Film Transfer Tutorial

[videoFred]

For those who are interested in transfering old 8mm films:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_k0IKckACujwT_fZHN6jlg

Of cource the same principles can be used for 16mm and other films.

I am preparing part 3: post processing with Avisynth.

many greetings,
Fred.

[johnmeyer]

I just re-watched both tutorials. Really great stuff. You have done a lot of original innovation, but the wetgate and controllable RGB light source make your transfer system far more capable than almost any other film capture hardware on the market. The results are truly astounding.

Well done!

[videoFred]

Thank you John!

But you have also helped a lot of people here and on other websites with very good advice.

Fred.

[johnmeyer]

The reason why I have such an appreciation for your hardware inventions is that I too built my own 16mm transfer system, after purchasing, and then using for several years, one of Roger Evan's very first "Workprinter" projectors.

For my invention, I simply removed the shutter from a synchronous motor 24p sound projector. However, I made no attempt to synchronize the transfer. Instead, I figured out how to use modified IVTC software to eliminate both the blurred frame where pulldown happens, as well as any duplicates that result from capturing 24p material using a 60i camera. There were lots of software issues figuring out which fields to combine together into frames, and which fields to decimate (the actual blurred capture happens during a single field of interlaced video).

The result was a pristine transfer. However, I simply used a low-wattage incandescent, and made no attempt to do any color balance in hardware. Also, wet gate transfer always sounded like a major extra amount of effort during transfer, and I wasn't sure what the fluid would do to both the film and the projector's film path. However, your wet gate result is truly spectacular, and I can think of many reels of film that I've transferred that would have benefited tremendously from that extra step.

[Gargamel]

With all "transfer amateurs", I have to thank you once again here, Fred, and you too John, for all your scripts, advices and examples. We old ones know that very well, but those who begin today have to not forget how much you helped.