Movie Film (Reg. 8 mm or Super 8) to Digital
Conversion
Workshops will Show You How
The first step in converting your movies to a digital format is to attend a Movie Conversion
Workshop session. Attendance is limited to three persons and can be scheduled with the help of a
monitor using the workshop option on the Classie Computer. We schedule workshops based on the
interest level over time.
�The workshop sessions will cover both film preparation and the conversion process. After you
have attended a workshop you may reserve the equipment by writing your name on an empty time slot
on the conversion calendar. The equipment is available for use any time the Lab is open. Members
should limit their time to give all members a chance to use the equipment. Assistance will be
available during your first few conversion sessions. As you become more familiar with the equipment
and the process we will ask that you be available to assist other new users for their first few
sessions.
Preparing Your Film for Conversion
Some preparation is required before your film is ready for the conversion process. The following
link leads to a description of the preparation process -
Film
Preparation
We have detailed instructions for preparing your film. Here is the link -
Detailed
instructions for film preparation [
This is an Adobe .pdf file. Get the free Adobe Reader at www.adobe.com]
Converting Your Film to Digital
During 2004, the Club assembled the equipment needed to capture the images from 8mm movie film
and save the information in digital form. The centerpiece is the WorkPrinter XP, a modified
projector that is made by MovieStuff.com of Houston. The WorkPrinter is used with a mirror and lens
to allow a Canon ZR80 digital camcorder to scan each frame of the film. A Dell 8300 PC with two 160
GB hard drives configured as Raid 0 completes the set up.
This link will lead to a description of the conversion process -
Converting
Film to Digital
We have written step by step instructions for this process also -
Detailed
instructions for conversion [Also a .pdf file. See note above.]
Editing Your Captured Digital Movie Files
Most members will probably want to purchase a video editing program to use on their home
computers. Mac users will likely have iMovie already on their computer. PC users will need a
program such Adobe's Premiere Elements. This is an entry level video editing programs that lists
for under $100. We will also have one or two copies of this program loaded on Lab computers for
members to use. However, be advised that video editing is a time consuming process and the Lab
environment is not ideal for this work.
Some of the things that you may want to do with your video files is clip and rearrange
sequences, add titles, add a music sound track and maybe voice narration. You can also adjust
brightness and contrast on the portions that need improvement. All of this is possible with these
programs.
Archiving Your Movie Files
You should give some careful thought on how you will archive your digital movie files. The AVI
format is the best choice since digital versions of all the movie frames are present. These AVI
file can be saved on a data format DVD. MPEG 2 format DVDs are not a good choice for archives
because the MPEG compression technique uses frame to frame compression where many of the frames
contain only information that is changed from the previous frame. MPEG files are nearly impossible
to edit should you want to do so at some time in the future. MPEG 2 DVDs are an excellent choice
for use in making copies for viewing and where future editing is not likely. The original AVI
format DVDs may be saved just as the material was captured, or you may choose to copy the files to
your hard drive and use a video editing program to edit and rearrange the files before saving them
as AVI files on data format DVDs.
Once you have enhanced your video material by adding audio and clipping as desired, you will
want to make DVDs for use in viewing on your living room DVD player and for distribution to others.
Here the MPEG 2 format is appropriate. You may want to save a copy as an AVI file on a DVD in case
you want to do additional editing at some future time.