FilterGrade Super 8 Films
Recently we’ve been diving back into the super 8 realm and we’ve been loving it more than ever! Now that we have a little more knowledge about the medium (compared to when we started) – we’re able to shoot with less anxiety and doubt, and more with confidence and precision.
We wanted to create a home page for all of our super 8 adventures to look back on and relive whenever we need a reminder of why we do what we do. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
1. Chicago on Super 8 – April, 2021
In April 2021, we took a quick trip to visit our family out in Chicago and I decided beforehand that I wanted to make a short film from the trip. I had very little planned out before the trip in terms of what I was going to shoot; however I knew that I wanted to capture raw moments, and moments that I saw around me (without staging).
This was also my first 4K scan (with overscan) and I’m quite happy with the quality of the footage. It was definitely worth the wait. Besides – what really does a memory cost?
This film embodies being different, and loving your family. For more on this short film, continue reading here.
Director/Editor: Matt Moloney
DP: Matt Moloney, Mike Moloney
Film Processing: Cinelab
2. Japan on Super 8 – August, 2018
‘Peace’ is a short film from Japan that I created to help me remember why I fell in love with Japan. To this day, my stomach drops every time I watch this film. Partially because of how nostalgic it makes me, but also because of the story behind the film.
I went to Japan with my father for two weeks in August, 2018. He was going for work, and so was I – except he works at a corporation and I work for myself. I wanted to go to embrace the culture, document everything I saw, and more than anything else – learn. Boy did I fucking learn.
While in Japan, I had the intention of creating a new short film; however before the trip I told myself I wanted this film to be more of a story, and I also wanted it to be longer than 2.5 mins (1 roll of film). During the two week trip, we hopped from Tokyo to Kyoto and then to Hiroshima, and then we came back to Tokyo to finish the trip. I told myself I would shoot some super 8 in Tokyo when we first go there, but since I knew we had two weeks and only two rolls – I figured I wouldn’t shot too much in Tokyo the first few days – but instead I would shoot super 8 of Tokyo at the ned of the trip (after I had some time to think about what I wanted to shoot once I was familiar with the area). For me, this was a pretty big step as I was normally just spraying and praying before that.
Long story short, when we got back to Tokyo, I had three days to explore, and one roll of super 8. The first roll was a little bit of Tokyo, but mainly Kyoto/Hiroshima. When I got back to Tokyo, I had learned that the famous Tsukiji fish market (one of the most famous fish markets in the world) would be closing soon after I left. It was my second to last night in Japan when I found this out. I decided the next morning I would trek to the market at 4-5am (around sunrise) when all the workers would be hard at work delivering/selling fish. What better way to shoot a roll of super 8?
I woke up at 4a.m. – got the Tsukiji market around 4:45 a.m. and started shooting right away. I usually like to take some photos before (1 roll / 24-36 photos) to help me figure out how I want to frame things. After I shot those photos, I started shooting super 8. It was the most free I’ve ever felt in my life. I was by myself, in a foreign country, where I could barely communicate with others. I felt like Spike Lee. Super 8 in hand, following workers around the market, capturing interactions, watching life as it went by me so fast.
The roll ended. I got home. A month later I get a message from my film lab saying only one of the rolls came out. My heart sank. At the time I didn’t know which roll came out and which didn’t – it didn’t really matter. I knew either way I was never going to recover those memories.
To this day I still have no clue what happened to the Tsukiji Market super 8 film roll. Whether it was a camera error, film error, something at TSA… I have no clue. I hope it never happens again.
Tokyo, Japan. August, 2018.
Director/DP/Editor: Matt Moloney
Film Processing: Cinelab
3. California on Super 8 – January, 2018
My second film that I ever shot. This was still during my testing phase. I really would go on a trip and just shoot anything I saw. Luckily I was shooting with Super 8 film because it can make any ordinary scene look good.
