But first, we need to tell you how the sharp increase in the cost of gasoline is impacting our film transfer service.
| Our film transfer is done by a technician whose facilities are nearly six miles from our business.We drive film orders to and from his lab every day. However,
with the price of gas at an all time high it has become increasingly expensive for us and we feel compelled to make a change.
Rather than pass along the added cost of delivery and pickup to our customers, we've decided to keep our prices the same and make a single delivery and pickup at the lab on Monday of each week. Turn-around time will only be increased by a few days and since most films we see are 40 to 70 years old, another few days waiting for transfer to DVD should be hardly noticeable! Sorry for any inconvenience, but we're trying to spare our customers additional cost while dealing with this new economic reality. |
VideOccasions transfers 8mm, Super 8mm and 16mm films, silent or with sound, to DVD, MiniDV, VHS, S-VHS, 8mm, Hi-8 and Digital-8 video formats. The film image is transferred directly onto the tape format of your choice.
Because of its superior image quality, we recommend transfer to the digital (MiniDV) tape.
Film is transferred to tape through the use of an Elmo film chain, a device similar to that used to show movies on television a decade ago. Your film is projected into a box full of lenses and mirrors, which in turn projects the film out to the video camera of choice. For those technically inclined, you'll find the details here.
Think of transferring your old films to tape or DVD as a rescue and recovery mission.
You're probably bringing old film to VideOccasions because (a) you don't have a projector with which to view it; (b) your film contains scenes from your childhood that are valuable to you and the film is "really, really old;" (c) you want the work done at a reasonable price; and (d) you prefer to deal with a reliable local company.
The film we see at VideOccasions is often in pretty sad shape. Transferring it to tape or DVD won't improve the image quality, but it will prevent further deterioration. Since we don't know what images on the film are important to you, we capture what's on your old film warts and all. Parts that you don't want on your DVD or tape can be edited later.
We can't capture what isn't on your old film -- crisp color when color has faded; sharp focus when the original is out of focus; steady shots when the photographer bounced the camera around while shooting.
So please understand: what's on the film is what will be on your DVD or tape. If there are water spots and scratches on the film you bring us, they will appear on your tape or DVD. If the film stock is curled or creased, the damage will probably show up on the tape or DVD. If the dye colors have faded, the color on the tape or DVD will be faded as well.
Film Speed, the "Keystone Cops" effect, and Sound Distortion:
Old film -- especially 16mm film -- presents another problem. The standard frame rate today for projecting film is 24 frames per second (fps). In years gone by, however, film enthusiasts sometimes shot at slower frame rates. When projected at today's standard, figures shot at these slower speeds appear to move about the screen in an unnaturally rapid manner. Sound also suffers, changing in pitch depending upon the original frame rate.
| At VideOccasions all 16mm film is transferred to tape and DVD at the standard frame rate of 24 fps, 8mm and Super-8mm at 18-20 frames per second. Since we had no control over the speed at which your film was intended to be projected, we can assume no liability for transfers in which the movement of figures appears to be unnatural.
Projection speed also affects sound, and since we have no control over how the sound was originally recorded, we can assume no liability for the quality of sound in the transfer from the film to digital format. |
If you'd like to discuss the options available for adjusting film speeds , adjusting sound distortion, and for the image enhancement of old film, please contact VideOccasions at 425-641-4811 between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., Pacific (Standard or Daylight) Time, or send us an email.
Making a DVD -- "burning" in the jargon of the trade -- is a continuous process, while projecting 50 foot reels of movie film is a discontinuous process. Each small reel of film is placed on the projector and projected to its end. Then the projector is stopped, a new reel of film is put in place and the process is repeated until all the film has been projected.
So it isn't possible to transfer film directly to a DVD. It must first be captured onto video tape.
A decade ago film transfer was almost always to VHS tape, (often wrongly called "VCR" tape). Today we usually transfer film to digital tape -- miniDV tape rather than VHS tape. The digital information on the miniDV tape is then read into the computer and a program in the computer "burns" the DVD. Or, for those wanting a VHS tape to play on their VCR, the miniDV tape is used to produce a high quality VHS original.
Remember: DVDs must be created from a tape master. If you plan on having your film transferred to DVD, we recommend that your film be transferred to the miniDV tape format, as this will keep the transfer process digital throughout and assure the highest image quality.
