View source for Engineering:Home movie

{{Short description|Amateur film or video typically made just to preserve a visual record of family activities}}

[[File:Ny-worldfair1939-noaudio.ogv|thumb|220px|Home movie made at the 1939 Worlds Fair in New York.]]
A '''home movie''' is a short amateur film or [[Engineering:Video|video]] typically made just to preserve a visual record of family activities, a vacation, or a special event, and intended for viewing at home by family and friends. Originally, home movies were made on [[Engineering:Photographic film|photographic film]] in formats that usually limited the movie-maker to about three minutes per roll of costly camera film. The vast majority of amateur film formats lacked audio, shooting silent film.

The 1970s saw the advent of consumer [[Engineering:Camcorder|camcorder]]s that could record an hour or two of video on one relatively inexpensive [[Engineering:Videotape|videocassette]] which also had audio and did not need to be developed the way film did. This was followed by digital video cameras that recorded to [[Flash memory|flash memory]], and most recently smartphones with video recording capability, made the creation of home movies easier and much more affordable to the average person.

The technological boundaries between home-movie-making and professional movie-making are becoming increasingly blurred as prosumer equipment often offers features previously only available on professional equipment.

In recent years, clips from home movies have been available to wider audiences through television series such as ''Kato-chan Ken-chan Gokigen TV'' (1986 debut) in Japan,<ref>{{cite news |title=US and UK versions of TBS's "Fun TV with Kato-chan and Ken-chan" respectively celebrate their 28th and 27th anniversaries! |url=https://www.japan-programcatalog.com/news/1829 |access-date=13 June 2021 |work=Japan Program Catalog |publisher=Broadcast Program Export Association of Japan |date=8 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Nicholson |first1=Tom |title=Happy 30th Birthday To TV's Stupidest, Smartest Show |url=https://www.esquire.com/uk/culture/tv/a35146773/youve-been-framed-30/ |access-date=13 June 2021 |work=Esquire |date=2021-01-07}}</ref> ''America's Funniest Home Videos'' (1989 debut) in the United States,<ref>{{Cite web |title=America's Funniest Home Videos |url=https://www.afv.com/ |access-date=2020-11-20 |website=www.afv.com}}</ref> ''You've Been Framed!'' (1990 debut) in Britain,<ref>{{Cite web|title=You've Been Framed!|url=https://www.itv.com/youvebeenframed|access-date=2020-11-20|website=ITV|language=en}}</ref> ''Video Gag'' (1990 debut) in France,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Qui se souvient de l'émission video-gag ?|url=https://be.toluna.com//opinions/4371636/Qui-se-souvient-de-l’émission-video-gag|access-date=2020-11-20|website=Toluna – Opinions for all|language=fr}}</ref> and online video sharing sites such as [[Company:YouTube|YouTube]] (founded 2005), that of users who want to share their home movies as [[Social:User-generated content|user-generated content]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=FailArmy|url=https://www.failarmy.com/|access-date=2020-11-20|website=FailArmy|language=en}}</ref> The popularity of the [[Internet]], and wider availability of high-speed connections has provided new ways of sharing home movies, such as video blogs (vlogs) and video podcasts.

==History==
The development of home movie-making has depended critically on the availability of equipment and media formats ([[Engineering:Film stock|film stock]], video tape, etc.) at prices affordable to consumers. The introduction of film formats suitable for amateur hobbyists began early in the history of [[Engineering:Cinematography|cinematography]].

Amateur film equipment became standardized in the 1920s and 30s with the 9.5&nbsp;mm, 16&nbsp;mm, and 8&nbsp;mm formats. By the late 1950s, home movies became cheaper to make, becoming available to the middle class. In the mid-1960s, Super 8's ease of use led to home movies being even more popular.<ref name="material">{{cite book |last1=Aasman |first1=Susan |last2=Fickers |first2=Andreas |last3=Wachelder |first3=Joseph C. M. |title=Materializing memories: dispositifs, generations, amateurs |date=2018 |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |location=New York, [New York] London Oxford |isbn=978-1-5013-3323-1 |page=35 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OfRaEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA35 |access-date=3 December 2023 |language=en}}</ref>

