F. A. Q. (Frequently Asked Questions)
What if I don't know in which order my films should be transferred? My movies are so old! What if there is nothing on them? What does the background music sound like? How many reels or feet of film can I get on a DVD or VHS? How do I know whether I have Regular or Super 8mm film? Do you transfer film in cartridges or cases made by Polavision, Technicolor or Lanier Tel-Edisette Videotronic? Can your process transfer 16mm film that has sound? May I insert titles mid-way between films or between film reels? I think that I have an especially big order. How many films do most families have? Is your pricing based on a per reel or per foot cost? Why should I order copies? Are the smaller films spliced together onto larger reels as part of the transfer process? How long will it take to transfer my films to video? What about the quality of the video transfer? How is film transfer done? Are my films just projected on a screen and then taped with a camcorder? What provisions do you make for color correction to various 8mm film? Is the transfer process from the telecine equipment to DVD direct? Can we send you a few reels and have you produce a sample of your work? Should I have my films transferred to CD instead of VHS or DVD? Is there any compatibility issue with the DVDs you make and certain DVD players? Do you recommend a simple, but high quality piece of software or hardware for editing the video of my films? I plan to edit the video of my films. Which medium offers the best quality or highest resolution - miniDV or DVD? Can my film be transferred to .avi files on a DVD that I can use to edit with, instead of a normal DVD? Do you have any references - any comments from your clients?
What if I don’t know in which order my films should be transferred?
It is usually best to have your films transferred in chronological order. If you do not know which films are oldest, look for ‘hints’ on the film boxes. Sometimes there is a date stamped on the box from the post office or a film expiration date. Other times, someone has written on the film reel "Tommy’s 1st Birthday” or “Christmas - 1957”.
If your projector is working, you may watch the films so you will know what order to put them in. However, if the film starts to be ‘eaten’ by your projector, you may be causing irreparable damage to your films. Projectors that have been sitting around for a while may have internal corrosion or dry-rotted parts. Be very careful. If your film breaks, we can splice it, but if the thousands of sprocket holes on your film are stretched and torn, that type of damage cannot be repaired. If your projector isn’t working properly, use the hints mentioned earlier to get your films in the best order that they can be.
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My movies are so old! What if there is nothing on them?
For family movies, 8mm film is an obsolete format. This format began in the late 1930’s so some films that we have transferred are well over 60 years old! All films are slowly deteriorating, but, if your films have been stored indoors, away from high heat and humidity, they are probably still in pretty good condition. What we normally see on family movies is that the films are changing color tones and fading. For example, the sky may now start to look purple instead of blue or what was originally a red dress, now appears orange. The good news is that the precious images of family, friends and of ‘days gone by’ are normally still there and generally are in pretty good condition.
During the process, any significant portions of film that are all black or all white are not transferred. We know these sections are of no value to you, so we stop recording while that film runs through. You may still see brief periods of black or white (1-2 seconds) in your video.
What does the background sound, sound like?
The mood of the music is sentimental and nostalgic
Click "play" for a sample of the music played in the background of the old home movies:
How many reels or feet of film can I get on a DVD or VHS?
Usually 30 to 35 of the small (three inch diameter, 50 foot) film reels (about 1500-1800 feet of film) will fit onto a standard DVD-R disk or VHS videotape.
How do I know whether I have Regular or Super 8mm film?
The sprocket hole sizes on each film type are different. Also, the center hole in the middle of the reel that fits on the projector arm is of a different size. You can transfer both Regular 8mm and Super 8mm to the same tape or DVD. The price for transferring the different formats of film is all the same - but there is a charge of $7.50 for each switch from one format of film to another. Therefore, it is economically best to group all of your 8mm films together and transfer them first before switching to any remaining super 8mm (or 16mm films).
Do you transfer film in cartridges or cases made by Polavision, Technicolor or Lanier Tel-Edisette Videotronic?
Yes. In order to perform the transfer, we must remove the Super 8mm film from those casings and splice the film onto a traditional 8mm film reel. The cartridges are destroyed it the process, but the original film is not harmed and will be returned to you along with your transfer on DVD, digital tape, etc. Pricing for this service is different than the standard film transfer pricing - please call us for a quote.
