I would appreciate a brief explanation of what sort of input devices/techniques I would need to capture and convert Super8 film to DVD. I have used VS8 extensively for many DVDs so I'm pretty familiar with it's workings. I have a ton of old Super8 sound film, a good sound projector, and am just looking for maybe a way around paying out a ton of money for professional conversion - -but then I'm thinking this might be an endeavor best left to the pros because of all the enhancements that go with such a conversion process.
Any comments appreciated!
How can I convert Super8 to DVD?
Moderator: Ken Berry
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sjj1805
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I have been doing this for the past couple of months so feel I can offer you a few tips.
I set up my projector and screen in the loft as this was the darkest place in the house. I mounted the projector on top of a couple of cabinets so that I had some height and stability. I then mounted my digital camcorder on a tripod as close as possible alongside the projector.
The screen was positioned approx 5 feet from the projector and the resulting picture occupied an area on screen about 2 feet square.
I turned off anything "Automatic" on the camcorder and set the various controls manualy. It was then just a matter of filming whatever was on the screen.
Now this is where the fun starts.
After moving the captured footage into the computer the first step is to remove the sound. At the same time trim off the start and ending points and then use the crop tool to trim away the borders. Make sure that the tick box "Fill colour" is unticked so that it stretches the cropped picture to the edges.
If necessary use the brightness and contrast filter to brighten up the picture. Now save this file. Don't try and do everything at once, you will find it quicker to break the project down into small manageable parts.
Now using this new trimmed video, you need to use the multi trim tool and go through the video splitting it up into the various scenes (ie places where the camera was turned on/off).
When splitting the video into these scenes you can also chop away a few frames where these scenes occur as they often have a tendency to have
a bright flash effect as a result of the camera being turned on/off.
Now to piece it all back together again.
A nice effect is to start off with the sample video "V07.avi" the 5-4-3-2-1 countdown. Do not place a transition between this and your first clip, a straight cut is ok here.
Due to the nature of Super 8 films being only 3 minute cassettes and at the time expensive, the tendency was for the camera operator to only take very short clips. If any of the multi trim clips are less than 7 seconds long I then used the Playback speed function to make the clip
exactly 7 seconds in length. The purpose of this is to allow a 1 second transition at either end, plus a minimum of 5 seconds on screen display - otherwise you end up with pictures that just flash on the screen without the audience being able to take the scene in. I found this to be very effective and greatly improved the new video.
Now add your clips one at a time to the time line with a 1 second transition of your choosing - checking the clip is at least 7 seconds long, plus checking if this clip needs any further adjustment to the crop area, brightness etc.
Finish off with a black colour clip so that your video "fades out."
At this point DO NOT ADD SOUND. I found that it is quicker to create a new video file at this point, then add your sound to that.
Now here is a nice fun part that really gives your video some polish and looks great.
Start a new project and place the sample clip "Vo1"on the timeline. At the end of that clip use the save as still image option. and then place that still image onto the timeline (with resampling option - fit to project size) Now use the sample clip "vo1"again but check the reverse video option - also remove the sound from that final clip.
Now use this as a template for your cleaned up super 8 films.
Using the overlay track you place your new super 8 film over the saved still image from above. You make the still image the same length as the super 8 video with the image duration option.
On the overlay track stretch your super 8 film to the "safe area border" that is displayed. Select the "Mask and Chroma Key" function and then select a border size of "1" in white.
The overall effect is
Some curtains open rather like in a cinema.
A Projection screen appears - as if you are at the cinema, followed by the 5-4-3-2-1 countdown. Then your new super 8 comes on with a nice soundtrack and transitions.
At the end of the "film" it fades out and then the curtains close.
To jazz it up a little more, where the 5-4-3-2-1 countdown appears, add a bit of sound from the projector and let it gradualy fade out as your new soundtrack fades in.
Lots of work but well worth the effort.
I set up my projector and screen in the loft as this was the darkest place in the house. I mounted the projector on top of a couple of cabinets so that I had some height and stability. I then mounted my digital camcorder on a tripod as close as possible alongside the projector.
The screen was positioned approx 5 feet from the projector and the resulting picture occupied an area on screen about 2 feet square.
I turned off anything "Automatic" on the camcorder and set the various controls manualy. It was then just a matter of filming whatever was on the screen.
Now this is where the fun starts.
After moving the captured footage into the computer the first step is to remove the sound. At the same time trim off the start and ending points and then use the crop tool to trim away the borders. Make sure that the tick box "Fill colour" is unticked so that it stretches the cropped picture to the edges.
If necessary use the brightness and contrast filter to brighten up the picture. Now save this file. Don't try and do everything at once, you will find it quicker to break the project down into small manageable parts.
Now using this new trimmed video, you need to use the multi trim tool and go through the video splitting it up into the various scenes (ie places where the camera was turned on/off).
When splitting the video into these scenes you can also chop away a few frames where these scenes occur as they often have a tendency to have
a bright flash effect as a result of the camera being turned on/off.
Now to piece it all back together again.
A nice effect is to start off with the sample video "V07.avi" the 5-4-3-2-1 countdown. Do not place a transition between this and your first clip, a straight cut is ok here.
