Has anyone on this list ever developed super 8-films? If yes, is this difficult? I found formulas for super 8 development on the web and have seen reels for 16 mm-development in Berlin (+ some complicated DIY-constructions), but these all seem terribly complicated. Can anyone explain me the easiest way (easiest product, material and necessary times) to develop super 8? (I know of course the most easy way is to take them to one of the specialised centra, but developing them myself would be more practical for me). I'm also looking for a 16mm projector...

-- wim van gelder (wim@vl-brabant.be), May 11, 1999

Answers

I developed my own Super 8 film a really long time ago (1972-1975!) It was Plus-X reversal film, and I used a tank and chemical set I bought from an outfit called Superior Bulk (Film?) that I think is still in parents' basement. I probably did a dozen or two rolls all together, and never got excellent results. At best, I'd get no chemical staining, or incomplete reversing, or scratches, or uneven development... but the resulting films were quite GRAINY, far moreso than the professionally developed 160-speed Ektachrome Super 8 I was typically using then.

(I did ultimately manage to put these limitations to good use, making an homage to the old Keaton and Chaplin comedy shorts: a two-reeler we shot in an old neighborhood wearing old-fashioned clothes. We made white-on-black printed intertitles, and even bogus pretentious Blackhawk Films introductory titles at the beginning. We passed the poor print quality off as due to 50 years of aging and nitrate damage. If I must say so myself, it worked brilliantly!)

The process wasn't easy: Breaking open the Super 8 cassette in the dark was tough. Threading the reel and tank worked well, but keeping the multiple solutions close to temperature, re-exposing the film and bleaching the emulsion, etc., was tedious. (I think it was a 6- solution process.) I made a crank-turned drying rack out of an old clothes-drying rack to wind the film onto after it was washed, but you had to be very careful handling the damp film.

It was like dealing with Minox negatives, but with 30 times the volume of film! Doable, but not easy and not especially fun, and it took many failures before I became even semi-proficient. And even then, the results were lame...

You should probably try and find a pro lab that's willing to do it!

-- Michael Goldfarb (mgoldfar@mobius-inc.com), May 11, 1999.