Cropped vs. Overscan Super8 for your Wedding Film?

So you’ve decided to book me to capture your Super8 wedding film… YAY! I am so happy you’ve decided to book Sabrina Fitz Photo and Film to capture your first day of forever in the dreamiest analog format: super8mm film.

You may see super8 films out there in a variety of formats, and that’s because there are so many different ways to crop your super8 wedding film after the film is exposed. Once your day is over, I’ll send my footage over to a lab. (I use The Negative Space for all my motion picture film scanning needs!)

I order your film roll to be developed and scanned in a high resolution format and wait for the digital scans to come back. Then, the fun begins!

Now, let’s dive into the Overscan vs. Cropped look:

Let’s start by showing you two screenshots of the same super8 film, one a full overscan (un-cropped) and the second cropped in to the 4:3 format.

All the contents of the frame and seen in both versions. But, in the overscan option, you see the the un-cropped sensor scan with all the film perforations! In the cropped version, I eliminate all the distracting elements and crop it into the image area. Want to see it in action? Check out the same elopement super8 wedding film in both formats below:

Ruby & Kiet’s Super8 Wedding Elopement Film – Overscan:

Ruby & Kiet’s Super8 Wedding Elopement Film – Cropped:

So, as you can see, the final result makes a slight but noticeable difference! Both are gorgeous, but have their pros/cons. I would say that the overscan/un-cropped version gives the full vintage effect, while the cropped version is less distracting and allows you to focus more on YOU.

In the end, it’s a totally personal preference. You decide what you prefer and let me know how you’d like your super8 wedding film delivered!

To see more Sabrina Fitz Photo & Film analog magic, head to my blog!