A wedding film found, viewed and edited only after 37 years.

Ted Ramasola

Ted Ramasola

Veteran
I was cleaning the studio stockrooms to get stuff for our photography & film museum when I came across some old super 8 film reels, upon viewing through our HANIMEX EDITOR I saw that among them was of a wedding of an aunt now living in the states.
I fixed an old YELCO projector so i can "capture"(hehe) the footage onto my NLE so I can bring out its color, crop out moldy edges, and in short, edit the film.

It sure was strange to see the images of years past, even stranger to see myself as a 4 year old tugging at my mom who has since past away.

I posted the material online so the couple can finally see their wedding movie FOR THE FIRST TIME AFTER 37 yrs!
I added a simple title and put an old movie effect so it'll match with the rest of the moldy images.

So anyway, it felt weird but nice, I mean, its not everyday you get a chance to edit something that old.


 
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Just received word from my cousin that their parents were crying watching it for the first time! My Uncle messaged me his thanks for "..bringing back to life their love!"

I guess a marriage has been through a lot of typhoons if it lasted 37 years then here you are watching for the first time how that commitment all started!

I haven't seen them in a long while since they migrated to the states. And its nice to think that somehow halfway around the world pieces of good memories came back from where it all started.
 
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Thanks. :-)

This just reminds us (though I don't do weddings anymore) how important is the job of event videographers/photographers as recorders of memories.
 
Fahad said:
great story!

out of curiosity, i wonder if any of our modern media be readable 37 years from now?
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This is exactly what i was telling my staff, today were having a hard time finding, VHS players, Betamax players, etc to be able to transfer old files.
But the analog reels of the 60s and probably much older in other cases can still be wound through a mechanical projector and you can still view them.
 
My folks were married in 1971 and I inherited the film so I spooled it up a month ago. It played fine, super 8. I got out my camera, spooled it up and went to video tape it and the film snapped and some of the sprocket holes were shredded. I am bumbed. I know a guy in Utopia, Texas who might be able to help me. I am just going to pay him to transfer it.
 
I didn't want to comment on this thread until I won a projector off ebay (why encourage the price of the projector I wanted to go up?)... but I think this whole idea is AWESOME! (just won it, so now we can talk)... My Dad is getting up there in age, and unfortunately, in mileage... and ironically... I ran into a guy that he (my Dad) won't hardly even remember, but this guy happened to tell me he has a box of 8mm films of both my Mom and Dad... from something like 8-10 years before I was even born! I can HARDLY WAIT to do what you just did with that wedding!

When I'm done with transferring 8mm to digital, you guys can expect to see this projector in the marketplace for a little less then I paid for it (inc. ship)... my intention is to "rent" this projector and then pass it along to the next guy. These old films really make a point that old pictures could never make... I expect this to blow my parents' minds. It's been hard keeping this a secret within the family.

BTW... my intention to "pay" the guy who's letting me transfer these films... is to transfer his films too. I have no idea what to expect, but I'm really excited about it.

Good job on the 37 year old wedding :)

In case somebody else takes an interest in this. Here's a quick run-down on 8mm.

1) 8mm can be super-8, single-8, or regular 8 mm. They are not the same and you can get a projector that only plays 1 of 3, 2 of 3, or all 3 formats.
2) The best way to digitize old film is to butcher an 8mm projector, then shoot the frames off the gate... meaning NOT project it on a screen, and then film the screen. In addition to that, you can get a stepper motor, then set interval recording in your cam... so that the stepper motor advances each frame of the 8mm film... and your cam records individual frames.
3) While #2 sounds great... I have no intention of doing this. I want it to be easy... so... on to #4.
4) If you don't want to bother with chopping an old projector... and shooting from the gate... you'll want a projector with variable speed control. Old films with sound play at 24 fps... regular films may play at other rates, with 18 fps being a common rate. I'd advise you to get a projector with variable rates... AND a "pot" (rheostat) that can further tweak the film play speed. THEN you can go into your cam menu and adjust the frequency of the sync (like for filming monitors) and that SHOULD yield acceptable results. I'm planning to shoot at a tweaked 20 fps with the projector... then 30p on the DVX... for 60 "subtle blinks" a second... which should yield a nice image at a fast rate, like 60i, but progressive capture. (Got my fingers crossed that all this works as planned.)

