How to Burn 8mm Film to DVD

Many companies offer telecine services, the industry term for transferring motion picture film formats to video. These services can be costly. With some simple steps and home equipment, it is possible to transfer 8mm film to DVD yourself. There are two steps to transferring 8mm film to DVD: getting the film onto tape, and getting the tape onto DVD.

Things You'll Need

• 8mm film
• 8mm projector
• Camcorder
• Firewire iEEE 1394 cable
• Computer
• Video software (iMovie or Windows Media)
• DVD burning software

Instructions

Capturing Film to Videotape

1. Set up your camcorder as close to your 8mm projector as possible. Hit RECORD, and then PAUSE. Leave the camcorder on PAUSE.

2. Project your 8mm film to see what your frame will look like. Do not immediately start the camcorder.

3. Look into the viewer of the camcorder. Zoom in, zoom out or move the camcorder to frame the 8mm projection as best you can. Once you are satisfied with the framing on the camcorder, you will be ready to capture.

4. Rewind both the camcorder and the 8mm projector.

5. Hit RECORD on the camcorder.

6. Start the 8mm projector. You are now capturing your 8mm to videotape.

Burning to DVD

1. Capture your videotape on your computer. Using a Firewire iEEE 1394 cable, connect your camcorder to your computer. Turn on the camcorder.

2. Use your media software to connect to your camcorder. On a Mac, the bundled software is iMovie. On a Windows PC, the software is Windows Media Maker.

3. Follow the instructions on your media software to capture or import video from your camera. The software should immediately recognize your camcorder when you open it. If it does not, reboot your computer. Make sure you hook up the camcorder and turn it on before you open the media software.

4. Follow the instructions on your media software to burn or output the video to DVD.

Tips & Warnings

• Make a log of your 8mm film before you begin. Determine how much tape you will need to burn and if there are break points in the 8mm where you can pause the tape if necessary.

• Make the room as dark as you can. If you need to, run a practice with the lights on, then turn them off when you capture your tape.

• Telecine is imperfect, whether done professionally or at home. Some film grain or color de-saturation may occur.

References

• PhotoNet: Digitizing Film
• "Windows XP Media Center Edition for Dummies"; Brier & Hurley; 2004
• Apple iMovie

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish