In this article, I will discuss the various pros and cons of both digital projection and film, and try to find a niche for film if not in some theoretical sense but in our hearts.

Benefits of Digital Projection

Digital Projection has a number of advantages over film, mostly relating to convenience. Basically, digital projection takes up less space and is easier to use than film projection.

Compactness

First, digital projection has the advantage that it is more compact than film projection. The entire movie fits on a little disc the size of a CD. The projector itself is also more compact, as there is no need for extra room for spools and reels.

For watching full-length feature films, 8mm film and 16mm film requires multiple reels of film. This means that one must find a place to store all of that extra footage.

Convenience

Digital projection is much more convenient to use. With film projection technology, one must thread the film, use a spool to catch the film and then rewind the film at the end. For a digital projector, one simply pops in the disc and hits play.

In addition, digital projection allows one to hop around within a movie, choosing favorite scenes. Film projectors don’t have any sort of “fast forward”, “rewind” or “skip” option, because that would require physically moving the disc.

Benefits of Film Projection

Film projection, however, still has a few advantages over digital projection. The image is better (or, rather, better in different ways), and the manual inconveniences of film projection provide a less alienating effect.

Picture Quality

Every once in a while, you’ll hear that digital picture is “indistinguishable” from film projection. In some cases, this is almost true – if you don’t know what to look for. However, what it shows is important. Film projection will always be the standard according to which digital projection is judged.

The reason is fairly simple. Digital projection necessarily has a resolution. At the end of the day, it’s a bunch of little squares. The higher the resolution gets, the better it can trick your eyes that it’s not really a bunch of squares, but is instead some sort of curve or landscape. The problem is that, for curves or during rapid motion, the pixellation will start to show. This is especially true for home projectors where the digital projection is often blown up to larger sizes than the office presentation equipment that is usually sold as film projecting equipment.

On the other hand, film doesn’t use any pixellation. That isn’t to say that film doesn’t have higher and lower levels of quality, far from it. 32mm film is better than 16mm film which is better than 8mm film. However, the when an image becomes too detailed for the film sized, the edges become slightly blurry, not pixellated.

This blurriness is important because this is what happens when we can’t focus on a detail with our eyes. In other words, film images are imprecise in the same way that vision is imprecise. When a film detail can’t be seen it looks just like other things that we can’t see. Pixellation, on the other hand, looks unnatural. Moreover, the more one understands how pixellation works, the worse it looks.

Hands On

Another advantage of film viewing is precisely that it is more hands on than digital projection. Certainly, convenience is nice in some cases, but it is not the only thing that matters. It is often for more pleasant to do something for oneself, rather than to have it all done for you.

It’s for this reason that film projection has become something of a niche interest. Activities that require extra steps become hobbies for those that engage in them. Sure, it might be true that you can just buy some completed, but it often creates a sense of accomplishment to put it together oneself.

In a way, film projection is like reading books. It’s true that Kindle etc. are more convenient, but people like the sense that they are interacting with their environment, not that they are simply looking at artificial screens. Since film projection already involves an artificial image, film projection has a way of bringing this experience more down to Earth.

Conclusion

Film projection has been steadily losing out to digital, but film will still have a place for a long time. It is the standard by which digital is judged, and digital projection is still far from perfect, especially at home. Moreover, it is a way of enjoying the experience of watching a movie in a direct and hands-on way.

• Spools: When watching a film, your entire movie will move from the main film reel to what is called a spool. Once the film is finished, you will then “rewind” the film back onto your original reel. As a result, you only need one spool for your projector. However, most film projectors do not include a spool, largely to cut down on packaging, so you will need to purchase one separately.
• Film Reels: If you are making your own 8mm films, you may need to have a film reel for storing and playing the film. Some film types, like Super 8, function as their own reel once printed, but other cameras, like standard 8, will require that you place the film on a separate reel once the film has been printed. These reels are good for both playing and for storing reels inside of cans.
• Printed Reels: Usually, films that you purchase that are pre-printed are also called “reels”. These can include a number of commercially available movies, shorts and cartoons. Often, printed reels will include many reels, if you wish to watch a feature film, but might be as short as a single reel if you wish to watch a short animated feature.