Old film tends to be very brittle, and the less it is handled the better. Since it has been tightly rolled on its spool, very little dust or dirt will have found its way onto the film surface. Therefore, film is transferred "as is;" it is not cleaned or lubricated prior to the transfer.
On large spools of film, if splices separate during transfer the film is re-spliced so that the transfer may continue.
If there is a sequence in which the reels of film are to be transferred to tape, please number the reels accordingly. Mark directly on the reel with a felt pen, or use a small piece of masking or paper labeling tape. Do not use "Post-Its," please, as they are likely to fall off in shipment or handling.
| The minimum charge for film transfer is $15.00, exclusive of tape charges. You may send as little as a single 50 foot reel of film, but will be charged |
2. Tape Charges:
3. DVD Charges:
For orders of 200 or more DVD copies please call for a price quote.
 |
|
|||||||||
| Film Type |
| ||||||||
| 8mm | 8-50' Reels |
16-50' Reels |
24-50' Reels |
32-50' Reels |
| Super 8mm | 9-50' Reels |
18-50' Reels |
27-50' Reels |
36-50' Reels |
| 16mm |
||||
| 16mm |
||||
| * For many years 16mm was a popular film size among serious film hobbyists. Most commonly it was exposed -- "shot" -- as silent film, in which case the film would have sprocket holes on both sides of the film. When shot with sound, the sprocket holes on one side of the film strip were sacrificed to make room for an optical sound track. | ||||
VideOccasions can place titles between each reel of film should that be desirable e.g., "1930-1940", "1940-1945: The War Years", etc. The minimum charge for this service is $40.00, plus $20.00 for each quarter hour of editing time beyond 30 minutes.
VideOccasions can add music to your project before it is transferred to DVD or tape. Music can be provided to VideOccasions on CD, audio tape or 78 and 33.3 rpm discs. We cannot download music from the WWW for use on your DVD. The minimum charge for this service is $40.00, plus $20.00 for each quarter hour of editing time beyond 30 minutes. We estimate at least 3 hours labor, at $80 per hour, for adding music to a two hour DVD.
Very often old film contains out of focus material, sections where the camera is bouncing so much that you can't tell what's going on, places where only feet and street were photographed -- in other words, footage that you'll probably want to removed before sharing copies with friends and family.
Customers in the Seattle area may bring film in for transfer during our regular hours -- 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. (we close at 4:30 p.m. on Thursdays). Outside the Seattle area, films may be sent by U.S. Postal Service or one of the commercial freight carriers.
When shipping film to VideOccasions for transfer to video tape, please print and complete the Order Form, which contains shipping instructions and our mailing address. You can download the Order Form as a text file then select "PRINT" from the FILE MENU of your browser.
Most of our out-of-area customers ship film and tape to us via the U.S. Postal Service, although we also receive shipments via UPS and FedEx and other major carriers. We suggest that regardless of the method you choose to ship your materials you request “tracking” of the package so that both you and the carrier will know at all times the whereabouts of the tape package.
| Business Hours Phone: 425-641-4811 |
|
|---|---|
| Monday - Friday | 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Pacific Time Zone |
| Thursday | 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Pacific Time Zone |
| If you live on the East Coast and have trouble figuring out Pacific Coast time: We're open from1:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. your time! We get real grumpy when called at 7:00 a.m. our time! |
Turn-around
Turn-around is usually two to three weeks. We move projects along as rapidly as possible, but film transfer is done in real time and large orders can slow down the work flow significantly. Also keep in mind that if we receive your film on Tuesday, it won't go to the lab until the following Monday, as we've described in our caveat regarding gas prices.
Rush Orders
Rush orders of small quantities of film usually can be accommodated in emergency situations. The charge for rush order conversion is $0.20 per foot. Call us at 425-641-4811 if you have a desperate need.
 |
We hope this has answered your questions regarding film transfer to DVD and video tape. If you have unanswered questions, call us at 425-641-4811 (remembering that when it's 10:00 a.m. on the East Coast, it's only 7:00 a.m. in Seattle) or e-mail us and we'll get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks for contacting VideOccasions. |
Last modified 4/07/08
