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Topic: Home Movies On Video

Graham Ritchie
Film God

Posts: 4001
From: New Zealand
Registered: Feb 2006

posted September 12, 2012 04:49 AM

Well folks I made a big mistake the other day when I offered to transfer some video tape to DVD-R. The problem was when I agreed to do some I had know idea it was 40 to 50 hours worth [Eek!]

....me and my BIG mouth.

I managed to survive 11 hours of transfer before a wee voice in my head said "ENOUGH!" Although the lady concerned was willing to pay even though I was initally happy to do it for nothing, thinking its only a couple of hours worth, until she handed me a bag [Eek!]

hours and hours of this stuff. I cant believe what was shot on video it went on and on [Roll Eyes]

a wee voice in my head kept saying..... gee when is it going to stop.

Never again will I be that stupid to volunteer, and to be honest I would have had more fun going to a dentist and getting teeth pulled without anaesthetic than going through that again.

This experence was worse than the video a school teacher took of a camp my kids went to long ago. My wife said at the time I wont like it, she was right it was one fast pan after another, from tent to tent. I felt motion sickness coming on after a few minutes and called it quits. It made the shaky camera work on "The Blair Witch Project" movie look like a Sunday School picnic in comparison.

I understand people do this kind of transfer work for a living [Eek!]

Have you ever been through this video ordeal?

Graham.

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Martin Jones
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1269
From: Thetford , Norfolk,England
Registered: May 2008

posted September 12, 2012 06:02 AM

Graham, this is the converse of your experience!

My daughter recently reached her 25th Wedding Anniversary, and some weeks previously asked me if her "Wedding film" (Standard 8!) could be put on DVD for her as she claimed she had never seen it.
So... I searched and searched and eventually found the original film which had been shot by a friend (I was otherwise involved on the Day!).
Her face was a picture when I presented her with the DVD.....
containing 1 minute and 50 seconds of shaky, badly exposed, unadulterated rubbish!

--------------------
Retired TV Service Engineer
Ongoing interest in Telecine....

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Hugh Thompson Scott
Film God

Posts: 3063
From: Gt. Clifton,Cumbria,England
Registered: Jan 2012

posted September 12, 2012 06:52 AM

Strange as it may seem, all these "camera men" seem to work in
television now,

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Paul Adsett
Film God

Posts: 5003
From: USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted September 12, 2012 08:56 AM

Well said Hugh! [Big Grin]

--------------------
The best of all worlds- 8mm, super 8mm, 9.5mm, and HD Digital Projection,
Elmo GS1200 f1.0 2-blade
Eumig S938 Stereo f1.0 Ektar
Panasonic PT-AE4000U digital pj

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Janice Glesser
Film Goddess

Posts: 3468
From: Sunnyvale, CA USA
Registered: Sep 2011

posted September 12, 2012 12:01 PM

Graham, I know exactly what you are talking about. Over the last 5 years I've spent hundreds of hours transfering VHS...HI8...and Mini DV tapes to digital. Most were for my family...so at least it was somewhat interesting, but the ones I've done for other people were much less entertaining [Frown]

I finally got the process automated to a point where I didn't have to watch every excruciating minute, but even that seemed to take up too much time. The cost would be prohibitive if I charged them the actual time it took me to transfer each cassette.

--------------------
Janice

"I'm having a very good day!"
Richard Dreyfuss - Let It Ride (1989).

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Steve Klare
Film Guy

Posts: 7016
From: Long Island, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted September 12, 2012 12:28 PM

My sister and brother-in-law were married in 1976, and the wedding photographer brought along his son, who shot a really nice 150 foot super-8 film for them.

A few months back they announced they'd gotten all their films tranferred to DVD and they wanted me to have their remaining film stuff.

I gave them the standard "transfer but keep the film" speech, and I got an awkward silence in return.

When I went through the box I found an empty 200 foot reel with their wedding photographer's name on it. (gulp!)

(I would been happy to store the film for them: what's one more?)

Oh well, at least I have that Kodak Presstape splicer I was thinking about getting now.

--------------------
All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...

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Rob Young.
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1633
From: Cheshire, U.K.
Registered: Dec 2003

posted September 13, 2012 12:33 PM

Yet another "dig" at television cameramen in an un-related thread.

[ September 13, 2012, 03:03 PM: Message edited by: Rob Young. ]

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Graham Ritchie
Film God

Posts: 4001
From: New Zealand
Registered: Feb 2006

posted September 14, 2012 03:19 AM

Well I managed to get out of doing the remaining 30 plus hours, and handed back all the video stuff including the 11 hours worth already transferred. I left it all at her work but did not see her, however tonight I got a phone call telling me she had watched some of the dvd transfers and was very pleased with what I had done for her, and insists to pay me something, which is nice. I recommended that she buy a dvd recorder and do the rest herself and thats exactly what she is going to do in the coming weeks. [Smile]

I guess this is the real downside to video, its cheap, and you can blast away shooting it forever and thats something you could never do with film because of its cost.

Anyway she is happy, and so am I.......but never again [Big Grin]

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