The Super 8 format released by Kodak in 1965 used a 50ft cartridge system that allowed uncomplicated loading of the cameras. The plastic film cartridge was light-tight and simply removed from its packaging and inserted into the camera. Super 8 used a design of cartridge which contained both the feed and take-up spools and ingeniously incorporated the film pressure plate that removed the requirement to thread the film through the camera’s gate mechanism. Another innovation was a cartridge notch system which the camera could read to adjust itself for the speed and type of emulsion being used.
phd journal