From: David Tetzlaff (email suppressed)
Date: Tue Apr 15 2008 - 16:29:22 PDT
One key term in your post is 'newbie.' In camera supers if film are
extremely difficult to do well, requiring very precise control of
lighting and mastery with a light meter. Even experts generally have
to do multiple attempts at in camera optical work to get it right. If
the subject doesn't lend itself to that, then you've got only one
(small) chance to get it right.
The next key term is super-8. First as Mark notes, backwinding S8 is a
bad idea. Second, though I know a number of folks on this list may
vehemently disagree. Super-8's really an acquisition format. Given the
dim, clanky image that emerges from most S8 projectors, which can
hardly be said to bring out the best in the stock, if you can't blow
it up to 16 you might as well watch it on video anyway if you can get
a clean transfer. Personally, I get a 'filmy' feel from anything that
was shot on film, regardless of the format in which it's displayed,
and this is especially true of Super-8 footage, which has an
unmistakable 'look' that survives transfer and can't be achieved
through other means, which keeps Pro8 is business selling rebuilt
Beaulieus and Vision stock to edgier professional makers (who have a
budget for it...)
Digital video, as Brook notes, gives you the chance to experiment with
your footage, trying different super and compositing techniques and
seeing which works the best. In digital, trying something new or
different doesn't cost anything or damage anything, assuming you have
the digital tool to begin with...
Final Cut Pro costs a lot of money, and a newbie might want to examine
the capabilities of software that costs a lot less first. On the Mac
side there are several low cost NLE programs: MediaEdit, Norkross,
FastCut... I don't know if any of these have any compositing ability
though. Final Cut Express will do just about everything FCP does,
though it lacks professional media management features, but it's still
not exactly cheap.
__________________________________________________________________
For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.