How to Turn 8mm to DVD

DVDs are easier to store and more convenient to watch than 8mm film. You can easily convert the latter into the former.

In its heyday, 8mm film provided home enthusiasts a shrunken down version of movie film cameras. Everyday family moments could be burned into film for future viewing. Watching them was also a theatrical experience requiring a projector and screen. But in the modern era of convenient formats like DVD, the process of loading a film reel, setting up a screen and waiting for darkness may seem inconvenient compared to popping in a disc. And film must be stored in optimal temperature and humidity conditions to survive over time. Turning 8mm films into DVD disc format gives them new life and convenient viewing.

Things You'll Need

• 8mm projector
• Projection screen
• Digital camcorder
• Tripod
• Firewire card
• Firewire cable
• DVD authoring software
• DVD-R drive

Instructions

1. Stand or mount a projection screen on a wall in a room large enough to set up projection equipment. Place a projector several feet away and facing the screen. Attach a camcorder to a tripod and stand it next to the projector, also facing the screen. Cover the windows with heavy fabric---such as quilts or towels---or wait until nighttime.

2. Activate the projector without loading the film reel, letting light shine through the lens and onto the screen. Adjust the position of the projector until its light fits within the borders of the screen. Activate the camcorder and look through the viewfinder. Adjust the camcorder's position and focus so that the borders of the projector's light fit just within the borders of the camera's view.

3. Load the film reel into the projector. Press the red "Record" button on the camcorder and start the film projector immediately afterward. Watch the movie through to its end. Turn off the projector, turn off the camcorder and remove the camcorder from its tripod.

4. Connect the camcorder to a computer with a Firewire cable and open the operating system's file explorer window. Wait for an icon signifying the camcorder device to appear.

5. Double-click the camcorder icon to open up to its contained files. Locate the video file containing the 8mm film recording and click and drag it onto the desktop.

6. Open the DVD authoring program and start a new project. Load an image file as the main menu background if you like. Import the video file of the 8mm recording and click and drag it onto the main menu, which will create a text button with the file name. Click the button once to activate a typing cursor and rewrite the text if you're inclined to do so. Save the project and burn it to a blank DVD.

Tips & Warnings

• If you want to organize the computer files of your 8mm movies and keep your desktop uncluttered, open the file explorer, navigate to the hard drive and click the "Create New Folder" button. Place all 8mm video files in that folder.

References

• Smart Computing: How to Transfer 8mm Film to DVD