Super 8 goes Vegas

allister wrote on 11/2/2005, 9:12 PM
Ok is there anyone else out there working in Super 8mm film, transfering to digital and editing in Vegas?I think this is the best of both worlds for the idependent filmmaker. The only downside is waiting for the film to be developed and transfered. The upside is I get 24fps, film texture and grain+non linear editing. I know there are alot of video guys on these forums, but are there any super 8 mm film guys?

Comments

farss wrote on 11/2/2005, 9:30 PM
I've transfered a LOT of S8, edited and CCed it in Vegas. Just old home movies (not my own) though. I've also done some 16mm.

One project still going around in my head is to build a 8mm film scanner. I think I've got all my ideas together, just need the time, resources and motivation to get it going. Biggest problem is no one wants to pay enough to make it worthwhile. I've tried sending prospective clients off to a post house that has a Cintel just to scare them into accepting that half decent work costs but to no avail.

One other format you could look at is Pro 8.
Don't let anyone tell you S8 is substandard, an entire Australian TV series was shot on S8, I think the main motivation though wasn't anything to do with 'the look' rather it was cheaper than using broadcast cameras back then and also film cameras hold up well in hostile environments.

Bob.
johnmeyer wrote on 11/2/2005, 10:34 PM
One project still going around in my head is to build a 8mm film scanner.

It's been done.

One word: Workprinter.

I've got an idea of how it could also be done with external electronics, rather than modifying the entire projector, as Roger Evans does with his Workprinter. I've been toying with the idea of getting an old 16mm projector and adding my proposed electronic mod to that. Similar idea to the Workprinter, but without the mechanical cam and all the internal adjustments.
farss wrote on 11/3/2005, 3:57 AM
I know it's been done!
I've got quite a collection of S8, R8 and one 16mm projector all of which contain the necessary mechanical bits to make this work.
I've also got a Nikon film scanner that's good for 4000 dpi, only the feed mechanism needs to be modified to scan 35mm.
The only real issue I'm having is with the optics to scan 8mm, I've looked at a few add on macro lenses for digital still cameras but at that magnification image distortion might be an issue, plus I'd need to change the film path etc so the lens could get close enough to the film.
Why not just buy a workprinter? Well as good as they are they're only good for SD. Also the Nikon has some mighty neat tricks for image restoration that use IR scanning to detect film damage and remove it.
Of course frame rates for this system are going to be incredibly low, if I can get 1 fps I'd be pretty happy.
Bob.
JJKizak wrote on 11/3/2005, 5:58 AM
How do you handle the "registration" problems both vertical and horizontal?

JJK
johnmeyer wrote on 11/3/2005, 9:21 AM
Why not just buy a workprinter? Well as good as they are they're only good for SD.

Bob, why couldn't they do HD? Is there no stop-motion software available for HD? Or, at the higher resolutions, can the software simply not capture fast enough to keep up? This is more than just a "passing interest" kind of question because I have thought of using an HD camera to capture from my Workprinter and thought it would be a great upgrade.
Coursedesign wrote on 11/3/2005, 10:17 AM
I've looked at a few add on macro lenses for digital still cameras but at that magnification image distortion might be an issue, plus I'd need to change the film path etc so the lens could get close enough to the film.

100mm macro lenses solve these problems, I used a Canon ditto for many years with my EOS. The sharpness was incredible. For the very small image area of S8 you should still use a macro tube to get sufficient magnification.
farss wrote on 11/3/2005, 12:29 PM
I'd looked at the macro tubes, I even have a set for my Olympus 35mm SLR. Only problem is you loose light with them and I wanted to keep the amount of light going through the film to a minimum. They still might be an option though.

Registration would be handled through using an existing projector gate mechanism. The motor is replaced with a stepper motor drive controlled by a small micro, the shutter on the projector provides feedback to the controller to give a simple frame advance system. Only drawback is it relies on the mechanics of not only the projector but also the camera to maintain film registration and certainly some of those old 8mm cameras might not have been too good in that area. By enlarging the gate so the whole frame including the mask is imaged perhaps this could be improved upon. The edge of the frame could then be detected in software and the image position adjusted to compensate for any mechanical drift.
Bob.