Film to Video, Film to DVD, 8mm film to video transfer tutorial page four

We have been performing 15fps transfer with Silent 16mm for many years now. However, Standard 8mm movie film transfers at 15fps is relatively new in the industry and new for us (the last 2 years) -- because the technology prior to HDTV was non-adaptive to our standards of quality. Now, we can not imagine regressing -- away from 15fps transfers.

MOST "domestic", "small format movie film" -- Silent 16mm movie film (introduced in 1923) and Standard 8mm movie film (introduced in 1932) -- was in fact shot at 16fps. This trend "begin to change" with the "introduction" of Super 8 movie film -- in 1965 -- however the vast majority of "domestic", "small format" movie film had already been shot by then. The "home movie film" era came to an end with the invention and mass distribution of VHS tape.

"Commercial" "movie film" -- 16mm SOUND movie film and 35mm SOUND movie film -- has always been shot at 24fps.

Only with the introduction of "video tape" (1956) -- and the need to synchronize "movie film" with "video" for broadcasting -- did anyone give any thought to movie film to video synchronization. When they did, it was for "commercial movie film" -- not "domestic movie film". That is why all "silent movie film" -- shot at 16fps -- looks "fast" or "funny" on TV when compared to "sound movie film" shot at 24fps. "Silent"16mm movie film, has always been "transferred" on equipment "miss-matched" to its original "shooting" speed. Not only that, the 24fps transfer industry "synchronize" their movie film to video using an "irregular" movie film "pull-down" pattern -- which, to this day, wrecks havoc -- when "adapted" for use with "small format" movie films -- shot at 16fps and 18fps. This "havoc" is called "judder" -- staggered motion within an moving image.

Dirty Little Trade Secret™

If you EVER want to see you Standard 8 movies played at their NORMAL, original speed -- the speed at which they were shot -- you are faced with a "now or never" proposition.

Transfer "mills" don't want you to know they technically "crush" 4.4 minutes of every 50 feet of Standard 8mm movie film onto 3.3 minutes of video -- creating what I call, the "Laurel and Hardy" effect.

They do NOT want you to know that you can NOT "un-do" the "Laurel and Hardy" effect by using the "speed" control in your non-linear editor to go down, from 20fps to15fps -- without creating artifacts.

These artifacts, result from irregular redistribution of "blended frames" and from the absence of "dropped frames" -- that should be there but are not there. You can NOT un-blend a frame nor un-substitute a single frame for a blended frame.

The end product -- from attempting to "un-do" the "Laurel and Hardy" effect -- is a "jerky", "flashing effect" in the final, slower version of your home movie.

People wrongly think that because such a speed change will work with video "shot live" or with movie film "shot at 24fps", that it will also work with "slower" small format movie film. They are wrong.

All this is to say, that the "domestic" "small format" movie film industry was all but abandoned by the "movie' industry -- to become an unwanted "step-child" -- adopted by the drug store and discount retail chains. Although both the concept and some of the technology has been around for years, "transfer mills" -- which dominate the "small format" transfer industry -- have been resistant to adopting and adapting both the concept and the technology of 15fps synchronization to Standard 8mm movie film. This is because Standard 8mm movie film was almost never shot for "commercial" purposes, and early telecine equipment was developed for 16mm SOUND and 35mm Sound.

The most common method of transferring movie film shot at 16fps was to use a "domestic grade", 3 blade telecine method which synchronized movie film with video at a standard rate of 20 frames per second. This method worked OK for Super 8 movie film -- which was shot at 18fps -- although the 2 frames per second difference was "slightly" noticeable -- and unacceptable for Super 8 SOUND movie film. However, this method -- used for movie film shot at 16fsp -- was obviously "fast" -- giving a movie film transfer, what I call, a "Laurel and Hardy" effect. However, because this method was "the only game in town", the "transfer mills" "got by with it" (more below).

The good news is we can -- with new technology -- get rid of the "Laurel and Hardy" effect. As leaders in our industry, once again, we lead and hope others follow. We assert that our clients have the right to see their Standard 8mm and 16mm movie films -- shot at 16fps -- at speeds that are for very practical purposes, "normal". We are glad to be part of this "technology shift" -- and you can be, too. We are one of the few studios in the country that now offer 15fps transfers.

Most Standard 8 and 16mm movie film transfers – by “transfer mills” -- have images that move at an obviously "un-natural" fast speed. I call this, a “Laurel and Hardy” effect – named after the famous silent movie series, comedy act of the 1920s – where characters moved “faster than possible” -- while doing “crazy, comical stunts”. Kids used to love this type of “visual joke” -- just like they "loved" to run the movie film backwards. It was, and still is, "funny"; and it is a way to make otherwise "boring movie film", "look funny", if not "ridiculous".

