All naked: Transparent Movie Cams

Out now: The new issue #15 of the Super 8 magazine has been published. Get your copy here: www.super8mag.de/shop.

Topics:

The Super 8 Rocket

It’s hard to believe what was available at the end of the 1960s: Mike Dorffler invented a mini rocket with an integrated Super 8 movie camera in the USA. It shoots up a good 100 meters. Vern Estes, who produced highly successful rocket kits, took Dorffler into his team. Over 50,000 film-making rockets were sold. Our report explains why the films were so short and why the parachute or wings almost always obscured the image.

Shivering with the Beaulieu

Viktor Gibárti from Hungary wanted to fly high with his Beaulieu 4008 ZM4. He shot his snow-covered scenes on Mount Etna in Italy at -5 degrees Celsius. In an interview, the filmmaker explains why everything worked perfectly in the cold.

56 film labs worldwide

We did some research: All labs that handle Super 8 or 16mm are included in our current list. We also note whether they offer black-and-white or color reversal (Ektachrome) processing. One lab even produces high-quality copies of Super 8 films for projection.

Naked facts: transparent cameras

Only a small number were built, but they provided a perfect insight into the inner workings of movie cameras: devices with transparent housings. We show 15 models from Bauer, Bolex, Elmo, Eumig, and Kodak. What were these exotic devices, which were almost always in working order, used for?

What’s next for Andec

Company boss Ludwig Draser from the Berlin-based Andec laboratory has received support: Ludwig Hagelstein is now in charge of the newly integrated professional business. Our readers can find out what has changed at Andec since Cinegrell left the company in our interview with Ludwig Hagelstein.

Puppet animation – Swiss style

Beatrice Jäggi from Zurich has made an elaborate Super 8 animated film. By using a digital camera before the actual film shoot, she was able to check whether the animation and lighting of the scenes were correct. In the interview, she talks about the production of the animated film.

The Bolex record for good sound

Even 8mm film used magnetic soundtracks for the subsequent dubbing of narrow-gauge films. To ensure that nothing went wrong, Bolex produced a record with dubbing tips in the early 1960s. Readers of our magazine can even listen to the record.

Super 8 Winter Competition

A year ago, we presented the new Wolfen Color Super 8 films from Wittner and announced a competition with free cartridges. Now the best results have been determined. They can be accessed and played in the magazine via QR code.

10 Years of the Marburg Camera Museum

Collector Günter Giesenfeld displays 400 movie cameras and projectors in his privately financed museum. To mark its 10th anniversary, the city of Marburg gave him a gift: his best pieces are presented on a website and Giesenfeld was allowed to tell stories about the development of the devices. The resulting short films now bring film technology closer to interested viewers worldwide.