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UER Forum > Private Boards Index > A/V Club > 16mm -> dvd (Viewed 3454 times)
MacGyver 


Location: St Paul, Minnesota
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"Someone go find me a paperclip, a D-cell battery, and a cheese grater"

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16mm -> dvd
< on 11/8/2005 11:01 PM >
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I was cleaning in the basement last night and stumbled upon some of my grandfathers stuff in a box that somehow made me get the 16mm projector out and watch footage he and my great grandfather shot of submarines being launched in the Manitowoc harbor, etc. Some of the film from the 1940s and 50s is getting pretty brittle and I had to splice a break or two over the course of the evening, so I'm becoming concerned about the future of the media. 50 or 60 years is pretty good, but it's only so long before it crumbles when I try to project it I guess.

Does anyone know of good resources for creating a DVD from 16mm footage? If I knew someone with a DV camera, I could probably just do the ghetto copystand technique of filming the projection screen, but there has to be a better way to do this.

For those interested, the projector is an old Kodak in nice shape, and one of the cameras is still around too. It's a Kodak three-lens turret camera. The model number has a 100 in it, and it's probablyhad less than 1000 feet of film run through it in it's life. It also has a leather case in spectacular shape that has never been on the camera (until I tried it out last night). The camera only has one lens, a 25mm, so I'm all ears for any info about finding lenses for these things, too.




Like a fiend with his dope / a drunkard his wine / a man will have lust for the lure of the mine

"If you are not part of the solution, you are not dissolved in the solvent."
Asylunt 


Location: MPLS
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Re: 16mm -> dvd
< Reply # 1 on 11/9/2005 8:54 AM >
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Awesome find! My advice is do the ghetto DIY method. It can be pretty pricey doing transfers, not to mention the fact that some lab person is going to be handling the only copy of your memories that you have.

As far as the 16mm camera goes, does it have spools? Or does it look like a cartridge thingy? I haven't done any research but the few Kodak 16mm cameras I've seen(including one shipped from that Freak in Alaska, he's such a nice young lad) have been of the cartridge variety which is no longer produced. Now there are some dedicated old school film nuts that take modern stock and refab old carts for select cameras, but that is not worth it unless you are that set on reviving the old machine. If it takes spools, usually 100ft spools, you can pick up stock at several places around town, Film & Video Services on Central near ETMJ's place being one of the cheaper places. They also do transfers and develop certain film stocks there. Sometimes the lady taking your money can be a bitch though.

There's a guy upstairs named John, he gives classes sometimes, but supposedly he doesn't deal with the public. I just went upstairs one day and started talking to him and had him clean and do some minor repairs to one of my Bolex Cameras. If you catch him you can spend an hour or two talking shop and looking through his messy room of every camera gadget imaginable, also be sure to ask him about diving for salvage in the Mississippi, he's got some great stories.

Asylunt




"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." Mark Twain
MacGyver 


Location: St Paul, Minnesota
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"Someone go find me a paperclip, a D-cell battery, and a cheese grater"

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Re: 16mm -> dvd
< Reply # 2 on 11/9/2005 1:46 PM >
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sweet

I checked and it's a Kodak K-100 with the turret option. There's only one lens on it (25mm, normal) and it uses 100' spools. Hand cranked spring, variable shutter speed, etc.

What are my options for recording and being able to get it onto DVD? MiniDV cam?




Like a fiend with his dope / a drunkard his wine / a man will have lust for the lure of the mine

"If you are not part of the solution, you are not dissolved in the solvent."
EatsTooMuchJam 


Location: Minneapolis, MN
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Re: 16mm -> dvd
< Reply # 3 on 11/9/2005 3:47 PM >
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MiniDV cam is your best option. If you're an IFP member you can rent a pretty nice for relatively cheap.
Also, the nicer conversion places don't do much fancier than the ghetto method of pointing a camera at the screen. Often they use a telecine which is basically like a slide viewer for film and you point another camera into it. I've seen a few people talking about a machine to scan the 16mm stock frame by frame, but I haven't seen many places that are doing it for sure and it'd likely be very expensive.

Congrats on the Kodak camera. It should be a lot of fun. I just bought a Bolex H16 reflex and I had a lot of fun with the first 100' I ran through it. Knowing you, you probably won't enjoy the cost of 16mm filmstock.




"The large print giveth and the small print taketh away."
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Mister Sable 


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Re: 16mm -> dvd
< Reply # 4 on 11/9/2005 6:37 PM >
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A 'pricy' professional transfer makes more sense to me. They can adjust for the colour shift the years make on old film as they transfer too. Don't just get a telecine; it's shoddy looking, has flicker, you'll only want to get it done again. You'll have it done right and preserve the footage. Then you don't have to damage the original by projecting it anymore.

The pro transfer post labs don't project it all DIY style through frosted glass like some schmoe your local copy shop does.

The super 8 frame-by-frame scans are very pro looking and very cheap. Maybe 16mm ones are too. There is no flicker at all with the frame-by-frame scanning.

Wouldn't it be worth it to get the best possible quality you can get?




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EatsTooMuchJam 


Location: Minneapolis, MN
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Re: 16mm -> dvd
< Reply # 5 on 11/9/2005 8:50 PM >
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Hmm. Last time I checked there weren't many inexpensive labs doing frame by frame scanning. Would you mind posting some links so I don't have to wade through pages of crappy lab websites in google?




