"Retro Film" - Testing Topaz Starlight AI Enhancer with Super-8mm film

 

I have been testing AI Enhancers for a year now and until recently, March 2025, I have seen poor results with black and white, and with film grain. A common result was no change, with or without an error message. But now, surprise! a dramatic transformation from Topaz Starlight, a "research preview ... first-ever diffusion AI model for video enhancement".  At the time of writing, 13 Apr 2025, it is open for free testing with limited amounts of footage. That comes with a condition that they can use uploaded footage in their research. Therefore the performance is from ugly old me and a much better looking cat. IMO Topaz Starlight is a little "over the top" in its changes and if the release version has a control for something like degree of enhancement then I would be into "dialing it down a bit". 

I can see 2 uses:

Old films.
When we were filming with Super-8mm in the 1980s it was because it was accessible and affordable for telling our stories. IMO it is valid with some of these fictional drama films to go for enhancement. I am thinking minimal or no enhancement for our documentary material.

New Retro Filming.
We are having more of a debate with this! Is there a point to analog filming then having it change to look digital - or does it? Is there a case for saying that this hybrid of Super-8mm and Digital Enhancement gives a distinctive new look with its own new artistic validity? Is it good artistic revenge on filmmakers who fake the film look with digital tech, to fake the digital look with retro film? Our actors, documentary subjects and crew are enjoying working with vintage cameras, and they may enjoy it more with enhancement.

See the Youtube description and additional clips for more about camera, stock, chemistry and cat.

"Retro Film" - Processing colour film as black and white

In learning "retro film" we do tests with stills cameras. It is a quick way to test different films and processes. So these still photos really do relate to film-making.

I can sometimes buy 16mm colour shortends, the unexposed remaining parts of big rolls of film. The colour process is a big challenge and I am focussing on black and white. How does processing colour film as b/w work out?

I got my Kodak Retina 1B out of storage. This is a classic camera from about 1954. It had a partly exposed roll of Kodak Gold 200 in it. I shot some more then processed as black and white in Ilford LC29 diluted 1+19 for 13 min at 20 degC. A usual time for LC29 is 8 min. I read somewhere to give more time to colour film and that seems to have worked. 

Now on the TODO list, film something creative with those shortends! As in short comedy sketches which act as team-building test runs for our mad idea of competing in the 48 Hours film-making competition using retro film.