TRANSERS � WE ARE KEEPING THEM ALIVE!!!
8mm Film Transfer
Main Event Video Producers is your starting point for Super8 film and 8mm film information. We have some interesting and informative pages about 8mm film preservation, film transfer of your home movies . Whether you are a professional, a beginner or just someone interested in 8mm film to dvd transfer technology we hope you will find some useful information here. We present plenty of information relating to 8mm film, film transfer and the ever growing community of filmmakers who keep it alive. Thanks for stopping by!
8mm film story
In the early 1900's manufacturers were looking to provide the home and independent film maker a lower cost alternative to 16mm film. Film manufacturers had seen success with 16mm film introduced in the mid 20's. In 1932 Kodak introduced a new film format dubbed, "Cine Kodak Eight." Since then the film has taken on the names of double 8 or regular 8mm film.
This 8mm film format was targeted directly at amateurs and home film making enthusiasts. In reality this film was 16mm film with extra sprocket holes which were on both sides of the film. The cameraman would simply run the film through the camera in one direction, then reload the film in the opposite direction and expose the other half. After processing, the film laboratory would cut the film lengthwise down the center, and splice the ends together. The 25 foot film roll then becomes 50 feet in length.
8mm film was almost an instant success. It's popularity grew so rapidly that within 10-15 years 16mm film was relegated to almost exclusively professional use.
One of the advantages of 8mm film was that it reduced the amount of film needed to produce movies of the same length. An 8mm frame is 1/4 the size of a 16mm film. In practical terms this allows a film maker to produce roughly 4 minutes of film on a standard 25 foot 8mm film reel. (split to yield 50ft of film) The same amount of footage shot with 16mm film would require 100 feet of film. Some cameras even allowed larger spools of film to be used. Because of it's ability to shoot longer movies coupled with it's lower cost compared to 16mm it is not surprising that 8mm was extremely poplar with amateur film makers. 8mm movie cameras were becoming increasingly popular on vacations, parties, and family events.
Super 8 Film History
Released by Kodak in 1965, super8 film was a modification of regular 8mm film. 8mm film had enjoyed immense popularity for over 30 years. Manufacturers were interested in retaining both the spirit and the low cost of 8mm, while improving it's quality. Super8 film (often spelled super-8, super 8 film or super 8mm film) proved to be an improvement over it's predecessor in two key ways.
First was the introduction of the Kodak super8 film cartridge. The film itself was contained inside a black plastic cartridge making it far more easy to load. In addition to it's ease of use it also removed the danger of getting light on the undeveloped film.
Another improvement was to the film itself. While keeping the width of the film identical, the sprocket holes were reduced in size on super 8 film. This allowed for over a 25% increase in visible frame size compared to regular 8. Following in Kodak's footsteps, Fujifilm also released an improvement over regular 8 in 1966. Fuji's film, called single8, was very similar to Super 8mm film. The main difference was that it was housed in a better cartridge. Fuji's design allowed for easier rewinding which allowed the film maker greater freedom with in-camera effects. Single8 film was identical in dimension to super8, which meant that after processing, single8 film could be viewed on the same projectors as super8. Of course it is important to note that an 8mm projector could not project super8 film. This was resolved by the introduction of the dual 8 projector which served as an 8mm projector or super8 projector with two sets of sprockets and film gates included on a single projector.
Another important development was the addition of sound to super8 in 1973. These new developments allowed Super8 to enjoy much of the same popularity that regular 8mm film had. In fact super8 was the single most popular format for home movie making. It wasn't until the mid 80's when camcorders began to take the market away from film. Today super8 is still used, although not nearly as widely as it was in the 1970's..