"The large print giveth and the small print taketh away."
-Tom Waits
Mister Sable 


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The Man with the Hat (the other man)

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Re: 16mm -> dvd
< Reply # 6 on 11/9/2005 9:05 PM >
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The super 8 is cheap, I don't know of anyone off hand who does 16mm. I'll try to find out. I have the name of a place at home, but not at work - I'll post it here in about four hours or so.




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Kay O. Sweaver 


Location: Montreal, Quebec
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Re: 16mm -> dvd
< Reply # 7 on 11/10/2005 6:54 AM >
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If you have access semi-pro miniDV cam you should be able to set the frame rate to something low like 6fps and if your projector also has a slow setting just synch the two up. Use a good clean projector screen in a perfectly dark room and your results won't be too bad. Better yet see if your local film club/co-op/school has an optical printer. Depending on the setup you might be able to plunk the DVcam right in there and everything will be ready to go.

http://www.filmshooting.com/ is a great place for information on 8mm and 16mm film. Check the forums and links there if you're looking for any information. The forums are great as well.

I'd agree with Mr. Sable though that if you can afford it get a professional transfer done (not at the corner photo shop but an actual film lab). Film can be really finicky stuff and you don't want to ruin it due to lack of knowledge. It sounds like you've got some pretty cool footage and it'd be a shame to lose even a foot of it. These people are professionals and if you talk to them personally and make them understand how important this is to you they'll do their best to preserve the footage. But alas, price.

Honestly though the miniDV progressive frame by frame capture looks pretty damned brilliant. I've done it for hundreds of feet of super 8 and it comes out crisp and clear and flicker free.




==========================
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Kay O. Sweaver 


Location: Montreal, Quebec
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Happiness is saying yes more often than no.

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Re: 16mm -> dvd
< Reply # 8 on 11/10/2005 7:09 AM >
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Mister Sable 


Location: Palliser City
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The Man with the Hat (the other man)

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Re: 16mm -> dvd
< Reply # 9 on 11/10/2005 9:44 AM >
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I was thinking of having my film transferred at Studio Post in Edmonton. I've had 16mm film processed and workprinted there in the late 80's, and had stuff transferred to Betacam SP in the mid 90's. Now they do digital. The staff has always been great and the customer service is top notch.

A lot of people use Gastown Post and Transfer very near Vancouver - that's where all the film from the X-files went ('til the show moved to LA) to be transferred. They did a good job with that footage as I recall.

I'd say your best bet would be to go to your local television stations and ask what production house they use. Some have their own because they still shoot commercials on film. This is a small step below the Hollywood type houses (and considerably cheaper), but a bzillion steps above your local copy shop / 1 hour photo service.

Think of the film you have as an heirloom, like a broken 1800's pocket watch - are you gonna let some 17 year old schmoe in a mall kiosk fix it or take it to a trained and qualified watch maker/repair person? Isn't it worth the money in the long run even if you have to save up to get it done? Getting it done cheaply or the DIY method is a bit like trying to restore a Renaissance oil painting with an old rag and a dollup of Spray 9. It's going to do more harm than good in the long run.

Do the Antiques Roadshow analogies help you any? :p




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Mister Sable 


Location: Palliser City
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The Man with the Hat (the other man)

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Re: 16mm -> dvd
< Reply # 10 on 11/10/2005 1:38 PM >
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Here's another option, still in Canada, but in the east, closer to you:

"Yes we do transfer 16mm to DVD. If you want, talk to Gary Brown or Tim Baiden @
416-264-4321.

Neil McAdam
Production Manager
Deluxe / The Lab
183 Carlaw Ave.
Toronto, ON, M4M 2S1
Tel: 416-461-8090
Fax: 416-461-0768
Cell : 416-402-6192
Toll Free: 1-888-822-2505"




Cloak and dagger, man, cloak and dagger.
MacGyver 


Location: St Paul, Minnesota
Gender: Male
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"Someone go find me a paperclip, a D-cell battery, and a cheese grater"

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Re: 16mm -> dvd
< Reply # 11 on 11/10/2005 9:51 PM >
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Thanks for the info. I'll have to get in touch with dem guys up nort' and see what their rates are.




Like a fiend with his dope / a drunkard his wine / a man will have lust for the lure of the mine

"If you are not part of the solution, you are not dissolved in the solvent."
Asylunt 


Location: MPLS
Gender: Male
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The Friendly Beer!

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Re: 16mm -> dvd
< Reply # 12 on 11/14/2005 2:23 PM >
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Don't forget that there are at least 2 -3 professional labs here in the Twin Cities Metro Area. Or at least there was 3 years ago. They might offer what you are looking for. They will be expensive I can guarantee that, but they'll be closer than Canada.

Just a thought.

Asylunt




"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." Mark Twain
Mister Sable 


Location: Palliser City
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The Man with the Hat (the other man)

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Re: 16mm -> dvd
< Reply # 13 on 11/17/2005 6:51 PM >
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It's probalby a bit late, but I just ran across this site that could help: http://www.kodak.c...?id=0.1.4.15&lc=en




Cloak and dagger, man, cloak and dagger.
UER Forum > Private Boards Index > A/V Club > 16mm -> dvd (Viewed 3454 times)


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