The very things that make many of us so passionate about the bleeding edge of visual technology make us equally attached to vintage media – not out of nostalgia, out of a love of what is expressive.
Our friends over at Retro Thing have devoted their entire site to such matters. But as we mourn the loss of the Small Thing print magazine, they have some particularly useful posts this week related to some of those older formats.
Signs of hope:
Where To Find Regular 8mm Film
— that’s the important one. It’s possible to still go pick up Super 8 film, and I’m pleased to hear the Super 8 cartridges from Kodak are still being made. I’m actually a little surprised that super 8 footage isn’t making its way into more digital visualist sets.
New Low Cost 8mm Film Transfer Unit
— likely out of reach of many of us at US$1495, but still in a range that it could impact anyone who needs such transfers.
Polaroid Fanatics Gets Another Chance
— a long shot, but it seems former Polaroid employees are trying to rescue the old Instant Integral film plant in the Netherlands. That’s heartening, because the lousy new digital-printing Polaroids just aren’t the same. The whole appeal was watching that film develop.
What’s your favorite “antiquated” medium? Do you work with formats like 8mm or even film Polaroids for your sets? How do you get them in digital form? We’d love to hear from you.