Home movies to DVD including Films (8mm, Super 8, 16mm with or without sound).
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ProCopy offers both telecine conversions and frame by frame conversions for 8mm and Super 8 films.
It’s likely that if you were taking home movies in the late 50s, 60s, 70s and possibly early 80s then you would have built up a collection of 8mm or Super 8 film reels with many family memories on them. Like the state library ProCopy are trying to save many of W.A's historic home movies for families and companies around the State, We're fighting to protect our past from the ravages of time and get these priceless family memories in to another format before it's too late. We're findning that unless you have a working projector, a screen and the skills needed then you probably haven’t seen this film footage for sometime. And now of course there's better technology to transfer these films to hard drives or discs.
As with regular photographs these film based formats will continue to deteriorate with time to the point where the image will hardly be recognisable. Our skilled operators can transfer these films to DVD so that you can once again view these family events.
The most common formats are 8mm, Super 8 and 16mm with and without Sound. We can also transfer some less common formats such as 6.5mm (Pathe) format films and continue to include more formats as the are needed. ProCopy now offers both telecine conversions and frame by frame conversions for 8mm and Super 8 films.
We have a simple quoting process for film transfer work, all you have to do is let us know how many reels you have, their physical size and the type.
For example:
- 7 x 3 inch spools of 8mm film or,
- 4 x 10 inch 16mm or.
- 6 x 5 inch Super 8mm.
We'll work out our best discounted price for all the film transfer work and let you know asap.
If you don't know the diameter of the reels we have a printable film reel size guide that will make it easy for you. You can download it here: ProCopy Film Reel Size Guide
If you have video tape formats you can read information on tape based video formats here: Procopy videotape to dvd transfers.
Often we find that films are damaged in a variety of ways. Sprocket holes can be torn by years of use or poor storage, Splices that have been made to hold reels together can sometimes age and come apart or reels can be inadvertently stored the wrong way round causing the natural contours of the reels to be lost. These technical repairs have to be completed skillfully before any transfers can take place.
Electronic processing can be done to try and improve the quality of the film footage. We have the ability to stabilise the film content and have the ability to readjust the colours if the overall picture has started to change with age. Sometimes for example 8mm and other films may tend to go pink-ish or lose other colours as they age. A lot of footage has been recorded to this format and has now started to colour shift and would benefit from being transferred as soon as possible to a new digital format. More comprehensive fix up work needs to go into our video editing suite and this is quoted separately from the normal Film to DVD work. We can also add music. Still images and titles to the new content as an added service.
ProCopy has a number of Super 8, 8mm, 16 mm film machines and Pathe players to cater for the wide variety of formats available and can usually help you with your treasured content. All film transfer processes are what we call “real-time”. That is there is no fast way to transfer the content to another format and it will take the length of the programme plus some set up time to copy to another medium such as DVD. If repairs are required then we will assess the footage and quote separately. Like our video transfer work the benefit of transferring to DVD is that once a master has been created then multiple copies can be produced very quickly and at our normal copying prices.
As we recommend with audio files it’s a good idea to keep the original DVD master filed away and use safety copies of the DVD for day to day viewing. You can always make more copies from the stored master if needed and when technology improves in the future you can go back to the master or the original films and improve the quality further. So we recommend storing your original reels in a secure and safe enviornment. We are happy to provide you with advice in this area if you want more information.
DVD is a convenient format for viewing your old footage, but new video formats will eventually surpass this format and provide even better quality and longevity. It is important to store the discs securely and handle the discs with care at all times. Scratches, fingerprints and poor handling can make your discs play erratically or even stop playing entirely. We would also recommend that you keep the original films for as long as practical just in case there is a “fatal” problem with one of your copies.
What tapes or films do you convert?
We specialize in slides, 8mm film, Super8 film, and 16mm film - to be converted to DVD or Video Tape (VHS). If you are not sure what size film reels you have, download our ProCopy Film Reel Size Guide and print out to an A4 page. You'll be able to gauge the sizes very quickly.
Is it safe?
We receive orders for film transfers from around Australia. Movies are not destroyed or damaged in the transfer process. An operator is with your movie during every step of the process.
What is the best way to preserve my cherished movies?
We recommend that you transfer your film to a DVD. As an optional safeguard, we strongly suggest an extra archive copy on digital tape, such as a MiniDV. This serves as a digital master, and will allow the movie to be transferred and/or edited (without loss of quality) to any future medium.
How many DVDs will it take to complete my order?
A DVD takes around 90 minutes of film content.
How many feet of film will fit on one DVD?
We can put roughly 1500 feet of film on one DVD. This can vary due to the sizes of your reels and other factors. As a rule of the thumb we can get 24-27 three inch reels on one DVD. We can typically get 3 seven inch reels on one DVD.
Can I add audio to silent movies?
Yes, there is a selection of standard options, or we can create custom soundtracks.
My film is damaged, can you repair it?
It may be possible to clean up partially damaged or degraded images and sound. We are experts in this field. Charges will vary and we are pleased tro provide a free quote.
What is Procopy's process?
Video editing is via a professional grade Video systems with the film transfer process made via a Telecine or Frame by frame system that will give superior quality images from 8mm, Super 8 and 16mm films (with & without audio). High quality encoders (not domestic or consumer grade) ensure that your final product will be of the highest quality.
How much does it cost?
Procopy will check your films for quality and duration free-of-charge (within reason!) and provide a quotation for your film to dvd transfer. Contact ProCopy here for further information.
I'd like to get it done for Mum and Dad's Wedding Anniversary, can that be done?
We provide a fast service for transfer work so can usually meet any deadline. If you have an Anniversary, Birthday or other event that you would like to provide a suprise present for we can produce DVDs within a few days. If you are not sure what the people would like then we have Gift Certificates available for you to give to them. Contact us for more details.