9.5mm v. 8mm

Although Matt has got the 9.5mm projector and camera working to a degree it has been difficult and there are lots of problems. For example the wheel that spins around and blocks out the sprockets in the middle of the film strip is bust. He has done a great job, even cutting the wire that lights up the bulb and plugging the wires directly into a transformer. He focused the film on a little bit of paper. However it was hard work. The camera works okay, and seems practical but because of the projector difficulties we have decided that it will be less hassle to go for the 8mm option, as it's easier to get good machines in working order. And if we want to leave films running automatically as part of an installation we need something more usable than a broken hand-cranked Pathe projector, cute though it is. I have a lovely 8mm projector, more recent, and which has its own beige plastic charm, so we're off to a good start. We're hoping his uncle may have an 8mm camera in his loft. Really excited about making some films, especially seeing as I have a PhD in film history!