In all seriousness though, I learned a lot by shooting/creating this short film. It taught me a lot about how to shoot (stop being so shaky) and also what to look for. I attribute a lot of my current projects to what I used to look at. If you look at some of my current work, you will probably see hints of this short film still dispersed throughout my work. (ie. framing, composition, shot style)
Director/DP/Editor: Matt Moloney
Film Processing: Cinelab
4. White Mountains, NH on Super 8 – June 2020
In March 2020, covid-19 swept throughout the US, after sweeping through the rest of the whole world. Right before spring break of my senior year of college everything shut down. I had to cancel my trip to Florida, and when spring break was over we finished the semester virtually through online/zoom classes.
I graduated in May of 2020; with a virtual ceremony that I didn’t attend, like many of my freshman year classes.
Right after I was supposed to graduate, my brother, my cousin, and one of my brother’s friends decided we should go on a camping trip. I thought this would be the perfect time to have some fun shooting super 8, so I decided to bring it with me and make a little film from the trip. Nothing really special to it, but it makes me happy.
Director/DP/Editor: Matt Moloney
Film Processing: Cinelab
5. Boston on Super 8 (1st Test with Super 8) – November 2017
This is the very first time I ever shot super 8. The reason I even found out about super 8 was because of Daniel Caesar. I was at a music festival in Denver, Colorado with my brother and while we were there Daniel Caesar was performing. It was pretty early on in the day, and not that many people were crowded around his stage (before he was super famous). I had never even heard his music before.
The music drew me in, but it was the visuals playing in the background that really kept me in the moment, and see what he was saying with the music.
He had a super 8 visual playing behind him and his band – similar to the one I have included below (probably modified for concert). I’d seen footage that looked like this before, but at that time I didn’t know people were still able to make films like that. Which I know now sounds weird, but I really didn’t know people were doing things like that.
I asked my brother what it was and he told me, ‘it was film or super 8 or something’. When I went home I researched everything I could about it. That whole summer of 2017 I spent hours every day trying to find a super 8 camera on eBay. Eventually I found one and that fall I shot my first two rolls of test footage – this roll above (#5) and also ‘Say Your Prayers’, #7 on this list below.
Director/DP/Editor: Matt Moloney
Film Processing: Cinelab
6. ‘Stuck’ Super 8 Short Film – February, 2021
Right before covid-19 really hit America my cousin was getting married in California. Everyone in the family was planning to go out there for a week or so to celebrate and see the West Coast.
This is the film I shot while there.
One week after we got back from California, the first confirmed case of Covid-19 appeared – and just so happened to be at my school – the University of Massachusetts, Boston. (no, it was not me luckily). The school sent everyone home for the weekend, but didn’t shut down. Over the next few days, we got tons of backlash from the Boston Globe and other media outlets. A few days after that Harvard University shut down. The next thing you know – all of the US is shut down.
Right around that time is when I got my film back from the lab. Honestly, I didn’t know what to do with it.
I sat on it for a few months and that’s when I came up with the idea for ‘Stuck’ – how I felt at the time.
Director/DP/Editor: Matt Moloney
Film Processing: Cinelab
7. ‘Say Your Prayers’ Super 8 Short Film – November, 2017
On November 15, 2017, Lil Peep died. I wasn’t a huge fan of him or his music at the time. I wasn’t a hater either, I just didn’t know much about him or his music, I had only seen him around social media every now and then.
I didn’t realize it at the time, but looking back I think his death had a lot to do with this film. In May, 2018, Lil Peep’s family released the song ‘4 Gold Chains’ – produced by Clams Casino.
Clams Casino is the producer of the instrumental ‘Say Your Prayers’ that I used as the inspiration for this project. Obviously I created this film before ‘4 Gold Chains’ was released, after the song dropped I looked back on the film and realized everything was how it should have been.