To watch a movie, you will need at least two reels: the reel that holds the film and the reel that catches the film. You will also want to have a reel to store each film when you are not watching it, though these are included when you purchase printed reels.

Choosing Reels:

Depending on your needs, there are a number of different things to consider when purchasing your reels. In general, there are four different issues to consider:

• Material: Reels come in two different materials, metal and plastic. Metal reels last longer and are more difficult to break, while plastic reels are cheaper (though they are becoming closer in price as more plastic reels break and are less affordable). If you wish to watch a movie multiple times, you should consider a metal reel for it, though if you are only planning to watch a movie a few times, a plastic reel may be sufficient. Your spool should always be metal, or it will break rather quickly.
• Color: Color is a purely aesthetic issue, but if you are a collector, aesthetics are important. Basically, you will want to have reels that match the color of your projector in order to make your projector look attractive. If you are using an unpainted metal projector, you will want to have reels that are metal to match. However, if you are using a black or other colored projector, you can either have plastic reels made in that color or metal reels painted to that color.
• Film Type: 8mm and Super 8 reels are different, and the same reel cannot be used for both of them. As a result, you will need to make sure that you have reels that match the type of film that you intend to use. Further, this means that if you are using a dual-format projector that can play both 8mm and Super 8, you will need to have at least two spools, one for each format of film.
• Projector Compatibility: For the most part, reels are generic, able to be used on every projector, at least for the reel that holds the film. There are, however, exceptions, especially with older projectors. Before purchasing a projector, make sure that it is compatible with most standard 8 reels, or you may not be able to watch them. Before purchasing a reel, make sure that it is compatible with the projector that you have. This can especially be a concern with spools, as they are less likely to be compatible with multiple projectors than film reels. There are no hard-and-fast rules here, so you will just need to ask the seller about compatibility.

Conclusion

8mm and Super 8 film reels are usually generic, but there are differences in quality. Compatibility can also be an issue, especially with film spools.

Elmo Series Projectors

Elmo made a number of projectors in different series, depending on the needs of the viewer. It is important to note that their projectors are primarily Super 8 projectors, though some of their projectors are called “dual format” projectors that can show standard 8 film as well.

• ST Series: The ST series is the smallest of the Elmo series. While it is a very high-quality projector, depending on your needs, it might not be sufficient. It is somewhat dimmer than the other series of projectors, and can handle smaller reels (600 feet). They can often be picked up at a relative bargain of $500 or less each. Some ST-series projectors were packages with a camera and called the “Traveller Series”.
• SC Series: The SC-series is a middle-of-the-road series. They can handle larger reels (up to 1200 feet) and they have brighter bulbs. However, they do not come with the large amount of features that are generally needed for telecine (the process of converting analog film to digital film). If your primary needs are simply to purchase films without many bells and whistles, this is a good choice.
• GS Series: The GS-series projectors are the most advanced of the Elmo Series projectors. In fact, they are such high quality that they are commonly used for telecine. Many GS-series include an internal screen for daytime viewing that, along with the ability to lock the frame speed, makes them ideal for digital conversion.

  GS-series projectors are the most expensive of the Elmo projectors, usually costing between $1000 and $2500. This is primarily because they are among the best Super 8 and 8mm film projectors available and are highly prized by collectors. If anything, the issue with the GS series is that the projectors are too complicated, and have more features that can go wrong.

Types of Elmo Projectors

The Elmo projectors have different capabilities, and which capabilities they have is not dependent on which series they are a part of. You’ll need to consider all of the following when purchasing a projector, especially if you are planning to run Standard 8 films:

• Sound vs. Silent: Not all Elmo projectors are capable of sound, so you will need to check before purchasing.

