Pedestrian TV

The Super8 Diaries  March 28, 2008

The Super 8 Diaries is an ambitious project by film makers Matt Richards and Jeremy Rouse. Like it says on the flyer, 11 bands, one song each shot on super 8 film. In a world where you can shoot a video on your phone of your drunk mates putting someone in an otto bin and wheeling into a half empty pool and upload it to Youtube for free, it takes dedication and something more, something special to see a colossal venture like this through to the end.

Matt and Jeremy appear on camera to talk about the why, who and how this came together. They refer to it as a 'document' and that very fittingly and concisely says it all. The documentation of these eleven bands is a one of a kind. The interviews provide an insight into a very underground world. With 'punk' having been co-opted and exploited to the point of post-irony, and 'indie' conjuring images of Ellen Page in Juno bankrolled entirely by Fox, binding a label to the Super 8 Diaries would be totally unfair.

This DVD, an embodiment of DIY, can only described as honest. Funding everything themselves, the Trainwreck 20/20 team put everything they had into this, and it comes through on film. Developing film isn't cheap and in this day and age and film stock isn't either. Three cameras, eleven bands, a bare minimum of 33 rolls of film and you know that there was bad takes, bad camera equipment (this is 30+ year old technology). You do the math.

With My Disco threatening to become a "next big thing" and Die! Die! Die! touring internationally constantly this film is a must see. Love of Diagrams searing and introspective interview is worth the price alone.

The sense of community that comes across after watching this film is exactly the opposite of the sporting arena. It's so clichéd and American to say this is punk rock, jocks and preps can fuck off. But the truth is that within this community there is no competition and everyone leaves their egos at the door. This is an open forum for the exchange of ideas and artistic discussion. This is not a scene, this is not a front for a commerce driven operation. This is DO IT YOURSELF, for yourself, and for those with an invested interest in broad spectrum of ideas and intelligent conversation.

Matt and Jeremy deliver the finished project on DVD complete with glossy booklet. Bands like Baseball, Eddy Current Suppression Ring and Bang! Bang! Aids adding humour value it's really quintessential if you've ever been to a show.

To get your hands on a copy visit Trainwreck 20/20