front fees cost much less than with an HVX200/redrock combo. Heck, they cost much less than a HVX200 by itself. Super8 is a great format - the look is unique and fun (want to talk about fun? See this little B&W film, which is a twist on the war between video and super8 called “50 feet that shook the world“). Super8 is also cost effective, as explained above, and it’s being used professionally (think not? Turn on the fuel channel!). For the initial costs, it worth it to have one or two laying around - they don’t cost much and whenever you want, you can pick them up and shoot something nice…
btw: There are several labs and transfer facilities out there that do super8. One of the more famous is Pro8mm, who offer up some great deals. They don’t offer High Definition just yet, but are in the process of installing a High Definition machine (should be completely installed by February). By the time you get everything ready to shoot your first short movie, you should be talking to them about HD transfers…
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Topics: film, high definition |
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