Director/Editor: Matt Moloney
DP: Mike Moloney
Film Processing: Cinelab
8. ‘FCUK’ Super 8 Visualizer – August 2020
One of the most fun super 8 shoots to date was this visualizer for ‘FCUK’ by Tobi (FLYN*GGAPOPSTAR). I remember it was a really nice day out and I wanted to shoot some photos. Mike and I were bored so I hit up Tobi to see if he was free to shoot. I knew a really good sunset spot that I wanted to go to and when Tobi said he was down both of us were ready to go.
I remember right after Tobi said he was free I saw my super 8 camera on the shelf and I was thinking ‘Fuck, I should shoot some super 8 – it’s been a while …’ so I brought it with me not thinking too much of it and when I got to the location I had in mind, I just couldn’t hold myself back. We talked about what a good song for a fun video could be and he said ‘FCUK’ and I knew it would be perfect for the environment and light.
None of it was planned out, but it still came out really well. I also really appreciate Tobi trusting our vision for the project (especially when we never had planed anything serious).
Director/DP/Editor: Matt Moloney
Production Assistant: Mike Moloney
Film Processing: Cinelab
9. ‘Long Beach Island’ Super 8 Short Film – July, 2018
Before I really got into shooting super 8 it was kind of a second camera that I just brought around with me. I was never confident enough that the footage would come out perfect so I would just use it to (hopefully) capture some cool videos while I was out taking photos and exploring.
This film is a perfect example of that. I had gone out for a bike ride to the end of the island with Mike and our cousin, Tyler. We went out just for fun, but I brought my photo camera with me and my super 8 camera. I didn’t know what to expect, and I’m still not sure as to why this whole roll is overexposed, but I like the feeling that it gives off. Something about the overexposure lets you know just how hot it was that day; it makes me feel like I’m reliving that day every time I see this footage.
I think over time I realized that ‘getting the shot’ isn’t always the most important part – telling the story, how you actually saw it is the most important.
Director/DP/Editor: Matt Moloney
Film Processing: Cinelab
10. ‘Désolé’ – Super 8 Short Film
One of my favorite things about creating films and making art in general is seeing how it can transform.
In 2017/2018 I shot only a few rolls of super 8 film. At that time, I ended up using some of the film for another short film (#3 on this list) and never really went back to look at this footage here in ‘Désolé’.
Fast forward 3 years and I’ve finally put other a project that I’m proud of using that footage from so long ago.
‘Désolé’ – the title of this film, is inspired by my love for the places that I’ve lived and the places I’ve visited; and an apology for my habit to run away.
Director/DP/Editor: Matt Moloney
Film Processing: Cinelab
11. Dusk / Dawn (short film)
Almost my whole entire life I’ve been going to Long Beach Island, NJ for the 4th of July. My family has a house on the island and every year we made it a priority to not only go visit the family, but also check back in with the island. I never understood how significant this geographical location meant to me until I wasn’t able to go there for a year (covid).
In July 2021, I finally got to go back with my family and I put together this short film during the trip. I knew that I already created a super 8 film about LBI in the past, but I knew I could do better.
This time, with more knowledge on my camera, the film stocks, and camera movements, I feel I was able to put a much more well-rounded project that not only shows you everything that means something to me on the Island, but also emits a feeling of going back to the shore, just like when I was a kid.
Director/DP/Editor: Matt Moloney
Film Processing: ColorLab MD
12. ‘Just Call Your Uncle Jim’ – August, 2021
As you grow up and get older, you start to realize how minute things can become so significant and meaningful. For me, growing up in Michigan and moving away has always been a driving factor in my work. I attribute myself shooting on celluloid film to the fact that I am always chasing this nostalgic trance – something that will put me back in my 8 year old shoes, before I ever knew about ‘the real world’.
Super 8 film has always helped me create my own dream state.
It’s been 8+ years since I was back in Northern Michigan, and I knew that I wanted to create a short film to bring you into my 8 year old mind. I’m 22 now and this is the closest short film I’ve gotten to my real dream state. I hope you enjoy.
13. NYFW on Super 8 – Sept. 2021
Unfortunately due to covid, it was not as fun and wild as past years, but I still had a great time and love the footage that I did get.
