SUPER 8 VIDEOGRAPHY FOR YOUR WEDDING

We're all about the timeless wedding day here at Wedding Sparrow and the tangible nature of film has always been beautiful to us. Those heirloom photographs of our grandparents at their wedding still take pride of place in our hearts and home and of course we want that longevity too. So when we think about videography for our wedding days, how can we ensure cinematic quality with the timeless nature of film? Super8 cine film (and 16mm) wins our hearts every time (in fact, we'd just love our entire lives shot on Super8 to make it look awesome!). The grainy images, the romanticism, the feeling that we're watching a film about us rather than of us, are all reasons why we love it.

When the Royal Family booked their Super8 Videographer and Blogger and Instagram star Margo & Me (Jenny) found Bubblerock for their big day, we knew that Super8 was seeing a rise in popularity, and rightfully so. See Jenny and Freddie's French Chateau wedding below...

From Bubblerock: "When we say super8, we don’t have to assume it will be old-looking and old-fashioned. It’s an old technology which has been brought back into the modern age and just very much like film photography, it is beautiful and certainly not old. The textures, the grain, the light and the feel captured through super8 is something that many have tried to emulated digitally but it hasn't been achieved. It’s just incomparable, inimitable.

Super8 works best in daylight or somewhere with a lot of natural light. At night, it is more complicated to shoot but not impossible. On the contrary, with the right lighting setup, super8 can still be used even during the first dance.

Super8 is super transportable for your filmmaker and you definitely blend a lot more in with the crowd (apart, let’s be honest from the sound)… but once the sound surprise wears off (and generally it makes your guests super interested and excited to talk about your cameras), you just fit right in. Minimum amount of gear, maximum impact.

The fear of “will it come out?”, “what if something happens to the reels?” should just be on par with “what if the digital cards are corrupted”… there is risk everywhere when it comes to live event, always… whether super8 or digital and this should not be a reason not to do it.

We have also found that filming with super8 has made us more aware of the right moments, the beautiful ones, the real emotions, the interaction. People seem more comfortable to “be” in front of the camera and interact when it’s a super8 camera. It might just be less “impressionable”. And there is no reason why you couldn’t have sound on your super8 film… we can still record sound separately. A good filmmaker will be a good sound designer as well and will be able to bring this old technology to life."

Jenny + Freddie | Super 8 Film from bubblerock on Vimeo.

A recent bride and groom, Katie & Mark also tell us why they chose Super8 for their big day: "Choosing Super 8 for our Video seemed like such a natural decision! It perfectly compliments film as they both come from the same era and have the same aesthetic and quality. Super 8 is utterly timeless and nostalgic. We all have memories of seeing generations before us documented on film...these were always special events, days, holidays or celebrations. Having something filmed meant it was a significant memory that future generations should be able to relive and that it should be remembered forever. The clicking of the rolling film reel, the static on the film strip, the jumpy camera...these things all evoke a nostalgia inside us and marks a significant event in history. Super 8 is timeless, it never goes out of fashion, it is forever.

We almost didn't end up having a videographer at our wedding. In a last minute decision, we decided on the Super 8 videographer and we couldn't be more relieved that we had. The video catches moments unseen- the in between smiles, the excited glances, the secret hand squeezes between us. It adds a layer of memory from our wedding day and we are eternally grateful for the video. We especially adore how imperfect it is. The shaky frames, the grain, the out of focus shots...it isn't a crystal clear (cinematic) and unrealistic capture of our day. It's exactly how we remember the day; a true depiction without any glitz or glamour of a cinematic video.

I would absolutely recommend any couples that tend towards film consider a super 8 video. We will treasure ours and look forward to sharing it with generations to come."

Scotland Forever, Grant Wedding from Katie Grant on Vimeo.

From Jody Hill Cinema: "What I love most about shooting film is how tangible it is; it's a hands on experience from choosing the film stock for a certain look or lighting situation, to threading and loading the camera. When I'm shooting, the whirring mechanical sound of the motors really gives me the feeling of excitement and adds sense of mystery of whats being captured. Once I get my footage back from the lab and see it scanned to HD, I'm transported right back to the experience I had when I shot the clips, so even the editing becomes a beautiful creative process. I have never been able to achieve that same feeling shooting digital cinema, which feels sterile and lifeless to me. The natural grain, colours, and subtle nuances of light rendered with film always captivates me, and that is something I want my wedding clients to experience as well.

Motion film has an undeniable sense of magic that every couple should experience as it captures their day. It immediately transports them back to the moments captured. I share with my couples, that in shooting their weddings on film, I'm not looking to showcase specifically what their day looked like, rather what it felt like. I want to create a wedding film and experience that they will cherish."

Courtney & Tyson // Okanagan Vineyard // 16mm Wedding Film from Jody Hill on Vimeo.

From Naz Films: "I am a filmmaker and visual storyteller who chooses to work with Kodak Super 8 and 16mm film. The results evoke a full of life sense of being, and the very aesthetic of film both captures, and renders light, color in such a way that that not only feels warm, and familiar but also allows the human emotion in a scene to feel poetic and cinematic!

Wedding Inn At Perry Cabin Belmond : : Phil & Stephanie : : Highlight Film from Naz Films on Vimeo.

Even more of our readers are getting in on the Super8 action with bride Lauren and her fiance Barnaby choosing film for their big day after finding their wedding photographers, Taylor & Porter, through Wedding Sparrow. They complemented the timeless film photography with Super8 videography by S8 Films below...

Barnaby & Lauren's | Ashridge House | SUPER 8 WEDDING FILM from s8 films on Vimeo.