Those of us who are veterans of the "super-8" filmmaking generation have been experiencing a wave of nostalgia in the wake of the recent J.J. Abrams / Steven Spielberg film of (nearly) the same name.
Why did super-8 filmmaking mean so much to us? For one thing, having the ability to actually shoot and edit movies was still relatively rare amongst most kids, so a kid making a movie was a special attraction to like-minded friends.
For me, the greatest attraction - though I wasn't aware of it at the time - was the chance to have and lead a team. I might come up with the general parameters, and my friends would join in the adventure and make their own contributions.
Like in the film, Super 8, someone might specialize in monster make-up, while others simply wanted to act. Others would work with me on a screenplay, or co-produce a film with me (inevitably leading to an afternoon-long negotiation dedicated to naming our new production company. During junior high school, I served as a mini-mogul at several of these creations - from RSDH Productions (combining my initials with my friend's) or Silver Hammer Productions (because another friend was a big Beatle fan).
The creation of each studio, naturally, would lead to a slate of proposed films, developed through further negotiation and debate. My friends and I usually focused on horror and science fiction films, with titles that ranged from Killer From Space to The Blob From Outer Space.
A frame of film didn't even have to run through the camera. In sixth and seventh grade, I created the concept of a Star Trek-like TV series called, Voyages of the Spaceship Clipper (as I entered junior high, I would change 'Clipper' to 'Triton' because I thought it sounded cooler). My friends and not only conceived of an entire season's worth of episode concepts, but some designed costumes, sets, props and even new characters. This was our team sport. Playing the game - working to plan the film – was the important thing; winning - shooting and finishing a film - was secondary.
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