Research Question - 40 Year Old Film

[LeeGoldbrg]

I am the author of the DIAGNOSIS MURDER novels (and former exec producer of the TV series). I have a research question about Super 8 film for my next book.

My hero, Dr. Mark Sloan, finds Super 8 film from 1962 that has been kept in a bomb shelter for the last 40+ years. Here are my questions:

a) What condition is the film likely to be in? What kind of canisters would it have been stored in (Metal? Plastic?)

b) If its in bad condition, what steps could be taken to restore it?

c) If it's viewable, how would you view it? In other words, what machinery would you use? A Super 8 projector or something that would be more gentle on the film?

d)If it's viewable, what would it look like? Would the colors be washed out? The picture blurred?

e)And here's a really stupid question, betraying my total lack of knowledge on this subject... would there be any sound?

Please feel free to respond to me directly if you like:

[email protected]

Thank you!

[eidde]

Hi There


a) What condition is the film likely to be in? What kind of canisters would it have been stored in (Metal? Plastic?)

As far as I know super8 cartridges havent changed since their inception. This would still be in a plastic cartridge (if its not yet been developed). If it has been developed then it would be on a small plastic spool.

b) If its in bad condition, what steps could be taken to restore it?
This all depends on wether its been developed or not. If not then anything could have happened. If the cartridge has been broken or cracked then light may have leaked in and overexposed and destroyed the whole roll, or maybe only partially overexposed the roll. Over exposure could not be corrected.
If its been developed then the damage could be sprocket holes broken/missing, scratches, dust.... scratches and dust can be improved by cleaning the film.
For important footage I expect a wetgate transfer to video would be done, so that the film can be watched repeatedly.
Its feasable that using digital technology the image could be sharpened up and brightness and contrast adjusted to make the image easier to see if need be.

c) If it's viewable, how would you view it? In other words, what machinery would you use? A Super 8 projector or something that would be more gentle on the film?

I would transfer it to video for repeated viewing.
Failing that, yes - use a super8 projector

d)If it's viewable, what would it look like? Would the colors be washed out? The picture blurred?

They could be, again it depends on wether its been developed.
If it has then the colours will probably be fine. If not then I think you tend to get purple blotches and over saturated colours on old film.
The picture woulnt be blurred as far as I know if it was shot in focus, but the colours may blur as the film gets older.

e)And here's a really stupid question, betraying my total lack of knowledge on this subject... would there be any sound?

It could well have sound, Kodak stopped making sound cartridges a "few" years ago.


Hope that helps a bit.

[BolexPlusx]

Super-8 was not introduced to the market until 1965, so it would have to be regular 8 or 16mm or some other film gauge.

Super-8 did not receive sound on film until the early 1970s, and I don't believe that Regular-8 has ever been made for sound on film recording, except as occasional commercial releases. (I'm a long way from being informed on R8, so somebody who knows better please clear this one up!)

If the film is undeveloped from the 1960s, I doubt an image could be developed. If it was shot on Kodachrome developed at the time and well stored, it could look brand new.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ November 03, 2004 07:15 AM: Message edited by: BolexPlusx ]</font>

[BolexPlusx]

This sounds reasonable to me. Frankly, I'm not super sure because I haven't got any film older than the late 1970s and it's all in wonderful shape!

[cameraguy]

Originally posted by LeeGoldberg:
In my story, the film was developed in 1962 and viewed on a projector at least once before being store in the bomb shelter.

I've been told by others since I posted my question that you would view the film on on a 8mm hand-cranked tabletop viewer/film editor. I'm told the film is triacetate and if not kept in ideal conditions, is likely to be brittle or have shrunk unevenly, the color faded to red or magenta. The film may also give off a vinegar smell, indicating that it has begun to deteriorate. Does this sound right to you?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">It would take brutal conditions to due the stuff you mention to Kodachrome. If its suppose to be color and its 1962 then it would be Kodachrome. So if you want the film conditions above then make sure they find it in an attic that gets very very hot and humid every summer.

I would say most of the time people would have viewed their film on a motorized projector.

[LeeGoldbrg]

In my story, the film was developed in 1962 and viewed on a projector at least once before being store in the bomb shelter.

I've been told by others since I posted my question that you would view the film on on a 8mm hand-cranked tabletop viewer/film editor. I'm told the film is triacetate and if not kept in ideal conditions, is likely to be brittle or have shrunk unevenly, the color faded to red or magenta. The film may also give off a vinegar smell, indicating that it has begun to deteriorate. Does this sound right to you?

[wahiba]

I have plenty of film over 40 years old that has not been kept in anything except a plastic container in a cupboard. I have colour film made by Kodak, Ilford and Agfa, and it all looks much the same as when it was first processed.

This is in the UK, where contrary to the usual ideas, the temperature and humidity does not vary a great deal over the year, and even less indoors. So, unless any film had been sujected to rediculous temeperature and humidity changes, not the sort of thing that would happen in a bomb shelter, it should be fine.

[wahiba]

I have plenty of film over 40 years old that has not been kept in anything except a plastic container in a cupboard. I have colour film made by Kodak, Ilford and Agfa, and it all looks much the same as when it was first processed.

This is in the UK, where contrary to the usual ideas, the temperature and humidity does not vary a great deal over the year, and even less indoors. So, unless any film had been sujected to rediculous temeperature and humidity changes, not the sort of thing that would happen in a bomb shelter, it should be fine.