Meet iSupr8: an Instagram for 8mm film

New video app from MEA Mobile aims to emulate the authentic vintage feel of 8mm film

I have to admit: Instagram never appealed to me. The concept of deliberately reducing the quality of a digital photograph--one that’s already pretty lousy at capturing visual data--is so annoying to me that when I talk about apps like Instagram I sound like one of those annoyingly pretentious fidelity-obsessed geeks. Yeah, like that.

But since over a million people think I’m wrong, I’ll keep those criticisms to myself for the rest of this article. If you like Instagram, you’ll love iSupr8.

Launched Friday for iOS devices, iSupr8 does for videography what Instagram does for photography: makes it look vintage. Still, there’s a big difference between the two. While Instagram is supposed to be a “fun and quirky” take on sharing photos and events with family and friends, the self-described vintage film enthusiasts behind iSupr8 deliberately sought to emulate one specific video format: 

Keeping the 8mm movement alive is what we’re about. iSupr8 is not just a fun novelty app, it is an effort to revive and increase awareness of a commercially dying format to a new generation, as well as a production tool for filmmakers seeking an authentic, vintage look.

While developing iSupr8, a majority of the time and energy was spent making sure that the color grade was as authentic as possible. No filters or cheap overlays in the coloring process. iSupr8 is the only vintage film app that shoots in 720p HD.

“No filters or cheap overlays” sounds like a little jab at Instagram, if you ask me, but the results speak for themselves:

As you can expect, the app is dead simple to use: one button to start and stop filming and one button to “develop” and share the video. Developed videos can be emailed, shared on Facebook or saved to the iPhone’s video library.

If you’re interested in checking the app out, it’s already available in the App Store for $0.99 (today only). It’ll work on any iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS or 4th Gen iPod Touch running iOS 4.1 or higher.

iSupr8 is actually just the latest creation of mobile app developer MEA Mobile, an app development company with offices in Auckland, New Zealand and New Haven, Conn. Other MEA apps include: Pi, an elegant (but perhaps pointless) $4.99 app that will calculate the value of pi in real-time for as long as you keep your phone on; Tales of Woe, a free app for sharing despairing stores with other sad human beings; Where’s the Nearest Cliff?, a $0.99 app that answers that very important question; and Zipnote, a $0.99 app for emailing super quick notes to yourself. 

I’m eager to see what else this company comes up with.