This is a page from the book Les Cameras Emel, the manual for an 8mm (not super 8) camera that was my introduction to film making.  My version of this camera had three lenses on a turret, telephoto, normal and wide angle. Five or six different speeds plus single frame capability.   It could be hand cranked and could be wound back, opening the door to double exposures, fade ins, fade outs and even cross dissolves.   

In this book I learned about parallax (see left), depth of field, the effects of greater focal length on the steadiness of a hand held shot and countless other gems.  It was, in fact, a marvelous introdution to the technology of photography as well.

With this camera I made many short experimental animation and live action films of which Self Protrait, listed in my resumee is a prime example.   The double exposure in that film being a serendipitous accident caused by the incorrect loading of the film in the camera in such a way that the second half of the roll was exposed through the back of the film, running in reverse and upside-down.   

Virgin 'regular' 8mm film was actually 16mm wide.   It was run once through the camera exposing half the film along one edge.   Then the roll was reversed and run through the camera again, exposing the other half, along the other edge.   On that occasion, I moved the roll from the take-up spindle to the feed spindle without turning it over.   When the film came back from the lab I was distraught at my mistake.  Only many years later did I see the beauty of that accident.