Can your process transfer 16mm film that has sound? Yes, we are capable of transferring 16mm films that have either optical or magnetic soundtracks on them.
May I insert titles mid-way between films or between film reels?
Yes. Most people only have opening and closing titles, but you may certainly insert titles between reels. There is an additional cost for this service. The most common opening title is "Precious Memories of the ____ Family" and the most popular closing title is "Thanks for the Memories!"
I think that I have a especially big order. How many films do most families have?
Most families have a ‘shoe box’ full. Depending on the size of the ‘shoe box’, usually that means the equivalent of 20-80 of the small reels (typically 1000 to 4000 feet of film). Occasionally we have clients that have 10+ times this amount of film.
Is your pricing based on a per reel or per foot cost?
We have simplified our pricing matrix to make it all inclusive. It is volume discounted based on total quantity of film transferred. For example, the transfer fee for 20 reels is discounted to less than double the transfer fee for 10 reels - and there are no extra charges for music, opening/closing titles, repairing splices, film wound on upside down or backwards, etc.
Why should I order copies?
By having your films transferred to video, multiple copies can be made and shared with all the family members involved (with films, there is only one set so only one person has them). DVDs are 'digital' so all copies are equal in quality. For additional VHS copies we run the electronic digital signal simultaneously to up to 20 VCR’s. This means that every family member will get an equally high quality copy of the family movies on video tape. One person does not get the ‘original’ and everyone else a copy made from the original.
We include a FREE music background on all your films. The exception to this is ‘sound movies’. We do not add music to these because that would cover up your original soundtrack.
Are the smaller films spliced together onto larger reels as part of the transfer process?
The films are returned to you in the same way (and on the same reels) in which we receive them. They are not edited together onto larger reels.
How long will it take to transfer my films to video?
Usually 2-4 weeks after we receive your order and depending upon studio backlog. Feel free to e-mail us at to check on the current backlog status.
What about the quality of the video transfer?
Because we know that these videos will be treasured as a family legacy and viewed for many years, we use only high-quality video tape stock and digital media. Also, we use professional equipment that is manufactured specifically for video transfer using an "aerial image" technology. This technique ensures the highest quality of film transfer and virtually eliminates the flicker resulting from the difference in frame rate between film and video. Also, studio quality digital cameras (not consumer-grade camcorders) are used to record your film images.
How is film transfer done? Are my films just projected on a screen and then taped with a camcorder? We use industrial quality equipment specifically designed to ensure high quality video transfer. The film chain consists of an optical multiplexer coupled with a broadcast quality camera and a telecine projector. The telecine projector compensates for the frame rate (speed) difference between film and video. The multiplexer enables the movie film image to be focused between two field lenses in mid-air.... this 'aerial' image maintains exceptionally high quality as compared to other methods where the image is focused onto a screen where loss of light and image distortion can occur. The broadcast quality camera provides a far higher resolution video signal than would be generated by consumer level camcorders.
What provisions do you make for color correction to various 8mm film? Circuitry in the video camera automatically color corrects, but the process is not 'perfect'. Sometimes film scenes change frequently from indoor to outdoor and from bright to dark - so this can confuse the electronics. For this reason a technician watches your transfer and further adjusts the colors and brightness as required. Overall, however, we are very pleased with the color and tones that result in the transfer process. We find that older films sometimes do fade and the colors may have changed over time -- but the images are normally still intact - and that is what our clients are most concerned with.
Is the transfer process from the telecine equipment to DVD direct? No. The transfer process requires that we transfer the film directly to a digital tape and from that format we author the films to DVD-R. There is no process to transfer directly to a DVD. However, since the process is kept 'digital', the quality is exceptional and far better than what is achievable on a VHS video tape. We also offer transfer to digital tape for those clients that wish to edit their old home movie films on their own PCs, and after editing, burn their own DVDs.
