The Reel Image has released a new compilation of British Christmas adverts on Super-8, called "Christmas Reel #5". It comes on a full 200-foot reel and runs for more than 10 minutes. The film consists of several theater promos and Christmas adverts (or "commercials" as we call them in the US), with some terrific holiday music sung by A-list performers!...

The reel starts with four spots from AMC and Regal Cinema theaters, including a "Welcome to Regal Theaters” in which the Trolls ride a roller coaster past Pepsi cups and kernels of popcorn as part of the theater chain’s “Trolls
Band Together” promotion. Another stars the Minions from “Despicable Me,” who advise patrons not to text or talk during the show.

The first advert features Mariah Carey wearing a low-cut red dress, singing “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” referring to a bag of Walkers Crisps (potato chips). Michael Bublé then stars in an advert for ASDA supermarkets. My favorite segment was the John Lewis department store advert in which Elton John sings his hit “Your Song” as we see his grandmother give a young Elton a piano for Christmas, a gift which inaugurated his musical career. It runs for more than two minutes, which allows for several clips of Elton performing throughout his long career.

The film ends with the beautiful Emilia Clarke wearing an elf dress and singing “Last Christmas I Gave You My Heart” from her 2019 movie “Last Christmas.” It’s a great way to end the reel, running a full 2-1⁄2 minutes.

The color is just gorgeous, with bright reds and greens characteristic of the Christmas season, and of course it’s on low-fade polyester stock that will never turn pink or succumb to vinegar syndrome. The sound is clear and loud, and since it’s presented in adapted scope, no anamorphic lens is needed to watch it. This was a very enjoyable compilation reel, one which will make a great addition to your next Christmas program. Contact Steve to get your copy.

Happy New Year and welcome to the first Reel News report of 2026!...

This is going to be a very important year for us! We have many exciting new Super-8 releases planned, along with some big news coming soon about a new, affordable, and easy way to make your Elmo projectors super bright!...

That said, this year I must turn a profit to keep things sustainable!...

To help achieve that, I’ve had to raise prices slightly on prints, and postage rates will also increase a bit. Unfortunately, I’ve taken losses too many times in these areas — including around $800 from non-payments and roughly $1,500 from Post Office non-deliveries. On top of that, we’re facing higher postal rates, unfavorable exchange rates, and new tariffs...

I truly love what I do, and I feel incredibly blessed to know so many wonderful collectors — something money simply can’t buy!...

I remain passionate about film collecting and especially sharing the beautiful new prints by Andec and soundtracks produced by Alberto! There’s also great joy in tracking down those rare, hard-to-find older prints, even if they’ve faded in color  — they’re still a pleasure to watch. I’m still actively seeking many of the fine digests produced in the past and have been fortunate to find many through Barry Attwood at Independent 8 and Phil Sheard at Classic Home Cinema.

We can also look forward to many excellent new releases from Dorun Films and Ultra 8. Lee and Ruben work extremely hard (often with little profit) to bring us their high-quality products.

Please feel free to email me with any comments or suggestions on how we can better serve collectors worldwide.

All my best, and thank you for your wonderful support throughout 2025!,,,

God bless you all,

Steven Osborne  
The Reel Image

This will be the final REEL NEWS "Flash" for 2025 -- And we've saved the BEST NEWS for LAST!!!...

Coming REEL Soon is an ultra-limited print run of SCOPE/STEREO prints imported from Germany with sound by the Italian Maestro, Alberto: Totally Awesome, FULL-LENGTH prints of the 1971 "gem", DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER, starring Everybody's Favorite 007 (accept NO substitutes!). Put your orders in NOW!!!...

Contact Steve Osborne via email or call him anytime at +1-937-296-9036!

We just received word that the pricing to sound stripe and record all 200ft reels has just risen rather dramatically! We are being told that the reason is due to the workflow involving the smaller reels being much more labor intensive than their larger (300ft and above) counterparts. The good news is, I  suppose, that the pricing for these larger reels (300ft - 600ft) has remained steady and not (yet) increased!...

So, effective immediately, these will be the new average prices for Super 8 prints from The Reel Image:
600 ft: $395
400 ft: $295
200 ft (≈10-12 min): $168
200 ft (≈7–9 min): $149
Trailers (≈3–5 min): $76

Get a REEL-y Bright Image!...
Many new subscribers have been asking about how to achieve a brighter Super-8 image on screen. One very cost-effective solution is simplicity itself: use a bright screen! A very affordable way to achieve this is by using our exclusively blended Reel White Screen Paint. In the picture you'll see an actual screen where the right side has been painted with Reel White Screen Paint. Applying our paint is easy-peasy:

• Use a medium nap roller to roll the paint onto any surface, such as a wall or a pull-down screen (pictured is an inflatable vinyl surface!).

• Apply one coat and let it dry.

• Apply a second coat, and you’re done!...

The best part? This solution costs under $50 and is very easy to do yourself. The result is a much brighter and sharper projected image!...

60 years after the introduction of Super-8 in 1965, I am happy to report there is currently a renaissance of new import Super-8 subjects now being struck from negatives at the Andec lab in Germany and printed on modern low fade Kodak film stock from the USA, with top quality stereo stripes supplied by Movie Magnetic in Italy! It's truly an international affair!...

Besides yours truly, Steve Osborne, at The Reel Image, two people you might want to contact via email are Lee Mannering of Dorun Films in the UK and Rubén Torrejón of Ultra 8 in Spain, so you can stay in the loop of all these terrific new releases!

Rubén also has a great website where you can see “coming attractions” of his latest offerings on a simulated theater screen!

Our thanks to Lee and Rubén for all their painstaking efforts on behalf of our Super-8 hobby!...

Shout outs are in order, as well, to my good friends: Adam Deierling of Saturn Entertainment Studios, for his impeccable stereo sound recording, and Philip Hamilton, for his awesome preprint editing skills and innovation as a content provider! I am truly indebted to you both!...

To quote Lincoln Thorn at the 8mm Forum, “Super 8 is alive and full of many passionate people that love the format! Very thankful to see new prints out in the world!"

Proper FILMGUARD

Application for Clean - Bright - Steady Projection!...

Using clean cotton cloth or -- better yet: try one of our Tex-Wipe Cloths! -- spray on FILMGUARD and fold cloth over to apply a light pressure as you run the film in the cloth between your fingers using hand-crank rewinds (not projector rewinds!).

Check the cloth every 100 feet or so to see if it needs to be turned over due to excessive accumulation of dirt.

Next, it’s very important to use a clean, dry cloth to slowly rewind the film back on its original reel so as to remove any excess FILMGUARD and to polish the film surface.

Excess FILMGUARD residue may slightly blur the image during projection. But properly applied, FILMGUARD will both clean and polish your print for a steadier and brighter image!

Notice: As a company policy we no longer treat our NEW films for sale with FILMGUARD, but we Highly Recommend that our Customers will continue to do so! As always, we will continue to treat all our USED films for sale with FILMGUARD!

Take a trip with Steve Osborne down Memory Lane to Visit the Snack Bar at the Drive-In Theater Era of Yesteryear! For a Limited Time Only, The Reel Image is proud to present a full 200-Ft. Reel of Vintage Intermission Ads in Color and Sound!...

• "IT'S INTERMISSION TIME!"
• SUPER-8!
• COLOR!
• FLAT! (No Scope Lens Needed!)
  
• SOUND!
• ONLY $128.00!

This is "REEL" Magic that can only be fully appreciated when projected with "REEL" Film on Your Home Movie Screen!

Be sure to order your print TODAY from The Reel Image for only $128.00!!