• Dual versus Single: Because Elmo projectors are primarily Super 8 projectors, you will want to look for a “dual” projector if you wish to play standard 8mm. If, on the other hand, you want to only display Super 8 film, any Elmo 8mm projector will do.
• 16mm versus 8mm: Elmo also made 16mm projectors, so if you are purchasing online, make sure that you have the right film type.

Remember that not all online sellers really know what their projectors can do. They may have forgotten or simply never have known, so they might advertise their product incorrectly. For a complete list of Elmo projectors and their specifications, you can check the Super 8 Wiki which will give the exact specifications of any given model.

Some Further Issues

There are some other things to bear in mind when purchasing your Elmo projector.

• Parts Sold Separately: Like many products, there are sometimes parts sold separately. This can include take-up spools (the spool that catches the film after use), speakers and devices for daytime viewing. Often these devices are readily available and generic enough that you can purchase a generic one.
• Language: Because Elmo is a Japanese company and because Elmo projectors have been a secondary market for over thirty years, projectors produced in each country have been spread around the globe by collectors. Therefore, if your projector includes a manual, you might want to check if it is in English. Because of this issue, a market has developed for Elmo manuals themselves, and they can generally be purchased for $20 or so or even downloaded for free online.

Conclusion

Elmo projectors are the most respected Super 8 projectors available, and some models can be used for standard 8mm as well. They are out of production, but there are enough collectors around that they can be found second-hand. Note, however, that they are not inexpensive, because collectors are eager to purchase them.

Advantages and Disadvantages

There are a number of reasons you might consider doing this yourself, rather than hiring a professional company:

• Large Volume: If you have an especially large volume of 8mm (or other sized) film, you might want to consider getting
  your own 8mm film transfer, as you may save money in the long run.
• Your Own Business: If you are involved in photography anyway, you may find that you can make some extra money from
  those who wish to transfer their own films to digital format (a process also called “telecine”).
• Do-It-Yourself: For the true hobbyist, it may be the process of transferring the film itself that provides the attraction, so cost isn’t really the issue (well, within reason).

However, there are a number of disadvantages to getting an 8mm film scanner:

• Price: Unless you are making a large number of scans, it will be quite a bit cheaper for you to use a professional service.
• Damage: It takes some practice to learn how to make 8mm film scans without damaging the original film or negative. In the meantime, you might damage your film. Plus, all transfers create a bit of wear on your film or negative in any case.
• Time: Scanning takes time (especially if you do it frame-to-frame). A professional service will only consume as much time as it take you to pack your parcel or drive over.

Different Types of 8mm Film Scanners

First, it’s worth noting that there aren’t really 8mm film scanners per se. Instead, there are generic film scanners that work with Super 8 film and often slides as well. There are frame-to-frame scanners available that work on 16mm film and slides as well (note that 35mm film is an entirely different beast).

• Frame-to-frame scanning is actually the highest-quality scanning that is currently available, but its downside, as you might imagine, is that it is very slow. Frame-to-frame scanners can work either from a finished film or a negative. Each frame is then individually scanned or photographed, and then turned into an image which is then turned into a film. Because it is done frame-to-frame, there is little flickering and you are guaranteed to capture each frame.
• Photographing your film involves actually taking photographs of each frame on the film or negative itself (if it photographs the negative, this is digitally turned into a reverse-negative. This is slightly different from frame-to-frame scanning, as it is done using a digital camera, rather than a scanner, but the principle is the same. Photographing can also be done in real time, though machines that do this are expensive.
• Projection-photography is actually the most common type of 8mm film scanner available, and what it does is project your original film and then photograph the image. This is done within the machine itself, to correct for the image loss one would get by simply projecting your image on a screen and setting up your digital movie camera.