How I intend to do this is with a frost gel taped to a piece of glass, or otherwise held secure, with a frame... then aim my DVX (or HD) directly on the other side... then all of this will be covered with duvetyne for max contrast in the footy. (I'll horizontal flip the footy in post, to get it back to normal).

Thanks for sharing the 37 year old wedding. When I get some stuff done I'll post it.
 
MattinSTL said:
I ran into a guy that he (my Dad) won't hardly even remember, but this guy happened to tell me he has a box of 8mm films of both my Mom and Dad... from something like 8-10 years before I was even born! I can HARDLY WAIT to do what you just did with that wedding!

Good job on the 37 year old wedding :)

In case somebody else takes an interest in this. Here's a quick run-down on 8mm.

1) 8mm can be super-8, single-8, or regular 8 mm. They are not the same and you can get a projector that only plays 1 of 3, 2 of 3, or all 3 formats.
2) The best way to digitize old film is to butcher an 8mm projector, then shoot the frames off the gate... meaning NOT project it on a screen, and then film the screen. In addition to that, you can get a stepper motor, then set interval recording in your cam... so that the stepper motor advances each frame of the 8mm film... and your cam records individual frames.
3) While #2 sounds great... I have no intention of doing this. I want it to be easy... so... on to #4.
4) If you don't want to bother with chopping an old projector... and shooting from the gate... you'll want a projector with variable speed control. Old films with sound play at 24 fps... regular films may play at other rates, with 18 fps being a common rate. I'd advise you to get a projector with variable rates... AND a "pot" (rheostat) that can further tweak the film play speed. THEN you can go into your cam menu and adjust the frequency of the sync (like for filming monitors) and that SHOULD yield acceptable results. I'm planning to shoot at a tweaked 20 fps with the projector... then 30p on the DVX... for 60 "subtle blinks" a second... which should yield a nice image at a fast rate, like 60i, but progressive capture. (Got my fingers crossed that all this works as planned.)

Thanks for sharing the 37 year old wedding. When I get some stuff done I'll post it.
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Your welcome Mattin,

Also, It might help those with no projector experience that to have an extra reel of film for testing, especially when you've replaced the bulb and just fixed the mechanism.

Finally when using your actual reel, its best to run it thru "fast forward" to another spool to "loosen it up".

Good luck restoring your parent's memories Mattin.

Ted
 
Are we the only two people on DVXuser doing 8mm transfers?

I finally got my projector... and this is becoming an education.

The projector I chose was a Sankyo 2000H... for several reasons, including DIRT CHEAP (and easy) bulb replacement. The bulb is an MR16 12v 100w lamp... with gz6.35 base, however, I found that you can get a gu5.3 base (FAR FAR more common) and take a dremel tool to the insides of the pins... grinding them down from the insides until they are thinner "sticks" coming out of the back of the bulb... then that bulb will easily fit the Sankyo socket. I also cut out a bit of the heat-shield inside the projector's side cover... because that's the other limitation in using alternative bulbs... the shield won't allow a bulb that's deeper (front to back) then the standard 100w 12v bulb.

So far, the replacement bulb I'm using is a Feit Electric 20w MR16 bulb from Lowe's... it comes in a 2-pack for less then $8. I checked out various bulbs and I wanted the lowest wattage... for the lowest heat... and also the most uniform beam spread (no hot-spot). The stock bulb has a smooth reflector... and the Feit bulb (many other brands also have this) uses a stepped reflector with ton of tiny facets... to distribute the light evenly. This particular bulb also has a glass face... that's set back in the reflector. If you get one that's not set back flush then it won't fit well. For example, the GE Reveal bulb has a glass face that sticks out past the reflector.

If you don't go with a Sankyo... one thing I will say is try to get another projector like this... that has a SPROCKETLESS DRIVE... this means that it advances the film with friction... so if the film jams (happens more then you think... for me several times now)... you can still gently pull the film out, or "encourage it through" by gently tugging it... RATHER then have to get it out "surgically" (because of sprocket teeth sticking through the holes in the side of the film). I have found several old films with a stretch of frames with all the holes chewed out... which means that film wouldn't play (or would stop) in a regular sprocket projector... and this one hardly cares (another headache prevented).

