Generation Filmmaker
Greetings, my fellow Scribblers and Geriatric Super-8 Cinemasters!
On this rainy day in Santa Monica, let’s wander the winding path from Super 8 to smartphone, acknowledging how generations of filmmakers launched their careers with the tools of their moment.
Picture this: a bunch of future Hollywood big shots, kids really, running around their backyards and cul de sacs with these chunky Super 8 cameras from Kodak, Elmo, and Beaulieu, making their baby 'blockbusters.'
Before everyone had an S-Log-capable camera in their pocket that didn’t need more than a candle for illumination, the Super 8 format was the go-to for amateur cineastes. It was cheap, easy enough for ten-year-olds to use, and had this tactile magic that digital still can't touch.
Guess who started shooting with these celluloid bad boys? The filmmaking mavericks of the 1970s transformed the path of Hollywood. These guys shot their flicks on Regular 8!
As you may have seen in “The Fablemans,” Spielberg made war epics and sci-fi adventures as a teen. 'Firelight,' the precursor to 'Close Encounters,' was shot on Kodak’s homebrew format.
Ron Howard, director of ‘A Beautiful Mind’ and ‘Apollo 13,’ used an 8mm camera to hone his skills in between takes as a child actor. Sam Raimi started making movies with these handheld cameras, which was instrumental in shaping his dynamic and inventive visual style.
Francis Ford Coppola, best known for ‘The Godfather’ series and ‘Apocalypse Now’ shot Regular 8, as did his cross-town film school rival and lifelong pal, George Lucas.
My generation was lucky enough to get our hands on Super-8. Kodak's upgraded version of the homebrew format had an embedded strip of magnetic tape, giving us the power of in-camera sync sound.
J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves, childhood buddies, started making films with their Super 8s. They even collaborated with current mega-DP Larry Fong! Little did they know they'd all be teaming up for blockbusters like 'Cloverfield’ decades later.
Talk about a reel-to-real moment!
My backyard filmmaking buddy from Santa Barbara was Morgan Neville. He went from shooting Super 8 Saturday Night Live spoofs in his living room to winning Oscars, Emmys, and Grammys for his crowd-pleasing documentaries.
Back then, Super 8 wasn't just a film format; it was a lifestyle. We had to be strategic with our shots, learn to edit manually, splicing our films, and really think about our story before we called “Action!”
We had no 'delete' button, no instant playback, and no sticks of endless digital memory. This era was about getting creative within analog limits. Super 8 taught us patience, precision, and the necessity for passion, qualities that foster storytelling discipline and career longevity.
Fast forward a decade or two. When the camcorder burst onto the scene, it was a game-changer – portable, easier to use, and with stereo sound!
Filmmakers like Rian Johnson and Gareth Edwards shot on tape with the chonky RGB chip cams from Sony and Panasonic. The cinematic journey of these dudes would take both of them to a galaxy far, far away.
Johnson, known for 'Looper,' 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi,' and “Knives Out, honed his storytelling skills with these babies. Edwards, who directed 'Godzilla' and 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,' shot on tape and labored over visual effects on his home computer.
Now, we’ve got the iPhone generation. Amateur filmmakers with an entire cinematic studio in their pockets. Sean Baker's 'Tangerine,' shot entirely on an iPhone, broke ground and showed what these wonders from Cupertino were capable of.
Steven Soderbergh was already established when he embraced iPhone filmmaking, releasing movies made on these devices like 'Unsane' and 'High Flying Bird' in mainstream cinemas.
Each of these eras – Super 8, camcorder, and iPhone – had its own charms and challenges. Super 8 taught us precision and planning. The camcorders brought storytelling to a more personal level. And the current iPhone era? It's all about accessibility and spontaneity on the cheap.
But it’s never really been about the equipment. Whether shooting on film, tape, or phone, it’s the passion, discipline, and ambition of those who wield it that makes the difference.
So, as we continue to embrace the next iteration of filmmaking technologies, let's not forget the roots planted by the generations that came before, the folks who learned to capture their creative vision one frame at a time.
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