Models of 8mm Film Scanners

Unfortunately, there really isn’t a lot of demand for 8mm film scanners. Currently, many are made by amateur film lovers, and sold from anywhere from $1200 to $5000 online. One of the most common brands is called “Cinemate”, and some of those models can be found on this website. The Cinemate scanners come in a wide range of models, and you can ask for a demo CD to see the quality that you can expect.

There are, however, a couple of out-of-production professional pieces of equipment that are sometimes available on EBay, and will usually cost around $1500 (but it’s EBay, so prices vary widely). The two companies that produced these companies are called the “Elmo Telecine Transfer Machine” and also the “Goko Telecine Player TC-20″. Both of these will transfer your film to digital. The Goko player only films at 18 fps (frames per second), however, and standard 8mm is at 20 fps. This means that your film will be a little slower, and it will unsynch the sound if you are transferring a sound film. If you are looking for a professional telecine player, I therefore recommend the Elmo.

Nonetheless, slide projection is more than just an outdated event. Many people still have slide collections and wish to view these old images with family and friends. While slide production is increasingly rare, slide viewing still persists as the transfer of slides to digital images is more expensive than simply purchasing a slide projector. Even schools still use slides for teaching, as it is often less expensive to purchase a slide projector than a digital one.

As a result, slide projectors are still in production and are relatively readily available. In fact, the technology has improved, using cooler lamps that help preserve the quality of the slides to avoid melting.

Vintage Slide Projectors

Slide projectors started appearing in the 1950s, and were used to project the new “slide” technology, which was basically film technology, but made in single frames.

The earliest projectors were only dual slide projectors. In a dual slide projector, you could only insert two slides at a time. One slide would be put in each side of the slide holder. You would then look at one slide, while replacing the second slide. This could be done over and over again to create a “slide show”.

Needless to say, people found this sort of process very annoying, so later slide projectors became what are called “carousel” slide projectors. Carousel slide projectors would hold a number of slides in a “carousel”, which would then be inserted, one by one, in front of the projection lamps. Carousel projectors almost completely replaced the dual slide projectors, simply due to their convenience.

Vintage slide projectors always used an incandescent lamp, which made them very hot. As a result, they required fans and could potentially damage slides if left inside too long. The trickiest part of using a vintage slide projector is finding replacement lamps, since the lamps burn out but are no longer in production.

Modern Slide Projectors

Because so many slides are still around and because the process of transferring them is so expensive, there are still a number of companies that produce slide projectors. Because of technological development, these newer slide projectors have a number of features that were not available in previous generations of slide projection:

• Electronic Control: While slide projectors are still fairly basic in their controls, computer technology allows more options in choosing slides. Rather than simply click two buttons to go forward or backward, you can go forward multiple slides, automate your slide rates and so forth.
• Better Control Mechanisms: Older slide projectors (especially carousel projectors) relied on rather basic mechanisms for moving between slides, which led them to often get stuck, as much as once per carousel. Newer slide projectors use finer motors to make easier transitions. In addition, modern slide projectors allow you to insert multiple slides without using a carousel.
• LED Lamps: In recent years, there has been a movement toward using LED lamps instead of traditional incandescent lamps. Aside from being more energy-efficient, these lamps have the advantage of being cool. This removes the need for the fan, which cuts down on the bulk of the projectors, providing more space for slides or simply cutting down the size.
• Remote Control: Remember how there was always some poor person sitting beside the slide projector clicking a button? The advent of remote control removes the need for this entirely, allowing you to switch slides from the comfort of your chair.

Kodak is currently the leader in slide projectors, and have been producing them since the 1950s. Modern projectors will generally not be available in every local store, but they can be purchased on common sites like Amazon for a reasonable price.

Conclusion

If you are interested in watching old slides, there is no need to transfer them electronically. A wide range of slide projectors are available, from vintage projectors to modern ones.

