Super 8 transfer with interlacing

Bus No. 8

Bus No. 8

Well-known member
I'm assembling a series of Super 8 films that have been transferred to Quick Time files. The clips are interlaced 29.97. I edited the clips as they were, but chose the "de-interlace source video" option in Compressor when outputting.

When I turned the master DVDs in I got the word back that there was strobing when viewed on a standard, interlaced TV. The person who has done this project in the past told me to apply the de-interlace filter in FCP, doesn't matter which field is dominant, and that would fix the problem. I don't have a standard TV to view this on, so I'm not convinced that this is addressing the problem. I'm not actually sure why de-interlacing is even necessary for the films to look right on an interlaced TV.

As an alternate, I have also run the clips through MPEG Streamclip (and saved in a separate folder so the original files are not altered), checking the "Progressive" option on the advanced tab, and checked "de-interlace." When I look at the item properties of these clips in FCP, it's still showing a lower field dominance - shouldn't there be none? This has been the case when I have converted clips to 23.98 progressive.

I just need to know the best route to getting this project done and looking as decent as its going to.

Thanks.
 
1. Just use Cinema tools to de-interlace your telecine original MOV file transfers from super 8, not Compressor.

2. Then use those pulldown removed files in your FCP sequences for edit @ 23.976. not at 29.97. - Then output to DVD via compressor adding 3:2 pulldown DVD is SD Interlaced.

3. The reason why it's strobing could be from the fact that the dominant field is set incorrectly (upper/lower - even:odd), or more likely from the fact that you're breaking the 3:2 pulldown by cutting @ 29.97 and then sending it to a player that detects 3:2 pulldown and tries to de-interlace it on the fly (possibly not the set itself but the DVD player) though I could be off on that one completely. Typically CRT strobing is from getting the upper/lower incorrect.


Also De Interlacing is absolutely not needed at all for the telecine transfers to look OK on a standard TV, but if you're editing them, it's best not to break the 3-2 pulldown, and edit them at their native telecine framerate so your cuts are on an actually 24FPS FRAME, not on a half-a-frame interlaced with another half-a-frame at 29.97 - after this you can re-add the pulldown to your Uncompressed SD or DVCPRO 50 file (I only recommend those two for some odd reason), that you'll send to Compressor or DVD studio for MPEG-2 PS/AC-3 DVD authoring.

According to your post you did everything backwards, you cut the 3:2 with pulldown transfers at 29.97, then did the worst thing possible which is attempting to de-interlace them after you edited via Compressor on output, and then you attempted to further de-interlace the MPEG-2 with Streamclip.

So whomever is giving you advice is adding a lot of noise into the advice and muddying up the waters, it's possible that they said, Reverse Telecine (deinterlace) the originals, then edit.. don't know.

But If I'm sitting in front of some film transfers with interlacing/telecine pulldown in them, they're going to Cinematools right away, not onto the timeline.
 
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Problem with Super8 is it typically runs anywhere from 18fps to 24fps so the pulldown cadence may be something weird the CT won't be able to detect...

Noah
 
These were shot at 18fps (so I've been told) - I've reduced the speed on most of them to 91%, which seems to work in terms of syncing the soundtracks people composed to the actual film. When reducing the speed, I'm unclicking "Frame Blend" - not sure if that's what I want to be doing.
 
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