FAQs

What is Super 8 film?

Super 8 film is a motion picture film format introduced by Kodak in 1965. It was designed to be an improvement on the earlier Standard 8 format – the width of film strip was still 8mm but the sprocket holes were smaller allowing the image area to be bigger and so improve the picture quality. It’s the same film Christopher Nolan, Quentin Tarantino, and Martin Scorsese use – just smaller in size!

No – Super 8 cameras have not been able to record sound for many years. I can, however, add licensed music to suit your taste. Some things (like speeches and toasts) are perhaps better left to your memory: I’m not making a documentary after all! Instead you’ll have a genuinely cinematic memento of your day which will allow repeated viewing, having captured moments you might have missed, and reminding you of the vibe and energy of the celebration.  If you need sound from speeches – or any other sounds – recorded you should book a digital videographer – I can recommend some great people!

Imagine looking at a painting instead of a photograph. Film has a more organic look, colour, and feel. Film looks unique because of something called ‘grain’. These are tiny light-sensitive crystals that lie within the chemical emulsion on the film strip. This grain is random and gives the image sense of life and a wonderfully soft, pleasing texture that moves slightly from one frame to the next. Like snowflakes, no two frames of film are the same!

Colours on film feel richer, more nuanced, and sometimes more saturated. Bright colours can have a beautiful, soft glow to them (this is called halation), and the way film handles shadows and highlights is more gentle. It’s less harsh and has a warmer, more nostalgic feel.

Digital colours can be very precise and vibrant, but sometimes they can feel a bit more uniform or flat compared to the organic feel of film.

Digital video is extremely sharp and clear. This can be great for seeing every tiny detail, but some people feel it can look so perfect that it loses a bit of emotional warmth. It can make things look a bit too much like real life, which can be great for news and documentaries, but less so for certain cinematic looks – like weddings!

Because I have both a passion for the medium and the experience of shooting it for more than a decade. You can be confident that I will create a film which reflects your own romance and which you and your loved ones will be able to treasure for years to come – unlike digital formats which regularly become obsolete, film is a technology which has remained basically the same since it’s invention at the start of the 20th century!