This "Laurel and Hardy look" could be re-enacted with home movies -- on variable speed projectors of the era -- without any long term alteration to the integrity of the movie film or images. However, let's have a

Trick Of The Trade Secret™

You can use the "speed" control in your non-linear editor to go up, from 15fps up to 20fps, without artifacts. This is NICE to know if you do want to "selectively create" a "Laurel and Hardy" effect -- or "run movie film backwards". To re-create some of your childhood memories of watching old home movies -- after "hounding" Dad to "play it backwards" or "play it fast"!

ALSO, because a 15fps transfer has 2 full frames of video for every frame of your original movie film, you can truly "slow-mo" a Standard 8 video in ways that just will not work with the same footage - if it is captured @ 20fps. This is a paradox to the Dirty Little Trade Secret™ above, but it is a very important "trick of the trade" for professional movie makers.

Permanently "capturing" movie film to video at this "ridiculous speed" -- does alter the integrity of the original movie film images -- forever (as you will learn below) -- and this process does introduce a visual element of speed distortion to a video image that is NOT inherent to the original movie film image.

Remember, watching movie film "faster" or "running backwards" was an "option" -- not a "norm" -- and those memories came as a treat "after" you had watched the movie film at "normal speed". These experiences can be easily, and selectively, recreated -- once the movie film transfer has been "correctly captured".

Now-a-days, this same "option" is built-in to the standard DVD remote controller, but it is "ridiculous" to think that anyone wants to watch a full-length movie in "fast play". Yet the concept of watching your "home movies" at a speed 33.33% faster has been made "acceptable" by the transfer "mills" -- could "do it right" but who "just don't care" -- to do it right.

A “Laurel and Hardy” effect is forced into a video transfer by grossly miss-matching the original movie film "shooting speed" to the "video synchronization speed". That is to say, movie film shot at 16fps -- that should be synchronized with video at 15 frames per second (fps) -- is miss-matched to a video capture system which synchronizes movie film with video at 20 fps.

Most "transfer mills" synchronize both Silent 16mm and Standard 8mm movie film at the "wrong speed" -- a speed which is only "OK" for Super 8 film.

What this means, is most of the movie film ever shot in the "small format" world -- Standard 8 and Silent 16mm -- is transferred at the "wrong speed". Only Super 8 movie film, introduced in 1965, is transferred at the "OK" speed.

What that says about the "transfer mills" -- goes without saying -- other than to say, in summary, that the "transfer mills" use Super 8 transfer technology to transfer both Standard 8 and Silent 16mm movie film -- one speed that is miss-matched to all -- on a ratings scale of "OK" to "Bad".

Do the math (below), and you find the "Laurel and Hardy" effect introduces almost a 33.33% speed increase to video. This is a "speed distortion" -- permanently introduced into the "master file images" of your movie film -- which can NOT be digitally "un-done" (see more below).

ASSUMPTION: A video signal is fixed: 30 full frames per second = 60 interlaced fields per second.

1) "Correct" Sync Speed @ 15fps for a 50 Foot Reel of "Standard 8mm" Movie Film:
A 50 foot reel of Standard 8 movie film takes 4.444 minutes to run -- at 15 fps (50 feet X 80 frames per foot / 15 frames per second / 60 sec).

2) "Wrong" Sync Speed @ 20fps for a 50 Foot Reel of "Standard 8mm" Movie Film:
A 50 foot reel of Standard 8 movie film takes 3.333 minutes to run -- at 20 fps (50 feet X 80 frames per foot / 20 frames per second / 60 sec).

3) "Correct" Sync Speed @ 20fps for a 50 Foot Reel of "Super 8" Movie Film:
A 50 foot reel of Super 8 only takes 3.0 minutes to run -- at 20 fps (50 feet x 72 frames per foot / 20 frames per second / 60 sec)

Dirty Little Trade Secret™

Most "Super 8" projectors and telecine machines have an "adapter plate" that "adjusts" to run Standard 8mm movie film -- AT 20fps.

When they engage the Standard 8mm "adapter plate" -- on their Super 8 transfer machine -- the speed of the transport pins do NOT switch to 15fps nor does the shutter blade configuration switch form 3 blades to 4 blades -- required for a true 15fps transfer.

POINT OF CONFUSION: The transport does "slow down" 6 FRAMES PER FOOT -- NOT 6 FRAMES PER SECOND -- because Standard 8mm movie film has 6 FRAMES PER FOOT MORE (80) than Super 8 movie film (72).

Most transfer "mills" use this "little point of confusion" to their advantage -- and to your disadvantage -- to make you think you Standard 8mm transfer is done at the "correct speed"..

BOTTOM LINE: Transfer "mills" can "do" (whatever "do" means) both Super 8 and Standard 8mm on the same machine. What they can NOT "do" is "both gauges right" - Super 8 at 20fps and Standard 8mm at 15fps.

