Straight talk
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With their playful and punky in-camera filmmaking challenge inspiring audiences (and terrifying entrants) again this year, straight 8’s Ed Sayers and Alex Glynn give Jamie Madge some tips on how to nail the shot(s).
How would you sum up straight 8, in eight words?
ES: A loving kick-up the arse to filmmakers everywhere
AG: Freedom through restriction: tiny film with massive results.
Ed, what led you to create the competition? Alex, what drew you to the madness?
ES: Wanting to make a short film. Wanting to shoot on super 8. Not wanting to spend too long on it. Not wanting to spend too much money on it.
AG: It’s so easy to think about doing something and not actually do it. I got involved ten years ago, after leaving uni and spending a year in locations. straight 8 felt like returning to what I loved most about being a student: making something for yourself, and for the sake of it, rather than chasing your next Golden Lion/Bear/Aardvark.
What makes the competition unique?
ES: The warm embrace of relief – knowing that you almost certainly won’t make something perfect. And the level playing field, with a balance of competition and camaraderie that results.
It’s so easy to think about doing something and not actually do it.
AG: Perhaps the only filmmaking format in the world where the director (and crew) aren't sick of their project when they finally see it in the cinema – because they’re seeing it for the first time too.
What would you say entrants are most scared of when entering?
ES: That they may miss all those years of procrastination. Seriously. There aren’t many downsides. Some people go into it with a watertight plan and some take a looser approach. Our top selections usually have a healthy mix of both. There’s nothing to fear and so much to gain.
AG: A lot of them think they’re scared of shooting on super 8 and not having the luxuries of retakes, playback, etc. In reality, I think they’re often worried their idea isn't strong enough to hold up against the competition – and to me, that’s the right thing to be concerned about.
And what would you say they take away from it?
AG: That it's fun to just go out there and make something! Plus, the techy bits that seem the most difficult are often the easiest. It’s the simplest things – story, idea, and letting go of your fears – that are often the most complicated.
Credits
powered byWhat five things would you say are key to a cracking straight 8?
ES:
- Attitude
- Optimism dashed with realism
- A killer idea
- Resourcefulness mixed with belief
- A super 8 camera with film in it
AG:
- Plan, plan, plan. Then be ready to tear it up when you accidentally film the crew for fifteen seconds.
- Embrace those accidents! Often, the things people didn’t intend before pulling the trigger turn out to be their best moments.
- Give up your hang-ups: if there's ever a format to take a risk and go for that wild idea, this is it.
- Start simple – both in idea and tech – then push the boat out where it helps your story.
- Read the competition rules (!!) – they’re a trove of tips from past mistakes.
- Bonus: Don’t waste energy trying to do sync sound.
Above: straight 8 on the BFI IMAX.
What’s the most ambitious idea you’ve seen attempted?
ES: I don’t do bests or mosts, but the first screening we had at Cannes Film Festival in 2003 – pre-drones – someone made a single-shot film using a petrol-powered radio-controlled helicopter. It told a beautiful emotional story about a CEO of a certain age reflecting on lessons in love and business learned at seven.
The filmmakers managed to get Bill Paterson to voice it. The story followed a choreographed game of hide and seek in a bucolic forest clearing and, just as the drama peaked, the shot reversed at speed, the helicopter clipped a tree and the camera landed on its side, filming the ground like the POV of a KO’d boxer – while the rest of the story played out in audio. Amazingly, it was still touching.
There’s nothing quite like a straight 8 screening.
AG: An Argentinian maniac decided to film four films in one, using concentric circles to mask the viewfinder and cutting open the cartridge to manually rewind it in a darkroom. He linked the four sets of visuals, both thematically and through colour palette. Some of it was exposed to light and ended up completely white.
Nuts.
Made our straight 8 2016 top eight Cannes selection.
What’s made you laugh the most?
AG: I don't know if it should in 2025, but Stephen's Cat still gets me belly-laughing. No further comment needed.
Credits
powered byWhat are you surprised you haven’t seen more of?
AG: Bad films. You’d think we’d get loads, but the standard is incredibly high now.
There’s some collective energy channelled through these films that gives almost all of them something that works – even if it doesn’t all come together.
How would you describe the screenings themselves?
ES: There’s nothing quite like a straight 8 screening. When else does the audience discover the film at the exact same time as its makers? It’s electric – but I’m not here to convince you. All I’ll say is: if you haven’t been yet, when will you?
AG: As Ed says, it’s electric. Nobody in the room has seen the work, so there’s static bouncing from person to person. And when it kicks off, there’s this great feeling of shared discovery.
People leave straight 8 screenings wanting to make films.
The unexpected moments that really work make everyone in the audience feel connected.
People leave straight 8 screenings wanting to make films.
How should people get involved?
ES: Come to screenings, get inspired, build a team and enter. straight 8 is open to anyone, anywhere. Spread the word. If you’ve got a straight 8 in you, we want to see it.
AG: First, watch them in the cinema. super 8 looks best on the big screen without YouTube compression – and it feels best when it’s a welcome relief from the stuff we see every day.
Then just do it. This edition of Shootout is now closed, but straight 8 2026 is open for entries…
