Can a Hi8 Handycam Be Cinematic?

In this video we answer the question of whether a 20 year old Sony Handycam Hi8 can be cinematic.
Check out the Your Next Film Podcast: / @yournextfilm
Check out our micro short shot on Hi8:
• Does God Love Robots? ...
If you plan on picking one of these cameras up, here are some accessories I recommend:
NPF Battery: amzn.to/4dXcXoi
Hi8 Tapes: amzn.to/3wRYE3U
Clearclick Video Capture: amzn.to/3WSebvf
Atmospheric Aerosol: amzn.to/3R1LV5o
Digital 8 Handycam: amzn.to/4e9iatF

[@strawberrycrxme]

If you connect the camcorder to a HDMI converter into a 4K recorder and record it tapeless, it'll look a lot more cinematic and more HQ. I've been using this method for almost 2 years now and it's shockingly really good tapeless in RAW format.

[@strawberrycrxme]

If you also set the camera to 16:9 wide it'll give you actual widescreen, and lets you record at a lower shutter making it more cinematic looking

[@ZacktheFilm]

That could be a good video idea! I wonder if I can use my Ninja V to do this.

[@strawberrycrxme]

@@ZacktheFilm You can! I use my assassin for it and it works fine, just make sure to get the Ablewe brand of HDMI converters, the other brands tend to have issues

[@ZacktheFilm]

Sounds like I've got some testing to do!

[@strawberrycrxme]

@@ZacktheFilm I actually learned this technique from Tyler MacIntyre (The guy who directed The Gawkers from V/H/S 99) so thanks to him for teaching me this method, their short was filmed on a TRV940 HI8 camera with a ninja v!

[@jimmyfulton]

I just bought one off of eBay. I bought it for nostalgia reasons. Brings me back to when my dad would video me and my sister as a kid. I want that feeling with my kids.

[@ZacktheFilm]

Nice! Enjoy your new camera!

[@portlandsb]

you're scrratching the surface. keep going

[@cashcozy6903]

I just bought a sony handycam.low budget films from the 70-early 2000s are my inspiration and i wanted a digital camera to give me that retro feel at first i wanted to shoot on a super 8 film but starting out that way would be difficult for a beginner so i choose the camcord route and this video help alot now im confident in the camera i got and cant wait to shoot with it

[@ThinkingAboutCameras]

Brilliantly presented - and mesmerising images. A great tip too on the smoke machine. Appreciated!

[@ZacktheFilm]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@rohanginnela11]

This video is very high quality! Man, now I can claim that I was here before this blew up

[@ZacktheFilm]

Thank you so much!

[@mavisowens7950]

How doesn’t this have more views?? Great video

[@ZacktheFilm]

Would you consider using this camera for something?

[@AlexTechVideo]

I've used as similar camera for something already!

[@KinoMatteo]

The best part was that I nabbed the camera for $5 at a thrift store fill a bag sale

[@haydenrandomantes4580]

Funny how I thought “maybe I won’t shoot film, I’ll shoot tape so it’s cheaper and it’s sort of unique in today’s landscape” ALL OF A SUDDEN this video comes out lmao. Also, nice typewriter. I have the exact same one… are we telepathically connected?

[@ZacktheFilm]

Haha crazy how that happens!

[@thebloke4664]

really good video man! was astounded that you didn’t have more subscribers, thought you’d be at 10k at least.

[@ZacktheFilm]

Thanks! Maybe one day!

[@alfredoziano]

This looks so good, inspiring stuff!

[@ZacktheFilm]

Glad you think so!

[@jacksonlane]

Nice job bro! You popped up in my suggested after a Jamie Windsor vid I watched. Keep it up 💯

[@ZacktheFilm]

Appreciate it!!

[@FilmSpook]

Instant subscribe from me, Zack Bro! I LOVE retro cameras. Great Work, Man. 😎

[@ZacktheFilm]

Thanks, I really appreciate it!

[@Gessekaimaru]

Thanks for the good video!

[@ZacktheFilm]

Glad you liked it!

[@specthespectacular8666]

House of leaves reference

[@waldosia.rabbit]

this was an awesome idea bro

[@ZacktheFilm]

Glad you think so!

[@Colour7ess]

How it´s called the effect that you put on the video in the first seconds?

[@ZacktheFilm]

It's a FCP plugin called m cam rig, by Motion VFX.

[@alfredoziano]

What model is this one? Thx

[@ZacktheFilm]

This one is the TRV27

[@alfredoziano]

@@ZacktheFilm nice, thanks !

[@loukainemngmt1322]

What did you use to shoot the shots of you talking about the camera ?

[@ZacktheFilm]

Panasonic S5

[@enhom]

really awesome and inspiring

[@ZacktheFilm]

Glad you liked it!

[@rajendrabiswas]

my dad shot a lot on min dv and tapes ... but I only feel the Panasonic and canon xl2 still cinematic

[@ZacktheFilm]

The XL2 actually still holds up. Would love to get my hands on one!

[@tedbragg74]

You can improve Hi-8 by a huge margin by skipping tape and grabbing video off the svideo out. Use a ::powered:: svideo/rca to hdmi converter box - those will clean up the signal and set it to IRE 7.5 (the rca to usb dongles are crap now, don’t use them) A cheap HDMI to USB 2.0 dongle will capture perfectly. I like to record to ProRes HQ 8bit. When brought into your editor, set it as you would to comply with SD NTSC standards (black gamma level raised to 15.9, highlights rolled off around 235). Recording to tape on Hi-8 throws out a TON of luma data you’ll want to keep during grade and matching.

[@ZacktheFilm]

I'll definitely have to try this out. Thanks!

[@GangMilk222]

⁠hello, can you clarify some information for me on this topic? I use of of these av clear click capture cards and what I love it how they save and separate each recording as separate clips on my usb drive. Using the method you described I would have to manually record the played back footage via OBS or something correct? Or is there any sort of a video to hdmi capture device that can make use of the analog sources and still retain the separate clip functionality?

[@MightyEliOfficial]

There is a way easier way to convert it now

[@clumpyschlipz7571]

I prefer MiniDV

[@ZacktheFilm]

I haven't tried MiniDV myself, but I'd like to! I will say I like the analog artifacts from the Hi8. I'm not sure if I would see as much of that on DV.

[@clumpyschlipz7571]

@@ZacktheFilm you might not as much if you use the firewire connection, however you'd probably get the analoge noise with inproved color/dynamic range when capturing through the av out.

[@linesinthedirt]

@@clumpyschlipz7571 MINI DV is nice but dealing with a smaller physical tape, they are not as reliable. still I tend to prefer it. look into the TVR900 mini dv camera, it has setting options for eveything youd find on a modern digital cam.

[@twoexem6548]

Why would you use such a shitty converter? The image you're getting looks worse than what the camera can deliver.

[@ZacktheFilm]

I'm using the S-video port connected to a dedicated capture card to get my images. If there's a better way to process the clips I'm open to hearing about it.

[@twoexem6548]

@@ZacktheFilm Which card do you use?

[@ZacktheFilm]

The Clearclick 2.0 AV converter. It’s worth mentioning I add a lot of effects to the final clip such as film emulation which is probably why it looks different from what you’re expecting.

[@twoexem6548]

@@ZacktheFilm That's the issue. Those converters are sadly very bad at their only job, digitizing. You should give devices like the GV-USB2 or older PCI(e) TV cards with analog inputs a try. It'll improve your video quality significantly.

[@ZacktheFilm]

@twoexem6548 I’ll definitely give the GV-USB2 a try, especially since I’m using this medium more and more. Thanks for the recommendation!