Super 16mm to what highest quality format?

Cody_Jordan

Cody_Jordan

Active member
So my production company just shot a music video on Super 16mm film and we are processing it through a lab called Continental. I need to obviously get it to my computer in digital format for editing. And im looking for the highest quality digital format available. Some of their options include:

1. Digital Beta
2. DVcam
3. DVD
4. MiniDV

What option will I get the best quality?

My instinct tells me to go with dvd. Mainly because once the film is teleclined to the computer, burning it to a 24p dvd will cut down on any additional conversions or pulldowns, like back to tape and back to computer. Its mainly all digital if I'm correct. I'd be using DVD Decrypter to extract the video and edit on the timeline the .vob files. The only thing is they told me there wouldnt be a timecode on the dvd. (which doesn't matter that much to me). But in a way it didnt seem like dvd format was an industry standard in editing digitally from film.

Continental told me I'd get the best quality with digital beta, but unfortunately I don't have a digital beta deck lying around my house. My next step from dvd is minDV, and I would just capture it with my DVX via firewire. But it just didnt make sense to me. They process the film to the computer, then out back to a tape? Then I have to go and capture it back to the computer?

So i seriously asked them if i could give them my hard drive and have them just put it on there! But they declined saying it was against store policy. What a let down. Anyways, calling all DVX users on this one. What format should I go with?
 
Re: Super 16mm to what highest quality format?

[quote author=Cody_Jordan link=board=news;num=1107302872;start=0#0 date=02/01/05 at 16:07:51]So i seriously asked them if i could give them my hard drive and have them just put it on there!  But they declined saying it was against store policy.  What a let down.
[/quote]

I'd go with a different lab.

Against store policy?.....something's wrong there.
 
Re: Super 16mm to what highest quality format?

[quote author=Cody_Jordan link=board=news;num=1107302872;start=0#0 date=02/01/05 at 16:07:51] asked them if i could give them my hard drive and have them just put it on there!  But they declined saying it was against store policy.  [/quote]

Odd, I assumed that was a common practice... :-/
 
Re: Super 16mm to what highest quality format?

Telecine direct to DVD would be the lowest-quality method of the four you mentioned, unless you only wanted a DVD and were never going to edit it.

Digital Betacam is the highest-quality format that you mentioned, but if you can't edit it, it doesn't do you much good.

I'm assuming you have a firewire port on your computer and can edit DV, right? Might as well get it transferred straight to DV.
 
Re: Super 16mm to what highest quality format?

Go to Digi-Beta and make bump downs to Mini-DV so you can do an offline. Then using the time codes from your offline, find someplace to on-line your DigiBeta.

Scott
 
Re: Super 16mm to what highest quality format?

I used continental back in the day and had no problems. If there's money in the budget and you don't have a ton of effects needs, go with the offline/online method for the best quality and flexibility.

What's the destination for the media? Broadcast? Network/cable?
 
Re: Super 16mm to what highest quality format?

DIGI-Beta is the Bomb. Highest res for all dat sheeez. All my boys who shoot 16/S16
ALWAYS transfer to DIGI-Beta. So rent a deck or do it offline/online style. More work
or More money. :P
 
Re: Super 16mm to what highest quality format?

thanks guys... once again my knowledge has increased in the film industry do to this forum.

One question though... what do you guys mean by online/offline. and scott could you please explain your method a little better. thanks!!
 
Re: Super 16mm to what highest quality format?

offline/online is a process that remains a holdover from the good olde days of incredibly expensive editing.

A producer, editor, director, whatever, would cut their tape in an "offline" room that had older less-fancy equipment and cost a hell of a lot less per hour. This would give a creator the ability to play around with the cuts a lot while not generating a huge cost.

Once the cut was "locked", you could then take it "online" where you would go into the big expensive edit room with all the big expensive fancy equipment...(and the high cost per hour). You'd give the online editor an EDL (electronic decision list) and he would input it into his CMX or Sony online editor and you'd cut your show with all the bells and whistles and ADO moves you liked.

Further down the road, this repeated with Avid. Storage back in the day was incredibly expensive, so you would be forced to "offline" your footage by importing it at a very compressed resolution. Once you were finished with your cut and it was "locked", you would either take your tapes and EDL to a more advanced Avid...or if your machine had the appropriate specs, you'd simply re-capture all the footage that ended up in your final cut at a much higher video resolution and output that to tape.

Online/offline in your case would mean something very similar. You could strike two tapes...a master digibeta and a miniDV. You edit with your miniDV and create an EDL that you take to a post house and use to create your "online" edit.

Bingo bam, done.
 
Re: Super 16mm to what highest quality format?

Telecine to DigiBeta 1st and dubb to DV as the others say. (Ensure timecode is dubbed properly.)

Its likely that you would have to telecine to DigiBeta anyway as often the telecine house can not control the miniDV decks as well as their Digibeta machines.
 
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