4D 135301' IR 004 736 AUTHOR Gunter, Jonahan TITLE Snpei 8: the Madest Medium
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.bocommiT 'moss 4D 135301' IR 004 736 AUTHOR Gunter, Jonahan TITLE Snpei 8: The Madest Medium.. ., INSTITUTION United,Fations.Educational.Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Paris (Prance).' PUIL DATE 76 *4 , . AtoTt 88p-.;'Notavailable in hard.topy due to copyright restrictions . , EDRS PRICE ,MT-$0.83 Plus Posta* gc Not Available from EDRS. 'DESCRIPTORS Developing Nations; Editing; *Eigtt Millimeter projeCtors; *Tilos; Filmstrips; ptotographic- Equipment; production TeCtniques; *Projection Equipment; Sixteen Millimeter PrOjectori; *Sound Films; *State of the Art Reviews; Video Equipment IDENTIFIERS -Super 8 Films ABSTRACT This state of the art review gives an overview of the tistorf of the development of.Super 8 film, and describes a. range Of . hardware.'associated'with'it, covering.such areas as camera, sound synchrOnrzation, double_system recording., lighting, film processing, sound transfer, editing, sound mixing, display, and methods of distribution. It examines the potential use of 8 iillimeter for television broadcasi, an& examines super 8:in relation to other media ,snch a.s'16 milfimeter,film and videotape. It concludes that Super.8 is basically a prodaction medium that.is economical, versatile,, and easy to operate. It is likely that itwfil-have its greatest impact in the Third World. (NBC) . ********************* ************************************************** * Documents abquired by ERIC include many informal unpublished- * * materials not available from other sources. ERIC mak*s every effort * * to obtain-the best copy available. Nevertheless, items'of marginal * * reproducibility, aEe often,encountered and this affects the quality *. * of tile microfichelend hardcopy reproductions ERIC makes available * * via the ERIC Document Reproduction Service (EDR8)..EDRS is nbt *. * responsible for the. quality of the original document. Reproductions *' * supplied by EDRS are.tte best that can be made from the original. Aft_ *********************4************************************************* 1". .1 CIE PAIlma NT OP WEALTH. EDUCATION INFELPAES NATIONAL INSTITUTE OP Sag Otos' THIS DOCUMENT HAS SEEN REPRO: DUCE() EXACTLY AS RECEIVECc.FROM THE /winos% OR ORGANIZATION ORIGIN. " AT ING II POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRE- SENT OFFICIAL NATIONAL INST I TUYIE OF EDUCATION POSITION OR pOL ICY , Super 8: the modest medium by Jonathan F. Gunter PERMSSION TO REPRODUCE THIS COPY,PiGHTED MATERIAL BY MICRO. FICHE ONLY HAS BEEN GRANTED BY CittlaRCIWegm TO ERIC AND ORGANIZATIONS OPERAT ,NO LINDER AGREEMENTS WITH THE NA TIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION FURTHER REPRODUCTION OUTSIDE -; THE ERIC SYSTEM REQUIRES PERMIS SION OF THE COPYRIGHT OWNER ' 0 . ,.. ,1 . / S.,.// Pnblished in 1976 by the United Nations Educatidnal, Seientific'and Cultural Organization 7 Place de Foptenoy, 75100 Paris Printed'bi Imprimeries Rétinias S.A., Lausanne ISBN 92-3.101368-8 . Unesce 1976 Printed b. $witteriand ; Preface This publication is the first in an occasional series of monographs to be commissioned by Unescoon practical aspects of communication technology. Their purpose is to synthesize and share technical infor- mation as soon as it has reacheda reliable stage of exfoerimentation. Obviously, it is difficult to forecast in advance the trends and titles for sucha rapidly changing field, but the monograph series will seek /to treat from time to time those topics considered ,.most -urgent, Most viable and most relevant to the needs of the developing world. The first in the series focuses on recent develop- ments in the field of 8-mm film, especially the rapid and continuing transformation ofsuper 8 from what was originally an amateur medium into a growing ko- fessional tool with potential for -adaptationto tele- vision. The review of developments in 8-mm film should provide a handy reference for audio-visual production centres, for film and -television schools seeking economical training equipment, for teleyision organizations desirous of augmenting theirprogram- mes with less-costly inputs, and for communication .4 planners Prepaini to make decisions on projectthat =fight utilise , The basii for monograph is a numlCr of researches leading ti a doctoral thesis on the ise of 8 mm in evelog countries. The author, Jonathan F. Gunt hold Doctor of Education degree from the U ty of Mauachusett*. Auther-of Uveral jo aricJe.. on ,non-formal education and educa- tionaledII, he 1ia served as consultant to conunu- nica jects n uador and Colombia. At present he isP oof0 Information Center on Instruc- tion 5 eculogç at the Academy for Educational D opment, Wailiington, D.C. titles *oon to follow in the monograph deal with low. cost film