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film preservation

8mm Film & Super 8 Film Preservation Facts

Film transfer questions? 8mm film mysteries? There are a number of facts you should know regarding film transfer. These aren’t specific to Super 8 or regular 8mm, but are true of 16mm and other formats as well.

  • Film preservation is necessary - film deteriorates over time. When it is seriously degrading, it smells awful and starts to shrink and crumble. This problem with film is often called Vinegar Syndrome.
  • Film should be stored wound on a reel. Film reels often come in 50′ or even 400′ sizes. Some reels are plastic, while the larger reels are often metal and come in metal film canisters. It is easier to archive many smaller reels on one larger reel after splicing the smaller reels together.
  • Film sometimes has a magnetic sound “stripe” which can be seen on one side along the edge. It has a brown or rust color. Film which has a sound stripe is called sound film.
  • Film has two sides: emulsion and base. The emulsion is the stuff that starts to deteriorate.
  • Film must be carefully handled and stored. It is equally important that the projector is well-maintained so that it doesn’t damage the film sprockets or scratch the emulsion.
  • Film was once the prevalent form of taking home movies. 8mm film and then Super8 film were the standards. Video tape then took over. The “look” of film holds a special place for many enthusiasts, but these days its very difficult to purchase film and even more difficult (and expensive!) to get it developed.
  • Some of the best 8mm and Super 8 film projectors you will ever find were made by GAF and Eumig. When purchasing a projector, make sure it is clean, well-maintained, and is a quality piece of equipment. It’s worth paying more money for a good unit than to buy the cheapest thing you can find on eBay.
  • Film images are composed of frames. The problem with many film transfer methods is that they don’t capture every single frame. One result of this is “flicker”.

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    Telecine Film Transfer Information

    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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