Due to the nature of Super 8 films being only 3 minute cassettes and at the time expensive, the tendency was for the camera operator to only take very short clips. If any of the multi trim clips are less than 7 seconds long I then used the Playback speed function to make the clip
exactly 7 seconds in length. The purpose of this is to allow a 1 second transition at either end, plus a minimum of 5 seconds on screen display - otherwise you end up with pictures that just flash on the screen without the audience being able to take the scene in. I found this to be very effective and greatly improved the new video.
Now add your clips one at a time to the time line with a 1 second transition of your choosing - checking the clip is at least 7 seconds long, plus checking if this clip needs any further adjustment to the crop area, brightness etc.
Finish off with a black colour clip so that your video "fades out."
At this point DO NOT ADD SOUND. I found that it is quicker to create a new video file at this point, then add your sound to that.
Now here is a nice fun part that really gives your video some polish and looks great.
Start a new project and place the sample clip "Vo1"on the timeline. At the end of that clip use the save as still image option. and then place that still image onto the timeline (with resampling option - fit to project size) Now use the sample clip "vo1"again but check the reverse video option - also remove the sound from that final clip.
Now use this as a template for your cleaned up super 8 films.
Using the overlay track you place your new super 8 film over the saved still image from above. You make the still image the same length as the super 8 video with the image duration option.
On the overlay track stretch your super 8 film to the "safe area border" that is displayed. Select the "Mask and Chroma Key" function and then select a border size of "1" in white.
The overall effect is
Some curtains open rather like in a cinema.
A Projection screen appears - as if you are at the cinema, followed by the 5-4-3-2-1 countdown. Then your new super 8 comes on with a nice soundtrack and transitions.
At the end of the "film" it fades out and then the curtains close.
To jazz it up a little more, where the 5-4-3-2-1 countdown appears, add a bit of sound from the projector and let it gradualy fade out as your new soundtrack fades in.
Lots of work but well worth the effort.
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jchunter
Nice contribution, SJJ.
Converting my own old Super8s has been on my "Get Around To It" list for a long time. I'm now encouraged by your success and may try it.
Some questions:
(1) Did you have any trouble with film breaks while running them through the projector?
(2) Is the aspect ratio of Super8 frames 4:3?
(3) Is it possible to eliminate the cropping step by zooming the camcorder in a bit?
(4) Did you overlay a new voice narrative on the sound track? Or just add music?
John
Converting my own old Super8s has been on my "Get Around To It" list for a long time. I'm now encouraged by your success and may try it.
Some questions:
(1) Did you have any trouble with film breaks while running them through the projector?
(2) Is the aspect ratio of Super8 frames 4:3?
(3) Is it possible to eliminate the cropping step by zooming the camcorder in a bit?
(4) Did you overlay a new voice narrative on the sound track? Or just add music?
John
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sjj1805
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John,jchunter wrote:Nice contribution, SJJ.
Converting my own old Super8s has been on my "Get Around To It" list for a long time. I'm now encouraged by your success and may try it.
Some questions:
(1) Did you have any trouble with film breaks while running them through the projector?
(2) Is the aspect ratio of Super8 frames 4:3?
(3) Is it possible to eliminate the cropping step by zooming the camcorder in a bit?
(4) Did you overlay a new voice narrative on the sound track? Or just add music?
John
1. I was lucky and didn't suffer any film breaks which was fortunate as I no longer have my old film splicing kit.
2. I was using 4.3. However using the super 8 as an overlay on my home made "At the cinema" backdrop should avoid any distortion should you wish to create a 16.9 finished product.
3. I don't know if its a design feature of my particular camcorder but, I zoomed in so that none of the edges were visible in the camcorders LCD screen. However after transfering it to the computer there was a rough dark edge around the picture. I suspect the LCD has a "Safe area" similar to that in a television set.
I opted for the overlay on a cinema style background to avoid any further loss of the super 8 picture when viewed on a television screen. All of the super 8 would be there - bounded by a thin white box, it would not matter if some of the background curtains went missing.
4. I only had silent footage so had to go for music. You can of course add other sound effects. One of my clips was of a beach scene and so I manufactured some sound using scenario wizard
http://www.relaxingsoftware.com/
plus a collection of sound effects I have on some CD's.
I found this to be a very rewarding worthwhile challenge. I started off with Video Studio 9 but after Media Studio 8 was released I continued my project with that. Both very capable of course.
I have learned more about video editing doing these super 8 and some standard 8 conversions, than any other project I have previously undertaken.
It may take a lot longer than the good old 'ordinary' camcorder stuff but when completed the resultant DVD's make lovely stocking fillers for relatives at Christmas. In addition to the nostalgia effect, because they are so old there are not just childhood memories and clips of when you were the same age as your children/grandchildren, there are also those relatives who have long ago stopped walking this earth.
Another benefit I found of using my cinema style backdrop is that it made the whole thing appear much brighter than a simple full screen display of the super 8 film.