Using 8mm projectors outdoors involves understanding some of the basic principles of projection. First, one needs to understand the basics of how it is that
people see color and brightness.

Human beings don’t see absolute levels of brightness. Instead, people see only relative levels of brightness. This is because our irises contract in such a way that the brightest object will always appear to be the same brightness, no matter how bright it is. The brightness of other objects, therefore, appears relative to that brightest object.

How is this relevant to outdoor projection? The reason that the reason that movies appear so bright when we watch films indoors is that lighting levels are so easy to control inside of a theater. By making the theater completely dark, the movie screen becomes the brightest object in the room, thereby increasing the apparent brightness of the screen itself.

For outdoor movies, this can become a problem. The outdoors is not, as you might have guessed, completely dark. Aside from the moon, there are your neighbors’ lights, stars, city lights reflected off of the clouds, indoor lights and so forth. In addition, most 8mm projectors leak light, which illuminates the area around them, creating even more background lighting. As a result, the image on your projector screen risks not actually being the brightest light around.

In addition, black on a movie screen is a problem with any other sources of light. Black in a movie is simply where no light is shone onto the screen. As a result, black in your movie will actually appear as whatever color the screen appears when the film is not running. As a result, the more background lighting there is, the less black your blacks will appear. With significant ambient lighting, your movie will look a little like a movie on your computer where you’ve turned up the brightness but turned down the contrast. All the blacks turn to a dull grey.

Proper 8mm Outdoor Projection

In order to correct for the ambient lighting in your outdoor space, you need to make sure that your screen is the brightest object. Remeber that we always see the brightest object at the same level of brightness. As a result, even if there is a lot of ambient lighting, if you can make your projection surface the brightest object outdoors, it will still appear reasonably bright.

Unfortunately, 8mm projectors are not exceptionally bright, especially when compared to video projectors. A typical 8mm projector will generate about one-thousand lumens of light. A “lumens” is a unit of brightness as measured coming from a single direction. Since 8mm projectors are not very bright, the size of your screen cannot be especially large. At the largest, your sceen can be six feet by four feet. After that point, the ambient light will start to become brighter than the screen and your entire movie will look dim (note that this would not be an issue inside, as nothing is brighter than your screen in a dark room).

Even once you have accounted for brightness, there is still the issue of blackness. Unfortunately, there is really no good solution for this except to orient your outdoor movie event in such a way that your screen is not facing the brightest sources of light. After all, projector screens are designed to reflect all colors that hit them from the front. Therefore, if you can minimize the amount of light that hits your screen from the front, you can improve the quality of your blacks.

One option is to use some sort of tarp or canopy over the area where you host outdoor movie events. If your outdoor projector screen is under some sort of cover, moonlight, starlight and cloudlight will not hit it, creating truer blacks.

Conclusion

8mm Projectors can provide an excellent outdoor film-watching experience. However, in order to have the best outdoor events, it is important to understand brightness and color and how to make the most of your 8mm outdoor projectors.

The earliest antique movie projectors were developed at the end of the Nineteenth Century. Before then, there had actually been moving pictures of various kinds. The problem with producing motion pictures was actually primarily a problem in taking photographs so quickly. Even the earliest motion pictures, using ten frames per second, required the ability to take photographs at a very quick pace. Given that the Nineteenth Century was still the era when people needed to sit still for a photograph for over a minute.

The first moving pictures actually used multiple cameras to create photographs that were very close together in time. The famous photos of “Sallie Gardner”, the hose, were created using just this method. The cameras fired off very close to one another, and then the photographs were run together very quickly, creating the appearance of motion.

The first true single movie camera was that developed by William Friese-Green in 1889. It took ten frames of film per second, and he called it a “chronophotographic” camera. This camera was largely unsuccessful commercially, but filmed ten frames per second and printed onto cellulite, the first camera to do so. At the same time, Thomas Edison was developing what he called the “Kinetoscope”, which created images at twelve frames per second. Edison eventually was able to increase this rate to 46 frames per second, but noted that the human eye was not able to discern speeds above 30, so most early kinetoscope films were at this rate.

