1976 Film Editing
I was surfing the net today looking at “how to” film conversions videos and was amazed at what I saw. Obviously you can convert your films however you what, but personally I would never put one of my films into an old projector and watch it. Too many dangers with that. People can say whatever they want, but I have seen film sprocket holes just shredded by projectors because the film was just breaking apart. Next comes the big burn hole in a couple of frames. That still brings on flashbacks for me. Treat your film as fragile and valuable. Please do not capture your video off of a projected image on a wall or sheet of paper. That’s like filming your wedding on your cell phone.
Typically the biggest problem projecting your old films is splices coming apart, and it isn’t unusual to see scotch tape used instead of splicing tape. Film can be pretty dirty as well. Cleaning it helps for a better transfer so you don’t see all that “stuff” clinging to the film. The Buddy Rich film on this site had a scotch tape splice on it that I didn’t touch. I had to edit around it rather than try and fix it. It is also why you have to inspect the film before you project it. The prep work helps for a better end product.
For an overview of transfer methods see my Film Conversions page.