September 18, 2009
1979 My First Movie
So it was 1979. I had been taking pictures with my dad's Pentax for a few years and had a serious camera bug. I had always asked to shoot with the super 8 (a Canon 814 Autozoom), but wasn't allowed. The movie camera was off strictly limits and of course the forbidden status gave it a special pull (I even loved the smell of the case). One summer my parents went on vacation leaving us with our grandparents. I had recently learned about stop motion and was desperate to experiment. This was my chance. I secretly brought the camera to my room and shot a stop motion test. The next day my brothers were recruited for a guerilla shoot. I didn't have a story, I just wanted to experiment and see what happened. The movie above is the result. I was actually so scared of getting in trouble that I left the exposed film in the camera bag. The film wasn't developed for months, and when it was it became part of our family lore...That little crude shoot gave me a passion for movies that has lasted a lifetime.
Sidenote: I've always thought it would be fun to add sound to this. I'll probably take a stab at it. I'd love for someone else to give it a try. The source is downloadable for a week on vimeo.
Scene list:
Stop Motion
Ed makes magic
Ed jumps
Use dove soap 21 secs
Sideways guy
Ed wake up
Ed jumps off of Mr. Dixon's Winnebago 1min 26secs
Can't shut the camera off
Mr. Dixon
My trophies
Christopher turns into an old lady
Ed Falls backwards
Razor ad w/ Christopher
Ed lays down a long skid on his bike 2min 35secs
I catch Ed and Christopher fighting (my Grandfather intervenes)
Very bad baseball special effect
Ed jumps off the roof. 3 min 05secs
More stop motion
Crest Commercial
Stop motion shoes
Upsidedown jumping
A brief appearance by me (Tigers shirt) 3min 52secs
Football special effects
Bozo the neighborhood dog
Stop motion tree climbing
Ed as Chaplin 4min 19secs
Christopher as a mariachi
My grandmother 4min 37secs
More stop motion
A watermelon we were growing
Bad pine cone special effect
More zapping
Falling down
More roof jumping
Practical joke on Mr. Sullivan 5min 18sec
Replay of the practical joke, but "funnier"
Delayed football reaction special effect
Credit
More Super 8 Home movies I've uploaded recently:
1970 - At the Park
1968 - Tia Olivia's Wedding
1966 - My Parent's Wedding
more on the way...
to this site
09/19/09 01:38 PM
Davin said...
Tons of fun. Was film on reels or in cartridge format at that point? I shot Super-8 as a kid but it was always 3 minute cartridge Ektachrome stuff.
I have some film still somewhere. Should dig around. It is similarly resplendent with top-quality special effects, titling, and stop motion.
Good times.
09/19/09 01:48 PM
raul said...
These were two 3 minute cartridges which at some point were combined on reel.
09/22/09 07:13 AM
Nancy said...
there is such a universal quality to this film.. it makes me feel
time past in my own life ( the passing of time I have lived ). I love that there is no sound to your film. while I was watching it I could hear the sounds in my own house here..
very moving, Raul. Thank you !