With Super 8 becoming popular again for its nostalgic feel and romantic look, you may be wondering, “What is Super 8mm film?” In this blog, I aim to explain not only what Super 8mm film is but also share behind the scenes of what it looks like to film a wedding on Super 8 and why you should consider having your wedding captured with this medium.
I believe that Super 8 is on the rise again due to the viral videos edited with a film look on Instagram or TikTok. Many couples love how it looks and are choosing it to document their wedding days. But they don’t always realize that it can be captured on authentic Super 8 cameras with real film cartridges. It’s not just an edit applied to digital footage. While there is editing software to make your iPhone videos look like they’re shot on a vintage Super 8 camera, nothing compares to the look of an actual Super 8 wedding film.
Keep reading to learn more about the Super 8mm film process and why you should hire this style of video for your wedding day!
If you’ve never seen a Super 8 wedding film, watch this colorful spring wedding at the Shuffleboard Club in St. Petersburg, Florida.
What is Super 8mm film?
Super 8mm film is “a motion-picture film format released in 1965 by Eastman Kodak” – Kodak. This innovation really changed the way people started documenting their everyday lives since it made filming more accessible to everyone. If you’re curious, you can learn more about the history of the Super 8 here.
Over the years, cameras have developed and advanced. Today, a majority of cameras used are digital cameras. While it’s a great medium to capture weddings, it doesn’t have the same nostalgic look that Super 8 film provides.
Super 8 is a timeless medium that allows for videos to achieve an elegantly vintage yet “home movie” quality. All of our weddings are documented with Super 8 film. If you are interested in working with us to capture your wedding day, you can read more about our wedding offerings here.
BTS Process of documenting a Wedding Day with Super 8mm Film
We shoot our Super 8 films like we’re a fly on the wall with a documentary perspective, so nothing about the footage feels forced or orchestrated. Our mission is to honor the space and subject with attention to color, texture, and overall essence as experienced by the human eye. We center the spirited personality of each couple throughout our wedding day film process.
In our Super 8mm Film Wedding Offering, we provide:
- Microphones to record ceremony, vows, and speech audio (used as a storytelling element overlaid on the footage)
- Raw footage (every moment filmed throughout the day for couples’ to look back on)
- Preview Film (typically has a 1-minute runtime)
- Full Super 8mm Film (averages 4-6 minutes in length) – both digitally scanned at 4k and the tangible Super 8 film reel
But to share more of the behind-the-scenes of our filming process, we shoot all of our videos on Kodak Super 8 film on multiple authentic Super 8 cameras that have been refurbished and tested.
Typically, we use 1 Super 8mm film Cartridge per hour. All the cartridges are real Kodak film. Depending on the lighting scenarios, we use three different ones: 50D, 200T, and 500T (pictured below). For a full-day wedding, we shoot between 8-10 cartridges.
After the wedding, we send the film to be developed and digitally scanned. When we get the footage scans back, we begin the editing and assembly process to make the final film cut.
First, we send off the 1-minute preview film. The full film takes about 6-8 weeks, depending on the length of the film. After delivering the full film, we mail the tangible Super 8 reel to the couple as a keepsake.
If you’re still not convinced you should hire a Super 8 film for your wedding day, then watch this summer wedding film and fall in love with Super 8:
“My favorite memory during a wedding is when a guest had tears in their eyes from the nostalgic sounds of the gentle ticking the Super 8 camera makes as it rolls the footage.”
– Katelyn
Hi, I’m Katelyn!
While I am a Tampa-based wedding photographer, I love to travel to capture love stories. Anything from weddings and elopements to engagements and couples sessions. In addition to photographing your special moments digitally, I also include film and Polaroids in every package. All proposals are custom and delivered after we’ve had time to chat so that I can better understand your photography needs.
As an artful wedding photographer, it’s important for me to be involved in the vision process from start to finish. Even if you’re unsure of where to begin, I will be able to help you curate a shoot that is authentic and intentional for who you are as a couple.
If you’re looking for someone to document your wedding day with an artful eye, then inquire here!
