First of all, what most people ask is how to pronounce the word “telecine”. I have had much discussion with film enthusiasts, indie filmmakers, production guys, film editors, etc. and while some people pronounce the word as “tell-a-seen”, most professional video experts know that telecine is pronounced “tell-a-sin-ee”. So there you have it.
But What IS Telecine?
Telecine is simply the process of transferring the images and sound from a film reel (whether 8mm, 16mm, or Super-8) to video. Telecine can refer to the process of transferring film or to the machine (like the WorkPrinter XP or the DVSniper) used to do the transfer. It is worth noting that there are various processes and various equipment setups that accomplish a successful transfer of film - some better than others.
If you are researching film preservation methods, you will hear terms such as wetgate and will read about various machines (some home-made, some commercially made) such as the WorkPrinter XP or various telecines made by Goko or Elmo. Don’t get bogged down with all the possibilities out there - at least not yet.
How Does Telecine Work?
The basic concept is that you have an output device (a projector) and an input device (a camera), along with a recording device. In between any of these units there may be other devices which alter or tweak the image being projected. An extremely simple telecine is a home movie projector which projects the image onto a white screen paired with a camcorder which records the projected image.
(No, we don’t recommend this method at all.)
The high-level telecine methods include a Rank transfer or wetgate transfer. These options are way out of the average home movie transfer budget. So, we can’t necessarily recommend these methods of film transfer either.
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