Super 8 Lib/E: An Illustrated History

by Danny Plotnick

Danny Plotnick showcases the history of Super 8 filmmaking in this must-listen book. Super 8 offers a detailed look at the beloved medium--one not only embraced by suburban dads, the target audience of the format, but by the art world, punk rockers, and ultimately popular culture. Filmmakers who got their start in Super 8 include Robert Zemeckis, Jim Jarmusch, Todd Haynes, Sam Raimi, Wes Anderson, and Alex Gibney. Thanks in part to a renewed interest in analog technologies, Kodak will be bringing a new Super 8 camera to market, their first new camera to roll off the assembly line in over thirty years. Super 8 also features interviews from filmmakers who got their start in Super 8 and individuals who were instrumental in the development of the medium. Interviews include filmmakers Richard Linklater ( Slacker , Boyhood , Dazed and Confused ), Dave Markey ( 1991: The Year Punk Broke ), Rocky Schenk (music videos for Adele, Devo, Nick Cave, The Cramps, Robert Plant), James Mackay on Derek Jarman ( Last of England , Jubilee ), Lenny Lipton ( The Super 8 Book ), James Nares ( Rome '78 ), G. B. Jones ( The Lollipop Generation ), Bruce LaBruce ( Hustler White , The Misandrists ), Peggy Ahwesh ( Martina's Playhouse ), Paul Sheptow ( Super-8 Filmmaker magazine), and Ed Sayers (The Straight 8 Film Festival).

Audio CD

Published June 9, 2020

Reviews

[Jay Hinman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptionally entertaining and colorful look at the history of Super 8 filmmaking, with some terrific personal anecdotes and interviews that illuminate the type of filmmakers who fell in love with this format. Especially enjoyed the interviews with Bruce LaBruce, Dave Markey, Martha Colburn and of course Plotnick’s own stories of foiled film transfers and Super 8 screenings gone wrong. It’s also a technical love letter to the cameras, the film stock and the processes that go into making a low-budget Super 8 feature or featurette, with an eye-popper of a layout laden with 60s and 70s ads from old film mags. Great stuff.