How to Reduce the Flicker in a Film Transfer
The popular way to make video copy of an old film is by projecting it on a white screen, then recording the footage using a video camera. When choosing this cheaper way to transfer films to video, the common problem encountered is seeing flickers on the recorded footage.
Unlike in professional film transfers that use high-end film scanners, video recording of a projected film causes flicker problems because of the difference between the frame rate of the projected film and that of the video camera recording the projected footage.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Dark room for film projection
- Clothes and boards to cover windows during film projection
- Variable speed film projector
- White screen for film projection
- Video camera
- Tape, DVD or memory card used for storing footage (storage device depends on the video camera used)
- Tripod
- Table or any secured surface where the film projector will be placed during film projection
Instructions
-
-
1
Set up a variable speed film projector in a dark room. Secure it on a flat surface or table at a reasonable distance from the white screen where the footage will be projected.
-
2
Prepare the room for the film projection and video recording. Cover all windows with thick clothes or boards prior to the projection and recording. The projection requires a dark room just like in a movie theater.
-
-
3
Test your projected image by playing the footage from the projector to the white wall or screen. Make sure that the distance between the two is enough to have a good projection size and quality. Set the projector's frame rate to any figure near the 30 fps or 25 fps recording of your video camera. The more expensive projectors provide better variable speed options.
-
4
Set up your video camera beside your film projector. Secure it on a tripod, then make sure that the camera is focused on the image to be recorded on the white screen. Make sure that your distance to the projected image is just enough to avoid cropping the footage. If your camera has a "Slow Shutter" digital effect, use this as this camera function also reduces the flicker effect on the film footage being recorded in video format.
-
5
Make a test recording by pressing the "Record" function in your video camera, then playing your film projector soon after. Make a 20-second test recording, then play back your video footage to check for any flicker problem. If you need to further reduce the flicker, do a trial-and-error by changing the video camera set up and the variable speed of the projector. Ideally, for the projector's frame rate, the nearer you are to the NTSC or PAL frame rate, the better.
-
6
Cue the video camera and the film for projection for the final recording.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Most old 8 mm films use a frame rate of 16 or 18 frames per second (fps), while 16 mm and 35 mm films typically use a frame rate of 24 fps. However, a video camera's frame rate is generally 30 fps for the NTSC format, which is popularly used in the United States and Asia, and 25 fps for the PAL format, which is popularly used in Europe. The variable speed projector allows you to change the film speed of the projected footage so that it can be nearer the NTSC or PAL format used by the video camera to be used for recording.
If you can afford it, you can hire film post-production companies specializing in telecine transfer. These companies use very expensive film scanners that provide flicker-free transfers, which are widely used in professional film projects.
Unless you are using expensive film scanners like those utilized in professional filmmaking, flicker problems cannot be entirely eliminated when doing film transfers. However, there are ways to reduce the flicker problem to a tolerable or even an undetectable degree, depending on the equipment you use.
References
- Oak Tree: FIlm to Video Transfer Boxes/Kits
- Fortunecity - Lavender: Transferring Film To Video (Telecine)
- Cine to DVD Transfer: 10 Vital Questions to Ask a Potential Transfer Studio
- Don Loper: Costco -- Transfer 8mm Movie Film to DVD
- Sunray Video Productions: 8mm, Super8, and 16mm Movie Film Transfer to DVD and Video
- DVD Infinity: Standard 8 to DVD and Blu-ray Transfers
Resources
- Photo Credit film image by saied shahinkiya from Fotolia.com
