Any way to reduce/remove flicker when capturing 8mm film?

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I'm trying to capture 8mm movie film and wonder if there's a way to reduce
or remove the flicker. Currently using Pinnacle Studio 8 for capture.

Thanks for any assistance.

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop (More info?)

"Richard Crowley" <rcrowley7@xprt.net> wrote in message
news:10q34stftjrbe2c@corp.supernews.com...
> "Doc" wrote ...
> > I'm trying to capture 8mm movie film and wonder if there's
> > a way to reduce or remove the flicker. Currently using Pinnacle
> > Studio 8 for capture.
>
> How are you getting from film to Pinnacle? Without any detail
> you will get only wild (and likely unhelpful) guesses.

Using a transfer box - though this isn't the "cube" type, it's one that's an
open design, looks sort of like an Etch a Sketch that opens up to a set
degree, but does about the same thing as a transfer cube. Then using an
analog camcorder on a tripod focused on the image and zoomed in to "crop"
about .25 inch of the very outer edges that are always blurry when
projecting film. Have the video out of the camcorder hooked to the DC10Plus
card so I'm going directly to the computer.

Since posting this have made a couple of discoveries. When it gets rendered
for DVD, the flicker seems to reduce somewhat. Alternately, have also found
that if I create an AVI file at 15 fps, this seems to reduce it. But it
still doesn't eliminate it altogether, it still doesn't look as good a the
original projected image. It also creates another issue which I'm creating a
new topic to cover.

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop (More info?)

"Doc" wrote ...
> Using a transfer box -

The flicker is almost certainly the result of having the frame
rate of the film (18 FPS?) NOT match the frame rate of the
video (25 FPS for PAL or 30 FPS for NTSC). Some solutions
have been to adjust the speed of the projector to match your
video standard (we don't know where you are or whether
you are using PAL or NTSC).

Then if you want to speed up or slow down the resulting video,
you can do it with your favorite non-linear edit application. For
example in Adobe Premiere, you can just select the speed in %
of the original.

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop (More info?)

In doing some experiments with both the fold-out and box type device with
both 8mm and Super 8 I have gotten good results by lowering my camera to a
60th of a second shutter. Though this doesn't completely eliminate the
flicker it reduces it a good deal, and is certainly cheaper than purchasing
one of the units suggested by Fly135. Unless of course you have a ton of
footage to do, or are going into the business of film transfers. The
suggestion of altering the projection speed is the next best choice where
you could then slow down the playback in your NLE software. The only problem
with speeding up the projector is finding the absolute 30fps mark, and then
re-setting the projector to an exact original fps setting.

And then there's another theory. The one I like the best - for what it's
worth. When you watch the film projected on the screen there is a flicker.
It is just simply there and it does not bother anyone watching the film.
Most just accept it and really don't notice it so much. It's a part of the
charm of the medium and a part of the history of the medium as well. It's a
part of your history on a medium created at a time when that was the height
of home motion image technology. Why not just leave it, reduced by use of
shutter speed?

I have done several projects using all the available methods listed above
and suggested by the other members adding their knowledge and expertise to
this post. Naturally keeping or eliminating the flicker is a matter of taste
more than anything, but I have noted that my customers have most liked a
project when the flicker is there and the edges of the full frame can be
seen. I do this by setting the frame just inside the television screen
edges. I will add music and the subtle sound of a projector running. Out of
all the various ways I have done these the customers have noted that the
latter method "took them back to rememberances of watching the films while
sitting around with the family all together in the living room" - a direct
quote from one such customer.

Just my 2 cents, a sort of rebellion against the advances of technology if
you will.
--
Larry Johnson
Digital Video Solutions
webmaster@digitalvideosolutions.com
http://www.digitalvideosolutions.com
877-227-6281 Toll Free Sales Assistance
386-672-1941 customer Service
386-672-1907 Technical Support
386-676-1515 Fax


"Doc" <docsavage20@REMOVEhotmail.com> wrote in message
news8fod.8303$pK6.1434@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net...
> I'm trying to capture 8mm movie film and wonder if there's a way to reduce
> or remove the flicker. Currently using Pinnacle Studio 8 for capture.
>
> Thanks for any assistance.
>
>