Note, however, that no one had actually yet developed an antique movie projector. The earliest motion pictures were images that were flipped or cycled very quickly, creating the illusion of motion. One looked directly at the moving image, not its projection. However, with the cameras and basic structure now complete, vintage movie projectors became the norm.

Antique Movie Projectors

The earliest movie sizes were usually 35mm movies, a size that would not be surpassed until the 1960s and 1970s when film sizes reached 70mm (and then shrank again). In 1895, only a few years after its creation, the novelty of the Kinetoscope had started to wear off. In both France and the United States, movie projection systems began to arise. In France, the “cinematographe” was created by the Lumière brothers, Auguste and Louis. Simultaneously, Edison created what he called his “projecting Kinetoscope”, capitalizing on his old brand name.

These antique projector systems worked in largely the same way. Each set up a 35mm camera, which took images that were then placed on a 35mm movie reel. Holes were placed on the sides of these reels (though the Lumières and Edison put them in different places). They were then run in front of a bulb on one side and a shutter on the other, so the image only appeared when it was in line with the center of the bulb. This projected the image onto the screen, which could be made far larger than the earlier Kinetoscopes or flipbook Mutoscopes that were beginning to cut into Edison’s market.

In fact, the very first sound movie equipment was developed by 1903, not in the late 1920s, as is often believed. Edison developed what he called a “kinetophone”, which ran a phonograph in tandem with the movie projection system. Unfortunately, these were hard to make commercial, because the projectors were difficult to run, and when there was a massive fire at the Edison factory in 1914, all of the equipment was destroyed. At that point, Edison abandoned the project entirely.

Finding Old Movie Projectors

Most true antique movie projectors are now found in museums, as they are extremely rare. However, this does not mean that there is not a commercial market for them. Most antique movie projectors can be found in good condition, as they have never been left to rot in a garage somewhere like many vintage goods. However, this comes with a corresponding expensive price, as you will never find one at a bargain somewhere (and if you do, it may be stolen, so be careful).

As a result, do not expect to find antique movie projectors on Ebay (though it may happen from time to time). Instead, you should look for these items at places like Susanin’s auctions and other, high-end auction houses. If you cannot find one in your area, most of these auction houses have a system such that their products can reach your shipping address at added cost. There are a number of collectors of antique movie projectors, and finding some of the earlies specimens is quite an accomplishment.

Early Uses of 16mm Film

The first real use for 16mm film was in news production. News requires portable cameras that can be easily be moved from place to place, and the advent of 16mm film opened up an entirely new era in photojournalism. There is a very good reason why there is so much more footage of the Second World War than the First: the movie cameras were simply easier to move around form place to place. In fact, most news footage was shot on 16mm up until the advent of video almost fifty years later.

A second important use for 16mm film was in television production. Television signals simply did not have sufficient resolution to take advantage of the high contrast in 35mm film, so televisions used 16mm film almost exclusively. In fact, 16mm film stock is still used today for many television shows, though digital film is starting to take over in many studios.

Finally, 16mm film was the first real home movie format. Though it was significantly more expensive than its descendant, Super 8, would be, 16mm film was compact enough that people were able to purchase their own cameras. In fact, because 16mm provides a suface four-times larger than that of Super 8, the home movies produced using 16mm looked mor professional than later home movies (you’ll notice this, if you even visit a museum about the history of film; home movies somehow got worse between 1940 and 1980. The advent of 8mm film is the reason why).

Type of 16mm Film

Like 8mm film, 16mm film has a number of different formats. Unlike 8mm, however, there are far more than two types:

Vintage Movie Prints: The oldest forms of 16mm film are not in use any more. These films were originally black-and-white and, for the first decade or so, did not have any sound. In addition, because the film was not as sturdy, the possible image quality was not as high as it is for later film.

