These
are several things to consider when planing on having your films converted
to video:
- To determine how
long your film will run, use the following chart to estimate the length
based on the size of the film reel:
|
Type |
8mm
& Super-8
|
16mm
|
|
Reel
Size
|
Length |
|
|
|
3"
|
50' |
3
min.
|
1
1/2 min.
|
|
4"
|
100' |
6
min.
|
3
min.
|
|
5"
|
200' |
12
min.
|
6
min.
|
|
7"
|
400' |
24
min.
|
12
min.
|
A good approximation
for 8mm/super-8 films is that 1000 feet of film will last approxiamtely
one hour. For conversions going to VHS, you can fit up to 3 hours (3000').
For DVD, typically 2 hours (2000') is the limit, however with advanced
compression utilities we can squeeze a little extra onto a disc without
sacrificing any quality. Also notice that 16mm film runs at twice the
speed of 8mm and super-8 film, so the resulting run time will be cut
in half.
-
Before
you bring in your films for transfer, you will need to determine what
order you would like them in. Many
times you will be bringing in films that were shot by someone else
(i.e. father grandfather, aunt, etc.), who may or may not have labeled
them very well. In many cases people who have shot a lot of early
home movies on film will have had the small 3" reels used by
the camera spliced onto large 5" or 7" reels. It then follows
that these larger reels will most likely have the older films on them.
When there are combinations of large and small reels, typically the
smaller reels were shot later and never spliced onto larger ones.
Also, many times there will be a mix of 8mm and Super-8 film (as people
"upgraded" their film equipment over time). Super-8 films
are disinguishably because of the smaller sprocket hole in the film.
Also, some Super-8 movies will have an audio track as well.These can
be spotted by looking for a dark brown stripe running along the side
of the film.
- Since your films
will most likely be silent, determine whether or not you would like
background music with the final video. We have a selection of sublte
instrumental music that we can layer under the video for a pleasing
playback exprience. In cases where there are films with sound, we will
interrupt the music and include the soundtrack from the film.
- All of our film
trasnsfers are digitally archived. In some cases you may want to be
able to edit the resulting transfer to delate or rearrange scenes. For
more on this service please visit our video
editing page
|