8mm Film and Super 8mm Film Transfer To DVD Why it's Safe The transfer process does not damage 8mm, 16mm, and super 8 film and you will receive your originals back with your new DVD. Almost 99% of film can be transferred, regardless of age. How we offer our high Quality Our technology guarantees the most exact transfer of your movies so that no color, light, or speed is compromised in the transfer process . Ordering is Easy 8mm film to dvd transfer Our Basic DVD is the simplest way to get your home-movie films into a user friendly format. Simply send us those reels of 8mm, 16mm or super 8 film and we'll send you a DVD that's ready to play in your home DVD player. You'll never have to worry about setting up a film projector and a home movie screen to enjoy your memories. We'll transfer your film using our unique digital film transfer to ensure that the quality of your film is completely maintained. With your basic order you'll receive � Cleaning, and safety inspection of all 8mm, super8, and 16mm film � A complete screening DVD set � Any basic copies that you specified � The final option is to have your films transferred to an external USB 2.0 hard drive, NTFS formatted. They are the best media for home editing because the files can quickly be dumped onto your home hard drive! Standard and Frame by Frame Film customers will receive MPEG2 and DV files from their transfer. The smart transfer technology! Step 1: Film Cleaning and Preparation Before 8mm Film Transfer Your film is cleaned . We usually find regular 8 and super 8mm home movie film to be in good condition. Three inch film reels may be spliced on to larger reels with leader material left on to separate individual movies. Step 2: Digitizing During 8mm Film Transfer A trained operator uses our own custom engineered telecine equipment which passes the light image of the movie film directly , hence the term "film to video". A single high quality photographic lens is used on our projectors Our cameras are professional 3CCD cameras . This setup is optimized for recording very small images such as 8mm film frames. We do not use the Elmo Transvideo telecine projector or Goko telecine projectors designed over 20 years ago, which are unfortunately still used by some in film to video transfer. . We are capable of focusing on the individual grains of film which makeup each frame. Because the grains of film are visible we can know that the resolution of the transfer is limited only by the film itself and not the camera or transfer process. Your picture will be the absolute best as the film allows it to be. Step 3: Direct Transfer 8mm to DVD To transfer 8mm to DVD directly clean video signals (all of the original high quality) are sent to various recording devices simultaneously. Super 8mm sound film is transferred with the original soundtrack. We convert 8mm to the same MPEG2 format used to record Hollywood movies to DVD. We use high-grade DVD media and print your customized title directly on the DVD. Your movies are never double compressed such as the conversion of 8mm film to DV (digital tape) and then to DVD. Of course we never transfer 8mm film or Super 8mm film to VHS and then use the VHS to make a DVD. For Mini-DV and Digital8 film conversion orders we capture to digital tape and our servers hard drive simultaneously. Digital tape transfers are the raw digital master of the movie film and do not have editing in the final cut like our film transfer to DVD and VHS. VHS and other analog tapes are acceptable for viewing but their resolution is far lower than DVD or Mini-DV. Using VHS for a master tape is not recommended unless no other source is available. Many customers have sent us 8mm and super8 film originals that they had previously transferred to VHS and were amazed at the difference of our transfer to DVD.
Transfer 35mm Slide Film to DVD and CD
Transfer your 35mm slide film to dvd and enjoy a slide show on your television. 35mm slides are a great way to preserve precious memories of your family, but the convenience of watching your 35mm slides on dvd is a real time saver that can even save you money. 35mm slide projectors, projector bulbs and the screen required to view your old slides can be difficult to find. Organizing these slides on dvd allows you to take the slide show to friends and family and relive those memories together.
35mm slides are actually very high quality images. Of course film can deteriorate with time. Our 35mm slide to dvd process digitizes the film and preserves the image in its current state before further damage can occur.
Home Movies
Transfer your VHS and Camcorder Tapes to DVD
VHS and camcorder tapes degrade with time, the magnetic tape could be left blank with the passing of the years. When you convert VHS to DVD this conversion process stops the degradation of the video tape and preserves your movies in the mpeg2 format which is used in DVD and High Definition Video. In addition to the DVD, the digital video files on the disc will be valuable even when the DVD format itself has come and gone. The deterioration is stopped once the video transfer to DVD occurs and digital video is here to stay. The video files we place on your DVD are not encrypted so you can transfer them to future formats!
Why it's Safe
We have taken every precaution to ensure the safety of your precious and irreplaceable home movies. We also employ film and video professionals to convert VHS to DVD and camcorder video tape conversion of home movies. By giving us a call you will always know where your movies are. We transfer all of your film and video in our facility (eliminating the middle man and the change of hands) and ship the movies back directly to you, using the service of your preference. We keep a digital back up of your movies for 2 weeks after shipment. We feel the safety of your movies is the most important aspect of our job.
How We Offer Our High Quality
We offer more than just a video to DVD transfer. We will automatically insert chapter marks into your video. This way, when you're viewing the DVD you can quickly skip scenes without having to watch through the whole movie. Finally, you can submit a title for the DVD that we will print directly onto the disc.
Many companies will say they are the best, but we explain how and why we are the best. Main Event uses professional equipment, and we will even tell you the brand and model of equipment we use.
Ordering is Easy
You don't need to worry about putting your tapes in any sequence. Just chose a title and send us the tape! Each tape gets its own DVD with your title printed right on it! More than one event on each tape? No Problem! We'll insert chapter marks in your DVD so that you can navigate the DVD to watch any portion of the tape at any time.
Main Evet is proud to price match any of our competitor's Video Tape to DVD transfers. If you find a lower price from another company for this service, simply contact us and we will match their price!
In addition to VHS to DVD and Camcorder Tape to DVD Video conversions, Main Event also offers 8mm film transfer and 16mm film transfer.
Film - 8mm, Super8, 16mm
50 foot reel (3 inch diameter) ?
100 foot reel (4 inch diameter) ?
200 foot reel (5 inch diameter) ?
300 foot reel (6 inch diameter) ?
400 foot reel (7 inch diameter) ?
Very Large Reel (We will adjust the footage when we receive your order) ?
Total Footage (This does not include very large reels)
Standard (Recommended for sound film) $0.10 per foot
Video (PAL) - VHS, Hi8, Video8, VHS-C, Betamax, MiniDV, or Digital 8 Tape
3 Number of video cassette tapes that you are sending to us $35 EACH
Slides - 35mm slides
Number of slides $0.40
transfer my footage to the following media:
Put all your transfer types on one hard drive
Number of hard drives $150
Film Only - Media
Additional COPIES.