Single- Versus Double-Perforation: The earliest 16mm film was all double-perforated, meaning that it had space for sprockets on both sides of the film stock. This provided a “back-up”, so to speak, in case something went wrong with one of the perforations. However, film stock is stronger now that it was, so this redundancy is no longer as necessary.

Super 16mm: Standard 16mm film has the same ratio as a television screen, not the wide-screen format of the standard motion picture. Of course, since many independent film makers use 16mm film for reasons of cost, this is a problem. As a result, Super 16mm film was created. This is a single-perforated format that uses the extra space to expand the ration to 1.66:1, the standard wide-screen film width.

16mm Film Transfer: While not exactly a format in itself, it is now increasingly common to transfer your 16mm film to a digital format for ease of use. In addition, 16mm films can be blown up to 35mm with only a small amount of loss of quality.

16mm Film Accessories

A number of important accessories can be purchased that go with 16mm film:

• Movie Projectors: A number of defferent film projectors are available. On the one hand, there are vintage film projectors. These film projectors can usually only play original formats of film, and won’t be able to show, for example, Super 16mm film. There are also modern projectors, most of which are much better at properly loading your film leader rolls.
• Movie Projector Screens: 16mm film projectors will work with any film projector screen, though you will want to ensure that you have a screen that can show the aspect ratio that you have purchased.
• Film Splicing Tape: Film splicing tape can be used for editing your 16mm film. After using your negative to create a print in a film processing lab, you can simply splice out scenes that you do not want, and splice the film back together to create neat cuts from scene to scene.
• Miscellany: Accessories can also include such things as full color labels for identifying films, film camera lenses, canisters for holding film, reels for catching finished films and so forth. Whether your interest is creating films with your own lighting studio equipment or simply watching vintage films as a collector, there are a wide range of accessories available.

Conclusion

16mm film provides the midway point between professional 35mm and amateur 8mm film. It is a low-cost film that provides professional quality for independent film makers and allows anyone to have access to high quality film stock.

As 8mm and especially Super 8mm projectors entered the home, the Walt Disney Company realized what a goldmine they were sitting on. 8mm projectors famously simply can’t handle feature-length films, unless one uses dozens of reels. As a result, 8mm and Super 8mm projectors required films that were short and complete in their own right. The Disney vault, full of these shorts from the 1930s to the 1950s, had the perfect product to meet this demand.

Two sorts of 8mm movies were released by the Walt Disney Company. The first were the autonomous Disney shorts themselves that had been shown before feature films for decades. The second were small sections of feature-length movies that were complete in their own right. For example, the “Whistle While You Work” sequence from Snow White was released as an 8mm film reel.

Feature-Film Segments

The Walt Disney Company also released a number of short segments of movies for home viewing, ranging fro its earliest feature, Snow White, to some of its more forgettable post-Disney films like The Aristocats.

Note that these films were released over a wide period of time, and therefore have a number of different levels of quality. Early on, color film was very expensive to produce, so a number of these shorts are in black and white, even if the original film was in color. Similarly, the first generations of 8mm and Super 8mm Projectors were silent, and, as a result, many of these segments are silent, even if the original film was in sound.

Some of the most famous scenes released are the following:

• The “Whistle Whilte You Work” Song from Snow White.
• Cinderella gets her dress from Cinderella.
• “Jolly Holliday” from Mary Poppins.
• Various stories from The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh including “Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too”.
• The scene where Pinocchio comes to life from Pinnochio.

As you can see, these feature-film segments center around discrete sequences from movies that families can enjoy each in their own right. Of course, most of those involving songs were sound films.

Independent Shorts

The Walt Disney Company released a number of independent shorts that preceded motion pictures. Some of these films are extremely rare, as they have never been released in any format other than 8mm or Super 8mm. Even those that have been released in other formats are still considered collector’s items, enjoyed by vintage film collectors in their own right.

