Desperate need of help - tape sputtering

L8R wrote on 12/31/2009, 3:12 PM
I just shot some footage for the city. I was outside almost all day in -1 celcius temp. Shooting with my fx1
I went to transfer the footage when I got home and on every tape (4 in total) about halfway through the tape the footage starts to chug. It plays a couple seconds the stops then plays a couple then stops.... it does this for about 20 minutes of the tape one each of them.
Is there any way to salvage the footage? Was the tape slipping? Was it recorded this way.
I am desperately need help.
What can I do? This can't be re shot!

Comments

JackW wrote on 12/31/2009, 3:16 PM
Don't know why its doing this. Have you tried playing the tapes back in the camera? Also, have you tried fast-forwarding to the end, rewinding, then trying to play back?

Jack
L8R wrote on 12/31/2009, 3:18 PM
Yes I have tried it in the FX1 it's shot with and my other FX1 and my HC1.
I have also rewound the tape and fast forwarded it and rewound it again. It gets to about 35 minutes and then I start to see it doing it.
I am so screwed if I can't get this to work.
John_Cline wrote on 12/31/2009, 3:20 PM
After being outside all day in freezing temperatures and then bringing something inside will cause condensation to form. You said that you attempted to transfer the footage "when you got home", was this immediately after you got home or hours after you got home? You need to acclimate both camera and tapes to room temperature and any condensation must be allowed to evaporate before you use them. If it really is condensation that's causing your dropout problem, there is a possibility that the tapes may have been damaged if you attempted to play them before they acclimated.
L8R wrote on 12/31/2009, 3:24 PM
Yes John,
I attempted to do this right when I got home. I will let them sit for a bit, I am almost sick to my stomache with worry. This was a film for the city documenting site conditions of a couple transfer stations.
It puzzles me why the beginning of all the tapes work but now the ends.
musicvid10 wrote on 12/31/2009, 3:33 PM
You need to stop fooling with them, let cameras and tape sit untouched for a full 2 hours (to prevent further damage) and try again. The two-hour rule is a mandate here in ski country.
L8R wrote on 12/31/2009, 3:38 PM
I have stopped....
I really really hope that this is all that it is. I really need some good new years luck here.
jrazz wrote on 12/31/2009, 8:25 PM
Did it work for you?

j razz
L8R wrote on 12/31/2009, 10:08 PM
I only tried the one so far and no such luck. I am extremely pissed. The beginning of all the tapes are fine, until it gets to around 35 -40 min... then it starts to studder.
JackW wrote on 12/31/2009, 10:46 PM
"This was a film for the city documenting site conditions of a couple transfer stations."

Desperate conditions require desperate remedies: if this is about documenting a site, can you document by grabbing stills off the last part of the tapes?
In other words, is motion necessary for the documentation? We often do construction documentation where stills would be every bit as good as video.

This too will pass -- so have a Happy New Year in spite of this mess.

Jack

farss wrote on 12/31/2009, 11:29 PM
About all I can suggest you try is playing them in the very best VCR you can get your hands on. Unfortunately there's not much in the way of better HDV capable VCRs around. If it was DV then the DSR 2000 was the go to deck that'd play anything that had a chance of being recovered.

The other thing you could try is this. Capture the tapes several times and see if the dropouts are consistant.

Bob.
lynn1102 wrote on 1/1/2010, 6:59 AM
How about if you start a new capture at the beginning of the bad part. It may be a time problem.

Lynn
L8R wrote on 1/4/2010, 11:20 AM
Thanks everyone for the help....
unfortunately the tapes are no better. I will have to try and capture mulfiple times and see if it's always the same spots.
I know a guy that's got an HD mini dv deck, I'll see if I can get them to play on that.
I'm waiting to hear back from the city rep, to see what the next step is.
Thanks again.