Can we send you a few reels and have you produce a sample of your work? Certainly - however, the best pricing is by sending in all your films as one order. Our pricing matrix includes a discounting factor so the best economy is achieved by a larger volume. One large batch will be transferred at a lower overall cost than two smaller batches.
back to top Should I have my films transferred to CD instead of VHS or DVD? No. CD quality is generally lower than even a VHS videotape due to the high data compression necessary to fit video onto a CD. For very high quality image transfer, have your films transferred to DVD.
However, sometimes a client intends to post a short video clip of an old home movie to a family web site. In this circumstance, a CD transfer may be 'ok'. Please advise us if this is your intention.
Is there any compatibility issue with the DVDs you make and certain DVD players?
There should be virtually no compatibility problem with the DVD-R that you receive from us and DVD players that are currently being sold on the market. Some early release DVD players did not comply with DVD-R industry standards and those particular players would have compatibility issues. If you currently own a DVD player, please verify that it can play DVD-Rs.
Do you recommend a simple, but high quality piece of software or hardware for editing the video of my films? We do not recommend what software or hardware to buy - new products are introduced constantly. Many of our clients choose to have their transfer made to digital tape so that they may custom edit. In general the digital video signal from a miniDV tape is often fed out of a camcorder by 'firewire' to a computer, edited via software and then burned to a DVD. Depending upon your hardware and software capabilities, you should be able to rearrange or delete scenes, add titles or captions, narration, special music, etc.
I plan to edit the video of my films. Which medium offers the best quality or highest resolution - miniDV or DVD? Your best option is miniDV. By having your films transferred to digital tape you will have great latitude as to any future editing. DVD may also be used as a source medium but it is a more 'finished' option and is already compiled (compressed) so it is a slightly lower 'quality' than digital tape.
Can my film be transferred to .avi files on a DVD that I can use to edit with, instead of a normal DVD?
Yes, we can provide you with raw .avi files on data DVDs. These DVDs differ from standard video DVDs in that they many NOT be played on a DVD player or viewed on a television. Usually clients prefer this format if they intend to edit their film transfer using their personal computer.
Approximately 20 minutes of film transfer will fit onto one data DVD disk. The data files from these disks may be loaded directly into your PC for further editing (provided, of course, that you have the proper hardware and software). The transfer fee for this service is different than the standard film transfer pricing - please call us for a quote.
Do you have any references - any comments from your clients? The following e-mail was received from a client in West Virginia: "You will never know just how much I appreciate the excellent quality of your work in transferring my old home movies onto DVD. The results were better than I ever expected. The skill that you exhibited in putting all of the movies onto DVD with such smooth transition is amazing. The music in the background was such a nice touch, and the melodies were quiet appropriate. I also liked the beginning and ending titles that you added. Since my mother passed away in 1994 and my father passed away six months ago, I naturally was looking forward to seeing them in moving pictures. What I didn't anticipate and loved so much was seeing other relatives of mine, especially those who have passed away, in moving pictures. For example, my paternal grandmother passed away when I was only three years old. I can barely remember her, so seeing her on the DVD was so meaningful! My paternal grandfather passed away when I was eight years old. I can remember him a little, but again, seeing him in moving pictures was so meaningful. I must tell you what I have told everyone here at home - had I known the results would be as good as they were, I'd have gladly walked to Texas from West Virginia to get the DVDs made if I hadn't been able to fly there as I did. My comment is not exaggeration - that is how much those wonderful DVDs mean to me! I am sure that I could write pages and pages and my words would still inadequately express my full appreciation to you and the skill used to give me family memories that will be enjoyed the rest of my lifetime and with the generations that will follow me. If I can ever serve as a reference to any of your potential patrons, I would welcome the opportunity to tell them about he quality of your work. If I told them that I flew all the way from West Virginia to Texas to have the work done because of the reputation of your work, I know that it would erase any doubts that they would have about your company. Thank you, and God Bless You!"
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VideoComm Technologies International, Inc. 361 East Parkwood Ave. Friendswood, TX 77546 281/992-4100 or call toll free 888-778-4336
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