Telecine Transfer Question (WorkPrinter and Splice Related)

[tfunch24]

I asked this question over on Hostboard and got no response.

I'm doing a telecine transfer for a person with a large collection of R8 and S8 home movies in April when my WorkPrinter arrives. He has eighteen (!) 400' reels of spliced film to be transferred, mostly S8. I don't know what kind of splice he used to splice his films together.

1). Should I capture the films at 720 * 480 or 640 * 480? Since I'm in the U.S., I'm operating under NTSC and therefore output of the finished product to the recording VCR will be done at 640 * 480. Will the extra resolution be worth it? I don't think so.

2). The client's collection ranges from the early 1960s to the early 1980s. Therefore, his "latest" splices are twenty years old, and his oldest splices are over forty years old. My only experience with splices come from using the dreaded Kodak Presstapes. Again, I don't know what kind of splice he used. How will cement splices hold up? How will tape splices hold up?

According to the client, his films were stored in cans in a cardboard box in a bedroom closet in his home. I don't foresee any damage from excessive heat, moisture, etc.

I've done transfers for people before, but I've never done one of this size, which is why I'm so full of questions.

Tom

[Andreas Wideroe]

1). Should I capture the films at 720 * 480 or 640 * 480? Since I'm in the U.S., I'm operating under NTSC and therefore output of the finished product to the recording VCR will be done at 640 * 480. Will the extra resolution be worth it? I don't think so.

I would definitively go for the higher resolution and give the client a mastertape on DV so he can edit/copy it later without losses. I'm always doing 720x576 transferes, but then again I'm in the PAL world.

2). The client's collection ranges from the early 1960s to the early 1980s. Therefore, his "latest" splices are twenty years old, and his oldest splices are over forty years old. My only experience with splices come from using the dreaded Kodak Presstapes. Again, I don't know what kind of splice he used. How will cement splices hold up? How will tape splices hold up?

I recently transferred some films from the early 1960s and the splices were both cement and tape. I only had to fix 1 or 2 splices and the other came out just fine. I guess there's only one way of finding out: Go a head and see if they're still sticking together.

Good luck!

Hopefully your WP will be faster than 1fps!

[tfunch24--lazy]

Thanks, Andreas!

Unfortunately, the client is not a film/video professional; he's just a retired engineer who wants his old home movie footage transferred to VHS tape for easier viewing. Therefore, I'm forced to use VHS, which is why I wondered whether I should go for the gusto or conserve space.

Thanks again!

Tom

[ericMartinJarvies]

hello,

what telecine machine are you using?

[tfunch24--still lazy]

Hello,

I'll be using a Moviestuff WorkPrinter, Jr.

More info here: http://www.moviestuff.tv/wp_s8.html

Tom

[ericMartinJarvies]

thanks.