New Machine Saving Old Movies on DVD.
New machine saving old movies on DVD
By PAUL O'ROURKE - The Timaru Herald | Saturday, 28 July 2007
Timaru Herald
RENEWED: New digital equipment has improved the way Channel Ten's editor Kim Hewson can transfer old film on to DVDs.
Historical home movies are being saved by Timaru's Channel Ten following the purchase of specialised transfer equipment. Channel Ten based at Seadown has imported a Trident Cine transfer system, the only one of its kind in the South Pacific which enables the transfer of 8mm and super 8mm film to DVD.
The new equipment has attracted national interest with home and historical movies from around the country being transferred. The company has also received films from historical organisations in Australia.
As the machines are hand made it has been five years since the order was first placed before the equipment arrived in New Zealand.
Channel Ten's editor Kim Hewson said the wait had been well worth it. "Over the last 12 years we have transferred over a thousand home and commercial films to video and DVD. "While we were always pleased with the results this is a totally new ball game, she said.
With the new system the film is not run through a conventional projector which can damage older films, instead each frame is digitally captured by the new equipment." Mrs Hewson said the colour and exposure control through the digital processing was exceptional and in many cases it was possible to get a recognisable picture from a film that appears black when viewed through a projector. She added the system is able to capture a great deal more information in the film than would normally be seen using a projector.
Mrs Hewson said a lot of old films were now starting to lose their colour, and were becoming brittle and breaking down. She said it was pleasing to see many younger people were now preserving such footage of their grandparents' times for future generations.
Mrs Hewson said Channel Ten also had a good liaison with many museums and historical societies and when they received a film they thought would be of interest to those organisations the owners were approached to see if the organisation could also have a copy.
"A the moment we are working with some film from a Napier women whose mother spent a lot of time in Geraldine. "There is a lot of interesting footage of the area in the forties and we are hoping she will allow us to provide a copy to the Geraldine museum."