The "difference" between #1 and #2 -- synchronizing Standard 8mm movie film with video @ 15fps Vs. 20fps -- reveals
A) a NET LOSS of over 1 MINUTE of "real time" (reel time) movie experience -- a lost repeated for every 50 feet of your Standard 8mm movie film; and,
B) 33.33% speed distortion (4.44 divided by 3.33) -- over the entire length of ALL your Standard 8mm movie films.

THE IMPACT ON YOU:

The "transfer mills" synchronize Standard 8 and Super 8 movie film at the same frame rate of 20 frames per second (fps).
The 20fps synchronization (sync) method is "OK" for Super 8 -- with a difference of 2 frames per second between the "shoot" speed and the "sync" speed.
Visually, the video run only a little faster which is acceptable for silent Super 8 but not acceptable for Super 8 SOUND.

The 20fps sync method creates a visual speed distortion of 33.33% increase in video frames
This forces profound speed distortion into the video image from a Standard 8mm movie film transfer.

A 50 foot Standard 8mm movie film reel and a 50 foot Super 8mm movie film -- are very different and should be transferred differently.

A reel of Standard 8 movie film -- if transferred properly -- cost more for 2 reasons -- that separates the "pros" from the "cons" (pun intended):

1) Standard 8mm movie film -- if transferred "right" -- takes 33.33% more time and labor and media resources to transfer (than Super 8 movie film). The resulting product is 33.33% longer. That means it takes up 33.33% more media. That means it cost roughly 33.33% more" money" -- just to "break even" on the cost of media and the cost of labor. That extra cost of producing Standard 8mm movie film "right" is passed on to clients -- who are happy to pay for the extra quality, once they understand what they are getting for their money.

2) Standard 8mm movie film -- if transferred "right" -- requires a 15 frames per second telecine scanner setup.
This equipment must be custom manufactured. A 15fps telecine transfer can NOT be accomplished by using a "variable speed", "yard sale" -- "one projector fits all gauges of movie film" -- "dual 8" projector -- used by most transfer "mills". Thus, if they don't offer -- and therefore do not charge more for -- a 15fps Standard 8mm transfer product, then you WILL be getting your 15fps movie film transferred at 20fps; and, you will have the "Laurel and Hardy look" added videos -- at no extra cost. This "look" is NOT inherent to your original Standard 8 movie film; and, your movie film was NEVER intended to be viewed as a "visual joke".

Dirty Little Trade Secret™

People save the transfer mills 30 cents -- at the expense of their movie film legacy -- and the price all future generations pay, is priceless.

Transfer "mills" transfer / synchronize your 50 foot reel of Standard 8 -- on a "Super 8" transfer machine -- because they "save money". They save money because they don't have to buy and maintain 2 different machines -- like they should. They save money because they don't have to train employees on 2 machines. They don't have to constantly "waste their time" -- which is money -- explaining to the public why "50 feet of Super 8 is different from 50 feet of Standard 8mm movie film".

When transfer "mills" synchronize your 50 foot reel of Standard 8 -- on a "Super 8" transfer machine -- they are actually "crushing" 4.4 minutes of movie film images onto 3.3 minutes of video -- which saves them money on DVDs -- about 30 cents per each two hours of finished video.

All these "savings" (to them) come at the expense of
1) 33.33% "speed distortion" in video images.
2) "Dropped" frames and "blending" frames -- which are digitally irreversible.
2) Cheating you out of the "real-time experience" of watching your home movies "in real time".

NOTE: "Home movies" are supposed to be "the closest thing to being home", "the closest thing to being with you and the people you know and love". Through home movies -- all future generations will come to know you and your family as "their family". For all future generations, these home movies will be "their experience" -- their "only experience" -- with these members of "their family". By degrading this "real life", "real-time" "experience" into a "Laurel and Hardy" experience, a kind of "video joke", is to participate in a conspiracy to rob all generations of a real-time experience that should be theirs -- to share "your life and times" -- and 'the times of your life".

NOTE: Our Pricing Philosophy: Despite the fact Standard 8 takes 33.33% more resources and materials to produce, we only charge our clients 10% to15% more for Standard 8 -- depending on the volume of movie film send to us and depending on the media mix and volume of media ordered. This pricing strategy covers our extra labor and extra inventory expenses. We, respectfully, pass these costs on to our clients.

Personal Note: Yes, we make less profit on Standard 8mm movie film, but I am humbled in this sacrifice by the knowledge that most of my clients make sacrifices, too -- to send their movie film and memories to us. When I realize the extra results from our extra labor, and collective sacrifices, I also realize, we all realize a collective "Pride in Workmanship" -- something extra profits can't buy. Based on our unsolicited letters of appreciation, I think our clients, too, share in this pride, but they also have a "Pride of Ownership" -- a pride they can share with their family and friends.