anbnation, portable tape productin, and audiocassettes. /The opiniOns expressed in this sthdy are' those f ihe author and do not necessarily reflect those of iS ^ 0 1 Acknowledgements Thanks are in order to several individuals who. provided advice and information for this study. Mark Mikolas and Gunther Hoos of the Super-8 Film Group served as technical consultants, andwere of *valuable assistance. Bob Doyle and Julie Mamolen of Super-8 Sonnd were also most helpful. I also thank Rick Minicucci, of Super-8 Research Associates and many other manufacturers who obligd my requests for information and illustrations. Information was gathered from sources in several eountries,and treated according. to its importance in the development Of 8-mm film technology. Never- theless, there may be othissions regarding equipment from some countiies. There are two reasons why tbis may 'be the case. First, it was not possible to travel internationally in connexion with this study. Obtaining information by mail often proved difficult.. Secondly, 8-mm tech- nology is advanting so rapidly that it is extremely difficult to stay abreast of developments. For example, since the study was undertakert, two pieces of equipment have, appeared on the market which have transformed 8 mmin terms of its applicability in the world'snon-industrial. countries. The Kodak videoplayer maker. itinexpensive and esti), to broadcast 8-mm film by television.The Uhler -__Mtniwintertmakesit...passible_for_an 8-mm _production_ group to producecopies of its own -films wIihout depending upon any foreign technicaladvice labors- . tories. These advances in film distributidncomplement the professionalization of 8-mm productionwhich has taken place over the'last twoyears: They bringus to a plateau where it seems properto aimless-the cur- rent. state of the art,and to snggest applications for a technologywhich has developed with staggering speed. - Prices are only indicative and subject tovariation because of tariffs or technical improvements. Jonathan F. GUNTER ' . Gintenta 3t . 1 IntrodUction 11 Chapter I8-mm film and its context 17 IIThe rangPof 8-nim hardwase .31 III8 mm in 'relation to other media 71 Conclusion83 AppendixAccess to further informat,' Index of technical terms93 MS 8 IntroduCtion The emerging communication° technologies which have attracted the most attention have been the. large-scale, expensive and glamorous media. Much has beei written about the promise ofcomputers, communication satellites, and colour television. Yet, for all the enthusiasm that has Izieesi. generated, results from these media have bften been disappoint- ing. Industrial tountries have found that the large institutions created by such technology tendto lose sight of grass-roots clients' needs andto operate in their own narrow institutional interest. In non-industrial countries, problems withcom- plex large-scale communication technologyare even greater. Dependence upon imported technical experts and foreign maintenance and repair tacilities been a s'ource of frustration tomany a Third World policy-maker. In educational settings, technology has often 'been attacked. for eliminating ratherthan creating much-needed jobs. il4the shadow of the more glamorous technology, sive advances have taken place in the realm '1;T whatcan be termed 'modest media'. 'Several new 9. _1- 12 media options offer many of.themune communication capabilities of complextechnology, but without neccssitatingcentralizedlargescale organization% 'without dominating theireducational or communi- cation environment, withoutcreating dependence upon A/Nip:technical-expertat, and,without-neces. sexily eliminating jobs. These'thodest media' deserVe the attention ofcohnnunication and education plan- ners in bothindustrial and non-industrialCountries. Allzmedia consist of hardware 1(equipthenVlund software (the messages or programmesproduce disseminated by the hardware).There is always interaction between these basic compo,nentsin any- communication technology. Thecharactcristics of the hardyare influence the typesof software which can be prbduce'dand both influence the programmes. When 'modest'hardware/software develop, new typesof .mediaprograoiming become possible, although it takes time for educatorsand cominuni- cators.to take advantageof a changed situation. The most obvious illustration ofthis process is the 'transistor revolution' in r-ro in the 1950s, whereas radio had previo7 been confinedto electrified areas of the glob ,radio reception spread to virtually the entire wM. Less than ten years after the .developmeAt ofthe transistor receiver, the audio-cassette recder was developed. This device allows for inexpense and simpleproduction of audio materials. Fif en yearsafter the development of ihe cassette re. s rder,educators and communi- cators a ow be nning toapply the tool to decen- tralizing an professionalizing