[MacDV] Re: The quality of 8MM film

[Steven Rogers]

On Wednesday, July 23, 2003, at 01:41 PM, Paul Williams wrote:

> You're thinking along my lines. I was going to paint an entire wall 
> white, or do something like you suggest with the white paper, and film 
> from there. I was also thinking of getting the highest quality screen 
> i can find and use that.

Don't use a regular projection screen - they all have some grain, and 
they're designed to kick the maximum amount of light back to the 
audience. Use a matte white surface. Something not just white, but 
super white.

> I was also tossed up as to whether the distance of the camera from the 
> projection surface would make a significant difference. I would think 
> being too far away could cause a loss of color and contrast or just 
> not enough light in general, but being too close might not provide 
> enough "picture". Any additional thoughts?

It depends entirely on how the scene was shot. Typically, your average 
8mm camera film is not very uniform. There will be a scene panning 
around a room with Aunt Effie and the cousins on the far wall, waving 
out of the darkness, then suddenly you pan onto the baby's face that is 
4 feet away and bright as the surface of the sun. Just shoot the whole 
thing two times, once for the bright parts and once for the dark, and 
put it together when you edit.

Also, you can do a lot with speed in editing. When in doubt, go slow. 
Slow usually looks sensitive, while fast looks comical and ruins the 
emotional impact of any scene.

SR