How it works.

Standard 8 film comes on 16mm wide rolls so the camera is loaded in the same way as a 16mm camera. But after the film has been run through the full spool is then turned over, put back on the supply shaft and run through the camera a second time. Hence the origin of the name Double 8. After development the film is spit down the middle and spliced together. Most cameras take 25ft of film producing 50ft of finished film but there are a few which will take up to 100ft giving a finished 200ft of film, that's about 16 minutes of film at 18fps.

For an example of what can be done with Standard 8 film watch Annafairs new music video made by Big Beaner Productions.
To find out how it was done read the thread on "Filmshootings" forum.

Cameras.

Standard 8 cameras fall into two general camps the spring wound and the battery driven. Both have pro's and cons. The cheaper spring wound cameras when they near the end of their wind don't always close the shutter properly and exposure and frame rate can be unreliable. Battery powered cameras can suffer from battery leaks, and with forty year old electrics it is only a matter of time before they break down. I've already experienced this with all of my Super 8 cameras!

However there are some great cameras out there with lenses by names such as Zeiss, Angenieux and Schneider. Makes usually associated with 16mm film making. Standard 8 film is so similar to 16mm film that some of the cameras borrow much of their design from their larger siblings. In general Standard 8 cameras sell for a lot less than their Super 8 counterparts. For example a top end Bolex H8 Reflex will sell for around £150-200 which will include 3 Kern Switar prime lenses, whereas a Leicina Special Super 8 will set you back around £400-500.

It seems Standard 8 cameras were reaching their zenith of sophistication just as Super 8 came along and killed them off. An example being Canon's outstanding 512 which was introduced in June 1964 only to be replaced by the Super 8 518 less than a year later. In comparing the early Super 8 cameras with what Standard 8 had to offer it seems that apart from the larger image the new format was a bit of a backwards step. It would be another decade or so before Super 8 cameras could offer the features that these cameras had.

Something to be aware of when buying a Standard 8 camera is that in the late 1950's it was decided to change the silent filming speed from 16fps to 18fps.

(Click images below to find out more.)

The Cameras.

Processing.

Because Standard 8 film comes on 16mm spools there are several processing options as it is processed in the same way and with the same equipment as 16mm film. And it's a lot more straight forward as there is no need to wack a cartridge with a hammer to get at the film!

For all you need to know about home processing see George Selinskys' Movie Processing Pages.

Widescreen.

There are two ways of making a widescreen image with Standard 8 film, either by fitting an anamorphic lens to the camera or widening the camera gate to utilize the area of film between the sprocket holes. The second technique is called "Span 8" and was quite popular in the 1950's. More information about Span 8 can be found on Martin Baumgarten's website.

Special FX.

A clever trick you can try, if you have a 16mm projector, is to make a multi-image split screen film. First make your film in the normal way but when you expose the second side of the film turn the camera upside down when you film. Second tell the lab NOT to slit the film after processing leaving it as a 16mm strip.

When the image is projected with a 16mm projector you will see four images, two running forwards, the other two in reverse.

This can also be done with an 8mm projector but the film gate would need to be widened. You would then get a split screen made up of two images.

To have both images running forward you would need to film the second side of the film spool in reverse. To my knowledge the only cameras that can do this are the electric powered Elmo's.