This particular projector is also switchable from regular 8 to super 8... and fortunately I found some old films that are on super 8. The quality is much better then regular 8.

Hmm... what else? I don't know... but it's going well so far. I'm not into the editing yet, but the transfers are looking good. For my "transfer box" I'm using a frame that holds a sheet of Rosco Frost... then aiming the projector directly at that... and on the other side I have my DVX filming that screen... then simply "flip horizontal" in post. I had no interest in a frame-by-frame work-flow... and I'm totally satisfied with the results of doing it this way... the easy way.

Finally... rewinding the films is a PITA... so I took a board and drilled a couple holes about 12" apart... big enough to stick a fat sharpie in each one... then I put the played (take-up) reel on one... and the original reel on the other... and use a good drill (must have gentle, precise ramp-up of speed... I'm using a dewalt 1/2" drill that can go super-slow to fast)... then I chucked in a soft skateboard wheel using a bolt through the wheel... then just lightly hold the wheel against the original reel... and rewind the film quickly, precisely, and most important... easily.

That's what I have on the subject so far.

EDIT: WOW! HAS THIS BEEN A PAIN IN THE ASS! I highly... HIGHLY suggest you buy a projector from one of the sellers who says they refurbished the projector (or somehow serviced it)... the variable speed means nothing if the cam doesn't MAINTAIN that variable speed! For my content I don't really care that flicker comes and goes (as the motor speed doesn't maintain constant)... but that was just one of many "bumps" through this process. I've changed a bulb... changed a belt (bought both in advance... anticipating)... and actually had to disassemble the projector at one point to clean gunk out of the gears. After that... I was exhausted... and I prayed for things to go smoothly ENOUGH... to get this job done. Well... I can't say that DIDN'T work... because I'm finally making decent progress... but it's been way more work then I anticipated.
 
I just did about 4 hours worth of 16mm and 8mm footage of film found in my grandfather's darkroom after he died about two years ago. They were films of my mom and aunt growing up, from their 1st Birthdays all the way up to highschool. I made the films into a DVD- box set and gave them to my family for Christmas. They were happy to see my grandfather who hasn't been gone that long, my grandmother who died before I was born, and all of their childhood pets, toys, and memories.

All of the 16mm film ran through the projector just fine, and never broke or tore in the gate. Amazing stuff. The 8mm gave me some trouble, but got it in the end.


It's awesome you guys are doing the same!



PS: I had a variable speed 16mm projector and it did keep constant speed. I simply found a good speed for the playback and adjusted my shutter angle in the camera to match. The actual shutter in the 16mm projector matched the electronic shutter of my camera at only certain points. Once I found the sweet spot, it was golden. I graded the footage in RedCineX, and got all the original colors almost 100%, and dialed in some better gamma/exposure. Some of the film held up surprisingly well, while some of the film suffered from heavy color warp. Just depends on what filmstock it was and how well it underwent aging.... as different layers of emulsion chemically change at different rates over time.
 
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Hello Ted (and everyone else!), I stumbled upon this thread whilst conducting research, its a really amazing story!

I am about to start shooting on a music video here in Leeds (England) for a band called Just Handshakes (We're British) and we wondered if there was any chance that we could use some of this wedding footage in the video, with your permission?

The video will be the band performing whilst draped in projected images, but we wanted to find some old wedding footage shot on a super-8 camera to give the video some depth and character - we all agree that this could really suit the video.

I realise this must seem like spam, but this is a genuine request. I would completely understand if you didn't want us to use the footage, I just thought there would be no harm in asking! The song is called Falling Over Our Fear - I'm not going to put a link to their website for fear of further looking false, all I'll say is that their unique name means a google search should be successful!

You should be able to message me through here, if not I'll pop back to check replies. As I say I understand if we couldn't use the footage, but it was so perfect that I thought it would be worth asking!

Thanks, Sean
 
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