The quality of these films is extremely varied, even more so than the film segments. This is in a large part because these were generally released on 8mm and Super 8mm earlier than the film segments, and also because, in many cases, such as the classic early Mickey films, the original films were also in black and white with no sound.

Some of the most famous shorts are the following:

• Steamboat Willie: This seven-minute, 1928 short was the first Mickey Mouse short to be released. Finding this film in an original 8mm version is a collector’s dream.
• Mickey’s Parrot: This is an eight-minute, 1938 short about Mickey Mouse finding a parrot in his basement, but thinking the parrot might be a murderer that was mentioned on the news
• The Legend of Coyote Rock: This is a seven-minute, 1945 short about Pluto and how he protects his sheep from a coyote, and ends up creating Coyote Rock
• Lend a Paw: Also called “Pluto’s Conscience”, this eight-minute, 1941 short is about Pluto saving a kitten, then realizing that he doesn’t really want the kitten competing for Mickey’s attention.
• Pluto’s Christmas Tree: This seven-minute, 1952 short is about Chip and Dale, two chipmunks who get into Mickey’s tree. When Pluto finds them, chaos ensues.

Purchasing Walt Disney Shorts

Because these shorts are no longer in production, they will need to be purchased second hand. As with any second-hand purchase, one of the best ways to do this is to use auction sites such as Ebay. Just be sure to check on the condition of any products that you purchase before buying it. One of the most common problems with old film reels is that they have at some point burned and been spliced back together. If this is the case, you might find that there are some gaps in the films that you buy.

However, if you cannot find them there, there are some specialty stores available, such as Foster Films and Collectables, which operates out of the United Kingdom.

As 8mm film was the inexpensive film of choice from 1932 to 1965, there have been a number of films produced in the format. Moreover, even though Super 8 film took over as the home-movie film of choice starting in 1965, that didn’t mean that 8mm films ceased to be produced. In fact, 8mm films continued to be produced in large quantities right until the advent of the VCR in the 1980s.

The primary thing limiting 8mm films is length. A standard 8mm spool only produces a film of about four minutes in length. As a result, 8mm film was never used for feature-length films. You’d spend more time rethreading than watching the movie. Instead, 8mm films tended to focus on three areas: comedies, children’s films and documentaries.

8mm Comedies

Because sound films were more expensive, one of the popular films to put on an 8mm projector were classic, silent films of the 1920s and 1930s. In fact, three comedy acts were released on 8mm film almost in their entirely. First, there are the films of Charlie Chaplin, who made a number of silent films. While his films usually take two reels of film or so, the complete collection continues to exist on 8mm. Second, there are the films of Laurel and Hardy. These silent comedies were extremely popular, and they were quite commonly purchased. Finally, there are the films of the Three Stooges. While these films are not silent, they were some of the most popular comedies available on 8mm.

8mm Children’s Films

A number of children’s films were released on 8mm, and they were very popular. I myself as a child remember watching 8mm children’s films that we had borrowed from the library. Between the fun of watching a film and seeing the workings of the projector, children loved them. There are a number of films available, such as Disney children’s short films and the Looney Toons. Many movies in the middle of the Twentieth Century had animated shorts, and those animated shorts were in turn released on 8mm.

8mm Documentaries

Though they are now substantially out of date, 8mm films were often used in the classroom for showing documentaries to children. These documentaries can be on a number of subjects, from hygiene to Communism. Some of them can actually be quite entertaining. They are less readily available than the comedy and children’s films, because they were less commercially viable, but they can still be found with some digging.

Attaining 8mm Movies

8mm movies can be a little tricky to find, but it is not impossible. First, you can ask at your local library. For many years, libraries had entire libraries of 8mm films, and some libraries, loathe to throw anything out, continue to have them available for rental. If that doesn’t work, you can often purchase them online from specialist companies or even from online auction sites.