===17.5 mm format===
The 17.5&nbsp;mm "Birtac" format was patented by Birt Acres in 1898.<ref name="marriottworld.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.marriottworld.com/articles/film_history.htm|title=Marriott - Short History of Home Movies|website=www.marriottworld.com}}</ref> This format split the standard [[Engineering:35 mm movie film|35&nbsp;mm film]] into two strips half as wide and could be loaded into the camera in daylight. Since the [[Engineering:Film frame|film frame]]s were also half the height of 35&nbsp;mm frames, the Birtac format used only 25% of the amount of film stock used by 35&nbsp;mm. The camera doubled as a printer and projector, so equipment costs were also reduced.

===9.5 mm format===
In 1922, the French firm Pathé Frères introduced a new film format 9.5&nbsp;mm wide which put the sprocket holes between the frames instead of along the sides of the film, allowing the images to occupy nearly the entire width. The resulting frames were nearly as large and clear as with the slightly later 16&nbsp;mm format, which devoted much of its width to the stabilizing perforations. Used both for making home movies and for showing shortened "cinema-at-home" versions of professionally made feature films, it enjoyed popularity for several decades in Europe, including the UK, but was virtually unknown in the US.

===Safety film and the 16 mm format===
Of importance in making motion picture film practical for home use was the manufacturing option of safety film in the 1920s. The nitrate film used by professionals required caution in handling and projection because it is highly flammable. Nitrate film badly stored has been known to [[Physics:Spontaneous combustion|spontaneously combust]].

The 16&nbsp;mm format, which used only safety film, was introduced by Eastman Kodak in 1923<ref name="marriottworld.com"/> and became a standard in the non-professional market.  Although 16&nbsp;mm had the advantage that users were not tied to one equipment manufacturer, and there were obvious cost advantages compared to standard 35&nbsp;mm, the advent of an even smaller and cheaper format ultimately relegated 16&nbsp;mm to professional users, particularly in the educational market.

===8 mm film format and color===
[[File:Zapruder Camera.jpg|thumb|220px|Bell & Howell Zoomatic camera used by Abraham Zapruder that recorded the assassination of John F. Kennedy.]]In 1932, [[Company:Kodak|Kodak]] introduced another new format, 8&nbsp;mm, now called "Standard&nbsp;8" or "Regular&nbsp;8", which put four frames into the area occupied by one standard 16&nbsp;mm frame. The film usually came in 16&nbsp;mm wide "Double&nbsp;8" form, which ran through the camera in two passes (one in each direction) and was slit in half after processing. The "Straight&nbsp;8" variant came already cut to 8&nbsp;mm width. In either case, the amount of film stock used per frame was again reduced by 75%. This finally brought home movies within the reach of the average family. The smaller format also made possible smaller and more portable cameras and projectors.

The introduction of Kodachrome color reversal film for 16&nbsp;mm in 1935, and for 8&nbsp;mm in 1936, facilitated home color cinematography. The availability of reversal film, both black-and-white and Kodachrome, was very important to the economics of home movie-making because it avoided the expense of separate negatives and positive prints.

===Super 8 and Single-8 film formats===
The original 8&nbsp;mm format was largely superseded within a few years of Kodak's 1965 introduction of Super&nbsp;8 film. The Super&nbsp;8 format used the same film width as standard 8&nbsp;mm, but the perforations were smaller, making room for larger [[Engineering:Film frame|frames]] that yielded a clearer image. In addition, Super&nbsp;8 film came in cartridges for easier loading into the camera. High-end Super 8 also could be purchased with a magnetic audio track, allowing for synchronized sound home movies.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.internetvideomag.com/Articles_2007/102607_imemories-homemovies.htm |title=History of Home Movies |access-date=2011-11-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120428204335/http://www.internetvideomag.com/Articles_2007/102607_imemories-homemovies.htm |archive-date=2012-04-28 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Single-8, a competing product from [[Company:Fujifilm|Fujifilm]], was also introduced in 1965. It used the same new format as Super&nbsp;8 but on a thinner [[Chemistry:Polyester|polyester]] base and in a different type of camera cartridge.

