Help needed, film identification

[Orbot_Vectorman]

Dear fellow escapists, I have recently stumbled on a super 8mm film, and I have tried to figure out what title it is. All I got is red plastic case with "CCC" on the inside, and the metal reel itself reads "Made in U.S.A." "EZ-Grip" and "Scherer". And with a vigorous search of the internet has come up with nothing.
So if any one knows a thing or two about 8mm films, please reply.

 

[Frezzato]

I'm not a film history buff, but chances are you won't be able to identify your film reel as anything famous. In fact, Super 8 film was by far within the realm of people who filmed home movies [http://motion.kodak.com/motion/Products/Production/Spotlight_on_Super_8/Super_8mm_History/index.htm]. Think of it like how people had VHS cameras back in the day and all they recorded were birthday parties and family outings.

*EDIT* Yes, here we go. Scherer [http://www.ebay.com/itm/7inch-Scherer-Super-8-Film-Reel-Metal-Blue-Vintage-Canister-/171589146463?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27f382975f] film reel. So way back in the day, people would buy Super 8 film in plastic cartridges. They allowed people to film roughly 3 minutes at a time. They probably had to be mailed in to get developed (maybe there were more local businesses that did it back then) and you would get it back on a reel to view it on your home projector.

Back in my school days we still had access to Super 8mm cameras, most of which had a single-frame exposure button so you could film animation. It was pretty fun to use, but in terms of quality, our Super 8's didn't compare to something like the 16mm Bolex hand-wound camera. Still, I'd be pretty curious to see what you find. It's one thing to look through the reel one frame at a time, but imagine the mystery of threading your reel into a projector and watching history come back to life!

 

[Armadox]

You didn't expose it to light did you? Because if you did and the film is old enough it may be lost. A lot of those words are simply company issued stuff. Do you have a player to view it?

 

[Jamash]

I don't think any of those words have anything to do with the title of the film and are just trade words.

"EZ-Grip" is probably just a reference to the job Grip in film production and a trademark or brand name, while "Made in the U.S.A" probably only refers to where the actual blank reel was produced and has no bearing on it's contents.

However, if I were to hazard a guess, seeing as Scherer is a Jewish/German surname, then CCC could be a reference to Central Cinema Compagnie-Film GmbH.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CCC_Film.

http://ccc-film.de/

That would be my best guess based on the information you've provided, but without viewing the film itself, it would be neigh on impossible to furthur discern it's contents.

If I was in your situation, I would take some photographs of the case and reel and any identifying information and get in contact with CCC Film via their website to see whether they can claim ownership to the film and give any clues to it's contents... who knows it could be something quite valuable to them if it's a lost piece of their past.

 

[Orbot_Vectorman]

You didn't expose it to light did you? Because if you did and the film is old enough it may be lost. A lot of those words are simply company issued stuff. Do you have a player to view it?

I haven't exposed it to light as of yet, I was thinking of doing so, and sadly no, I don't have a player for 8mm film.

 

[Frezzato]

You didn't expose it to light did you? Because if you did and the film is old enough it may be lost. A lot of those words are simply company issued stuff. Do you have a player to view it?

I haven't exposed it to light as of yet, I was thinking of doing so, and sadly no, I don't have a player for 8mm film.

If it's a round, metallic case, then the film is on a reel, and therefore it has already been developed. Super 8 was sold in cartridges which in turn were sold in sealed cardboard boxes.

If you feel like being ultra-safe, then buy a sheet of rubylith [http://www.dickblick.com/products/ulano-rubylith-masking-film/] and cover a light bulb in a room that's been sealed off from all light sources. Then you can check your negative for developed images.

 

[Albino Boo]

Scherer made reels and cases for super 8 film stock and are/where American. I suspect is that you have got hold of someone's old home movie. The writing on the can is just referring to the can and won't tell you what on the film.