A short clip of 8mm film from 1946

[Jonathan Jones]

Here is a short clip from an 8mm home movie I recently digitized for a client. Its from a longer home movie that their relatives shot while visiting the west coast back in 1946. The family discovered this film after it sat in an attic for 60 years, and though it's storage conditions resulted in some deterioration, much of the imagery was very salvagable.

I found this particular clip of interest because they shot it from their car while driving over the Golden Gate Bridge. (so its pretty shaky). I live a little north of the GG, so I can attest that it hasn't changed much. This is probably the least amount of traffic I've ever seen on the bridge, and the very fleeting sweep of SF on the horizon shows very little skyline to speak of (though its so quick its hard to make out much anyway.)

I just thought I'd share it because its kind of cool. It's pretty compressed for web streaming and requires Quicktime 7 to view.

http://homepage.mac.com/lunarparcel/...heater183.html

-Jon

[Andres Sanchez]

how did you digitize the film for them? i've been trying to figure out a way to do the same thing for some 8mm reels that my grandmother has but so far no dice.

thanks.

andy.

[Jonathan Jones]

Originally Posted by Andres Sanchez

how did you digitize the film for them? i've been trying to figure out a way to do the same thing for some 8mm reels that my grandmother has but so far no dice.

thanks.

andy.

After cleaning, mending and lubing the film, I run it through a system called the Workprinter XP that was built by Roger Evans at Moviestuff ( www.moviestuff.tv ). It is a frame-by-frame film scan technique that IMO provides some of the best results you can get short of higher end Rank machines. And even better than some of the Rank work I've seen. (The clip I linked to earlier that was processed on the Workprinter XP is by far NOT one of the better looking clips. I only posted it because of its cool footage of a recognizable landmark. I'll have alot of great footage posted when my site is finished.)

I then capture it using my XL2, put it into FCP and apply color correcting and enhancements where needed.

Personally, I wouldn't recommend that you buy such a system if you're just going to process your own home movies because it may be a bit of an investment. However if you expect to offer it as a service, its a great system. (Although a very time-consuming trade).

There are a few reputable services in my general area that offer film to DV services, but virtually all of them continue to use the same 'live capture to VHS' they've been using since the 80's,(which is pretty ridiculous in this day and age) and once DVDs became a preferred method of delivery, they began offering DVD copies made from the mastered VHS. ouch. (Though I must add that even still, what they provide still looks much better than folks remember ever having seen through an old clunky projector on their living room walls. They do provide a valuable service and they meet a customer demand.

I used to send alot of business their way due to the many inquiries I would get until I wised up, did my homework and contacted Roger Evans. Film transfer probably accounts for almost half of my work now.

There are a number of other methods for 8mm film conversion that are pretty economical and will provide a variety of results. Do a search on this site and you will find a number of threads about telecine methods.

When I finish my current production cycle of holiday contracts, I will complete production on a number of demos and tutorials that I will post as I rebuild my website to showcase a variety of methods for film conversion.. I've even run the same pieces of film through different methods to showcase the options. But I don't expect that to go 'live' until January or February. (Too busy right now.)

-Jon

[Andres Sanchez]

wow, thats really great! yeah i think i would be better off with a much less expensive form of transfer since they are personal movies. but i really appreciate your help.

thanks.

andy

[Chris Barcellos]

Andres. I have had some okay results just shooting off a projected image using my Video camera. You will have to fiddle with shutter speed to eliminate issues, but it worked out with 8 and 16 mm reels I came across.

[Andres Sanchez]

interesting. i should give that a shot with my camera. .
thanks

andy

[Richard Alvarez]

Nice clip. I live in San Mateo, about half an hour south of the city. (Moving to Foster City this month).

That's a shot SOUTHBOUND on the bridge... If I'm not mistaken.

[Jonathan Jones]

Originally Posted by Richard Alvarez

Nice clip. I live in San Mateo, about half an hour south of the city. (Moving to Foster City this month).

That's a shot SOUTHBOUND on the bridge... If I'm not mistaken.

That is correct. The shot progresses over the bridge moving into the city, with the final few moments showing a glimpse approaching the toll booth, which by the looks of it has not physically changed much at all (other than more lanes and fasTrack options).

I wish the toll booth footage would have been a little lengthier to get a nice look at how much higher the rates have climbed over the last 60 years...especially since the initial plan for the GG toll was to provide a temporary means to help offset the cost of the bridge's construction. But with operation costs a constant, the toll fees have been likewise. It is now a $5 toll for southbound crossing with plans to increase it even higher currently in negotiations.

-Jon

[Richard Alvarez]

Yup, pricey trips. So far, I haven't had to comute on a regular basis over any of the Bay Bridges... knock on wood. Most of my work keeps me on the Penninsula.

I might want to contact you after the holidays, to do a Super 8 Transfer for me. A twenty minute short film I did quite a while back, before I had any NLE capabilitites. I'd like to get a decent transfer and take another swing at it sometime.

[Jonathan Jones]

Originally Posted by Richard Alvarez

I might want to contact you after the holidays, to do a Super 8 Transfer for me.

I'd dig that. Just lemme know when your ready. I'll be around.

-Jon