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Technical Information
How do we do it?
Our telecine transfer method is basically very straightforward - we point a camera and a
film
projector at a screen and record the images projected! However there
are a number of procedures
and technical aids that we use in combination to maximise the quality
of recording.
First we check all films prior to projection to ensure that any and all splices are
adequate and that
there is no potentially serious damage eg to sprocket holes. After
inspection we then clean the film.
Second we record direct onto a hard disk (mounted on a professional 3-chip camera).
Third the professional 3-chip camera we use has the colour balance carefully set to retain
the
original film colours as faithfully as possible. The camera also has a
synchro-scan shutter so that
we can match this to the correct projection speed for the material (and
to the range of two and
three-bladed projectors that we use).
Fourth we use underscan monitors to ensure that we capture all of the film image, but no
more,
when transferring to video.
Fifth all film transfers are constantly supervised to ensure consistent quality throughout
the process.
And finally we transfer the resulting digital video to our edit computer and use a
professional software
editing program (currentlyAdobe Premiere Pro CS3) to 'tidy up' the
images (eg edit out any blank material)
and transfer to the final client-designated format (eg DVD).
These procedures, which in combination we believe are unique to our operation, ensure that
the
best possible results are obtained from the films we receive.
Sorting Films into Order
For some of our customers their biggest problem is that they are unable
to view their films, having either long-since disposed of their film projectors
or else having come into possession of family films from an elderly or
deceased family member. There are a number of ways of at least
partly-identifying the relative age of films.
A quick method of dating is to take on board that Standard 8 stock was
introduced in 1932 whereas Super 8 was not introduced until 1965.
Standard 8 film stock is normally stored on reels with a very small
centre
hole (about 7mm diameter) whilst Super 8 film spools have a centre hole
diameter of around 12.5mm.
A more precise method of dating material is that where 8mm film has been kept on the
original
50' spools tucked inside the little yellow packets it is usually
possible to make out the 'process
by' date on the packets which can be an aid to dating the films
themselves.
If all of this proves to be of no use then it is always possible for us to re-sort
material once it
has been transferred to video. Usually we will provide a VHS copy of
the material with burnt-in
time code (BITC) and the client will identify the images and advise us
of the correct order by
quoting start/stop points using the time code numbers appearing on the
tape. These numbers
exactly reflect the time code on our digital master tape and thus allow
us accurately to re-assemble
the material into the desired order.
Film Stock
 In any technical discussion
about film stock the
name KODAK is almost bound to appear. Most
of the film we receive, ranging in age from two
days to seventy-seven years, is Kodak stock and
we have found that with older material Kodak
films, particularly Kodachrome/Kodachrome II
(also later referred to as K25 and K40) colour
films, are the most likely to have retained their
original colours.
New films should not present any difficulties during transfer but, even for older films,
if the
images have been recorded on good film stock (eg Kodak black and white
or Kodachrome
colour films)and the film properly stored, then there is an excellent
chance of achieving a
good-quality transfer to video even if the material is fifty or more
years old.
Where old films have been shot on inferior colour stock the tell-tale sign is that the
original
colours have changed into a range from off white to dark mauve with
only the occasional
rich red just about surviving and recognisable.
Badly-stored films tend to deteriorate in a number of ways. The colour can fade but even
more seriously the film can warp to the extent that when projected it
is impossible to retain
focus across the entire image (or in severe cases films can be
unprojectable).
Many otherwise well-stored films can suffer some loss of focus when the material at the
very end of the reel is projected. This is due to a combination of the
tighter winding near
the centre of the reel core and the slight 'hump' that is often found
where the film end has
been tucked into the core; this can cause several layers of the film
positioned over the hump
to go out of shape and thus to project badly.
Additional Services (see Facilities page
on main web site for charges):
Adding Titles
We can add a title (after telecine transfer to a digital master tape) prior to copying to
tape or DVD.
Grabbing Frames
We can also grab frames for printing onto photo-paper. here again a BITC VHS tape can be
supplied to the client to enable precise identification of the frame(s)
desired.
Labels/case inserts
We can produce VHS/DVD labels and case inserts in monochrome or colour.
Editing
We can edit additional movie and still material in with your films to compile e.g. a
family history
in documentary style.
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