===Home video-making===
The introduction of the [[Betamax|Beta]] [[Engineering:Videocassette recorder|VCR]] in 1975 and [[VHS]] in 1976 heralded a revolution in the making of home movies.  [[Engineering:Videotape|Videocassettes]] were extremely inexpensive compared to film and they could even be erased. This had the effect of greatly increasing the hours of footage of most family video libraries. It took a few years before consumer [[Physics:Video camera|video camera]]s and portable VCRs were introduced, and later combined to create [[Engineering:Camcorder|camcorder]]s, but by that time, many consumers already had the playback equipment in their homes.

==Omnipresence and controversy==
Portability and small size of digital home movie equipment, such as smartphones, has led to the banning of such devices from various places, due to privacy and security concerns.

Pornographic movies of celebrities have been rumoured to exist for many years, but the ease of creating home movies on video has resulted in several celebrity sex tapes becoming available to the public, often without the permission of participants. The honeymoon video of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee from 1998 was the first highly publicized example.<ref>{{Cite web|title=L'histoire secrète de la sextape de Pamela Anderson et Tommy Lee|url=https://www.nouvelobs.com/societe/20160216.OBS4784/l-histoire-secrete-de-la-sextape-de-pamela-anderson-et-tommy-lee.html|access-date=2020-11-20|website=L'Obs|date=18 February 2016 |language=fr}}</ref>

Portability of digital equipment helps fuel other controversies as well, such as the incident on November 17, 2006, in which comedian Michael Richards got into a racist war of words with an audience member during his comedy club act.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2006-11-22|title=Seinfeld actor lets fly with racist tirade|url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/nov/22/usa.danglaister|access-date=2020-11-20|website=the Guardian|language=en}}</ref> Large parts of the incident were captured on the camera phone of another audience member and broadcast widely.

Home movies have played important roles in controversial criminal investigations. The prime example is the Zapruder film of the 1963 assassination of U.S. President [[Biography:John F. Kennedy|John F. Kennedy]], accidentally captured on Kodachrome film with an 8&nbsp;mm home movie camera. The film became crucial evidence for the Warren Commission, which investigated the assassination.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Rosenbaum|first=Ron|title=What Does the Zapruder Film Really Tell Us?|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/what-does-the-zapruder-film-really-tell-us-14194/|access-date=2020-11-20|website=Smithsonian Magazine|language=en}}</ref> At first, only black-and-white enlargements of individual [[Engineering:Film frame|film frame]]s were published, and the most gruesome frame was withheld. The public did not actually see the images in motion for many years. The first showing on network television occurred in 1975.

==See also==
*Amateur film
*[[Engineering:Cinematography|Cinematography]]
*[[Engineering:Event videography|Event videography]]
*Underwater videography
*[[Engineering:Videography|Videography]]
*[[Engineering:Video production|Video production]]
*[[Engineering:Wedding videography|Wedding videography]]
*[[Amateur pornography]]
*[[Social:Prelinger Archives|Prelinger Archives]]

== Notes ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Wikivoyage|Video recording|Video recording|travel information}}
* [https://texasarchive.org/taxonomy/term/115700 Home Movies] at the [http://www.texasarchive.org/ Texas Archive of the Moving Image].
* [http://centerforhomemovies.org/ Center for Home Movies]
* [https://oldfilm.org/collection/Browse/Collections/facet/genre_facet/id/1306/view/list/key/8e901317e36cd5591162a1079efcc97a Northeast Historic Film Collections containing home movies]
* [http://www.retrocod.com/ Home Movie Clips] and [http://www.retrocod.com/stream/ Streaming Home Movies]
*[https://memoire.ciclic.fr/explorer/recherche-avancee/5fb7ac447e6a0/1/date-index/decroissant#genres French Home Movies archive]
*[https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/wave-to-the-camera/sQJCp3bGDbd7Ig Wave to the Camera] exhibit on Texas home movies by Texas Archive of the Moving Image at Google Arts & Culture


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