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heinz-oz
DV camcorders have what is called "overscan". In other words, not everything you see on your PC is actually shown on your TV after. I think the overscan is around 10 - 15%. Just insert a title that starts close to the edge on the PC and stretch it, or make it long enough to end close to the edge on the right hand side also. You will find that a great deal, if not all, of your first and last letter in your title does not show on your TV.
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DiscCoasterPro
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- Joined: Mon Aug 29, 2005 10:42 pm
Hi, great advice sjj!. I have also played quite a bit with super8 film. A few of the things I found to help are, to find a projector with variable speed control. Adjusting it will help cut down on the strobing that occurs with the difference in frame rates between projector and camcorder .
I found a piece of construction paper worked better than my screen as it did not show the little ripples in the screen material because as sjj mentioned shooting from a few feet away to produce a small screen helps with resolution. (dont use shiny paper)
Also, while turning off automatic focus controls is a must, I also taped a magazine page to the screen and pre-focused that camcorder on it prior to shooting. Use the remote control to shut off and start camcorder if possible also.
I took a 3/4 in piece of plywood 5 foot x 2 foot and cut a hole in it so I could put the tripod through the hole and position the camcorder just below the projector which I placed on a small step stool on the plywood behind the camcorder. I propped the whole thing up to about a 4ft height.
More reliable than some of these capture devices for analog footage from VHS or 8mm LOL.
p.s. or you can do what this guy did ....
http://www.rickmears.us/Main/S8/s8.htm
dcp
I found a piece of construction paper worked better than my screen as it did not show the little ripples in the screen material because as sjj mentioned shooting from a few feet away to produce a small screen helps with resolution. (dont use shiny paper)
Also, while turning off automatic focus controls is a must, I also taped a magazine page to the screen and pre-focused that camcorder on it prior to shooting. Use the remote control to shut off and start camcorder if possible also.
I took a 3/4 in piece of plywood 5 foot x 2 foot and cut a hole in it so I could put the tripod through the hole and position the camcorder just below the projector which I placed on a small step stool on the plywood behind the camcorder. I propped the whole thing up to about a 4ft height.
More reliable than some of these capture devices for analog footage from VHS or 8mm LOL.
p.s. or you can do what this guy did ....
http://www.rickmears.us/Main/S8/s8.htm
dcp
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sjj1805
- Posts: 14383
- Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2005 7:20 am
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- motherboard: Equium P200-178
- processor: Intel Pentium Dual-Core Processor T2080
- ram: 2 GB
- Video Card: Intel 945 Express
- sound_card: Intel GMA 950
- Hard_Drive_Capacity: 1160 GB
- Location: Birmingham UK
This is taken from the above linkDiscCoasterPro wrote: p.s. or you can do what this guy did ....
http://www.rickmears.us/Main/S8/s8.htm
dcp
Now If I am reading this correctly There are 18 frames per second and so 1 minutes worth of film contains 18 * 60 = 1080 frames.. Of course, I modified the project to run much much slower than 18 fps (actually, about 1 frame per 15 seconds!)
This guy's contraption was taking pictures at the rate of 1 frame every 15 seconds. So 1 minutes worth of film = 1080 * 15 = 16200 seconds.
Divide that by 60 seconds to get minutes = 270 minutes or 4 and a half hours - just for 1 minutes worth of film.
Now before anyone gets excited, that's just the capture stage.. You would then need something along the lines of a piece of software called 8mm2avi
http://8mm2avi.netfirms.com/ to convert these pictures into an "AVI" file.
From my experience of just projecting it onto a screen and filming it, the results were far better than I had anticipated and certainly didn't take weeks. My suggestion would be to just try the point and shoot method on one of your 3 minute cassettes. If you like the results, great, go ahead and do your whole collection.
If you are looking for something better, simply type 8mmToAVI into a search engine such as google or Ask Jeeves and you will find several lengthy articles many of which either use the scanner method or the above mentioned modified projecter with a digital camera method.
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tj3445
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DiscCoasterPro
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sjj1805
- Posts: 14383
- Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2005 7:20 am
- System_Drive: C
- 32bit or 64bit: 32 Bit
- motherboard: Equium P200-178
- processor: Intel Pentium Dual-Core Processor T2080
- ram: 2 GB
- Video Card: Intel 945 Express
- sound_card: Intel GMA 950
- Hard_Drive_Capacity: 1160 GB
- Location: Birmingham UK
This has prompted me to get round to another been wanting to do this for a long time project.jchunter wrote:Nice contribution, SJJ.
Some questions:
(4) Did you overlay a new voice narrative on the sound track? Or just add music?
John
I would think most of the users here like myself have tons of Home Videos - complete with natural background sounds. I am currently loading my old AVI / MPEG files into Video Studio then exporting the soundtrack as a WAV file.
I am then opening the WAV file with Audacity and "grabbing sound clips" to build up an extensive library of sound effects. It's just a matter of categorising your sounds into thinks like
"City sounds", "General Crowd noises", "Beach sounds", "Countryside",
"City Traffic" etc.
A very useful addition to my movie making armoury, can obviously be used to replace bits of soundtracks which have been corrupted by things like wind noise etc. Providing the sound fits in with what the eyes can see.
Besides isn't this the sort of thing that they do in Hollywood?