This pride in our work -- is my choice -- even at the price of my own sacrifice. I choose to honor the best I can do, for no other reason except to do my best with honor. Pride is why I put my name on this website, on our products, and why having my name on my clients' products "means something" -- to both my clients and to me. I dare believe this "extra" work -- and collective sacrifice - shared with my clients -- will make a difference to people now -- and to many people, many years from now -- even the "yet unborn".

At some point we, my staff and I, are no longer working for just our clients, nor working for money, nor working to any purpose of self-gratification, but we - my clients, my staff and I -- are collectively working for those people who's light and love literally came in contact with the movie film in our care -- to create images that will forever -- mirror both their light and their love in this world -- across time -- to others. As we actually do watch these movie films and see them mature into "the best they can be" -- as a result of our collective work and sacrifice -- we, too, are touched by this "light and love", which I hope is showing, even now, in these words.

If we honor the people in these movie films, their images, their memory, and their lives -- with our best work, and, yes, our lives -- then we will share in the honor of their lives, too, being honored. We want future generations to contemplate who these "people were" in hopes that future generations will also take pride in that contemplation to say, "This is a part of who I am, too",

Ok, so, I get a little "carried away". But if someone, taking a random poll, walked up to you on the street and asked you if synchronizing Standard 8mm movie film at 15fps was important to the ultimate destiny of the human race, what would you say?

I know what I would say -- with the deepest conviction and passion -- and I think you would be proud of my answer.

A 33.33% increase in speed, also means a DECREASE in time -- real time -- your “real life” experience -- of “being there”. Home movies are -- and will be -- about “re-living” the times of your life, or learning how much “living then” was like “living now” – how much “those people” and "those places" were "like us" and "still with us". After all, movies are (supposed to be) “the closest thing to being there -- and being here".

We do not regard your movie films -- nor the memory of your family -- to be “visual a joke”. If your 8mm or 16mm movie film was “shot” at 16fps, we capture your movie film at 15fps.

This process is unique to high-end studio and most closely replicates the original speed of the action of Standard 8 and 16mm movie film -- making them more “life-like”. This technology is relatively new and only rarely seen even in national broadcasts -- like the History Channel.

15fps synchronization also adds precious minutes to the length of your project – roughly 33% more time.

Finally, this method yields superior results for capturing “still frames” from your video master files -- for reproducing “photographs” from your movie films. Technically, synchronizing 16 fps movie film @ 15fps, 15fps gives you 2 full frames of video -- for every full frame of your movie film. This gives you twice the sampling options. This is an excellent solution for clients who want to “capture photographs” from their movie film.

15 fps is the best option for most “family activities” – where camera is “hand held”, “panning rationally” – and you can accept the “trade-off” for those short, burst-of-action scenes. The slower speed actually minimizes unstable motion.

Most Silent 16mm movie film is 16fps movie film and is synchronized at 15fps -- and looks absolutely GREAT!

NOTE:15 fps synchronization is not available for Super 8, Super 8 Sound, or 16mm Sound.

Ok, you are reading this website because you want the "truth". I would be remiss in my duty to my clients to not give full disclosure. We still perform some Standard 8 transfers at 20fps. Does that make me a "transfer mill"? Of course not. "Transfer mills" become "transfer mills" because they don't put their clients needs ahead of their income statements; because, they don't disclose client options -- giving them the "pros and cons", and then giving them a choice.

I give my clients their options -- complete with the "pros" and "cons" (above) of 15fps Vs. 20fps. Here is some of the logic I "run into". Put yourself in my shoes as "Mr. Film-to-Video".

I have clients with whom I have been working for years -- before the digital technology to properly execute a 15fps transfer was available. They argue that they and their families are "use to" the "Laurel and Hardy" look. When given a sample of the 15fps Standard 8mm transfer, they have lamented that they could not have had all work done for them in the past, done as a 15fps transfer; however, they feel having the few reels they "keep finding", transferred at 15fps, would only server to make the footage already finished, "look bad" or "different". They also argue that the reels "they keep finding" are usually inserted into a movie sequence "where they belong" and a speed change would be distracting. I "grit my teeth" and do the "dirty little deed".

I have clients who have movie film from a "traumatic childhood" or a "bad marriage", and they argue that they are "doing this" for their kids. They feel the "Laurel and Hardy" look, actually "re-frames" a period of time they feel "everyone would like to forget" -- with some humor. Thus, a slight distortion of their movie films -- which might error in the favor of "light humor" -- is better for their now "blended families". Again, I disclose the "pros and cons", but I don't argue. I then do the "dirty little deed".

These examples of "market resistance" are few and far between. The vast majority of my clients "jump" at the opportunity to be "on the leading edge" of the newest technology shift -- in 15fps transfers.

8mm Movie Film, Super 8mm, and 16mm Movie Film to Digital Video Tutorial