You need an 8mm film projector to play an 8mm home movie.
Long before digital video cameras were available to the regular consumer, home movies were shot using 8mm film cameras. To save the deteriorating footage from these films mostly coming from this generation's parents and grandparents, and to better archive them as well, you should transfer them in digital format as soon as possible. To do so, you can either go to a professional video facility or make a do-it-yourself transfer to save money. All equipment required for a non-professional transfer is relatively easy to find.
8mm Film Projector
An 8mm film projector is the primary requirement for transferring 8mm home movies to digital format. Such projectors are usually sold at goodwill stores, online stores and vintage camera stores.
The projector serves as the player for the source footage intended for transfer. Although a projector with a feature called variable-speed adjustment is an ideal choice, any functional 8mm film projector may do. However, access to variable-speed adjustment is beneficial to minimize the flicker effect caused by the frame rate difference between the source footage from the film and that of the digital camera taking the video of the projected film.
Video Camera
Any functional video camera can be used to shoot the projected film from the 8mm film projector. However, to capture the best image quality, it is best to use a high-definition (HD) camera. It is also important that the camera has enough number of tapes or disk space to accommodate the amount of footage for transfer. Moreover, plugging the camera to an electric outlet instead of using the camera battery provides better peace of mind during the actual recording. This avoids draining the camera battery from prolonged use.
Tripod and a Flat, Stable Surface
When setting up the video camera for recording, you should place it just at the right distance and angle in order to acquire the best footage from the film. It is important to secure the area to avoid accidentally bumping the tripod or the camera during the recording. At the same time, you should also place the 8mm film projector at a proper distance and angle from the projection wall in order to get the best possible footage from the film source. The area where to place the projector must be a flat, stable surface as well.
Computer With Video-editing Software
After capturing the footage from the projection wall, you must connect the camera to the computer via a USB, FireWire or RCA cable to transfer the video files. Depending on the camera used, the footage may already be in digital format (if you're using a camera with tapeless recording) or it may still require the process called "capturing" or "digitizing" (if you're using a camera that still requires recording with a tape).
During the digitizing process, the video-editing software captures the footage in real time to convert the video into digital files. After the transfer, the footage can already be played, edited, burned in a DVD or simply archived in an external hard drive.
Tags: film projector, footage from, from film, digital format, footage from film
