Technologically speaking, everything old is new again; kids these days are playing vinyl records, watching VHS tapes, and I dunno, is playing Atari a thing again? At any rate, Kodak is getting in on this retro action, announcing the production of their first Super 8 home movie camera in over 30 years.
The film and camera company made the announcement yesterday at CES (Consumer Electronics Show), the annual electronics and technology trade show in Las Vegas. According to Kodak, the camera “combines the classic features of a Super 8 with digital functionality as well as opportunities for visitors to shoot their own Super 8 footage and watch home movies.”
The one-time medium of choice for home movies and amateur filmmakers had fallen on particularly hard times in the video and digital era, but the championing of film over digital by marquee filmmakers has trickled down to make the old technology shine anew. Among the filmmakers voicing their approval of the new camera are Steven Spielberg and J.J. Abrams, who (wouldn’t ya know it) collaborated as producer and writer/director of the 2011 film Super 8.
Availability and price points have not yet been announced, but we know this much: now, a whole new generation of filmmakers will be able to use this grainy home movie film as a visual cue for their characters’ tortured childhoods.