Your reply raises a couple of questions in my mind. I know these questions are relatively simple but I ask you to bear with me as I am a beginner.

1. What is filmguard? I have seen so many posts about this stuff but do not know what it is. Obviously it must protect film in some way but I don't know whether you paste it onto the film or its some kind of sticky tape that you attach to the film. Is it worth getting for home use?

2. Brad, you talk about rerecording the soundtrack in a hi fidelity format on super-8 using the two magnetic tracks available. If one was to purchase a second hand super-8 print of a film (eg What's up Doc) where would you get the high quality soundtrack to record onto the super-8 film? DVD? More importantly lets say that you had a film, a quality soundtrack source and the appropriate recording equipment - how would you get the soundtrack in sync with the images. Having a soundtrack out of sync with your picture is awful - almost as bad as dubbing.

3. Finally why does 16mm film have optical mono sound and not magnetic stereo like super-8? Would it be possible to buy a jar of some sort of magnetic resin and 'paste' a magnetic stereo soundtrack onto a 16mm film and the rerecord the soundtrack in digital on that?

Thanking you
Peter

Thanks for the tips. yes indeed I do want to be professional in the way I handle films and would prefer to send film back to the distributor exactly as I received them. I shall have to hunt around at some local swap meets and see if I can pick up the equipment you mentioned.

Frankly if money was not an issue I'd be sorely tempted to become a projectionist. Its considerably less stressful than being an accountant (unless of course your projector starts to mash up that nice shiny new print you just got from the distributor).

For me there's always been a certain kind of magic associated with outdoor projection. Some of the nicest memories I have as a child are of being taken to the drive-in by my parents. Truly, when one projects the flickering image onto a surface in the outdoors it magically takes one to a different world but hey, I think I'm preaching to the converted methinks. I think there would also be a certain satisfaction on seeing the joy on children's faces as you project a film.

I think if there is one thing I'm glad about in being born in the late twentieth century, its that I got to see movies, something most of my ancestors never got to see. Hopefully my descendants will continue to enjoy this marvellous invention as I have.

cheers Peter

2. DVD, videotape, Laserdisc, just whatever has a good clean copy of the soundtrack can be your master source. Set up the projector to shine a picture of the same size as your tv set and put the two images side by side. Once you have played with things for a little bit you will know precisely when to hit the buttons. Then don't worry about lip sync, just sit back and verify that the two pictures have their camera change cut simultaneously. That makes it real easy to see if the projector is getting even one frame off. You would be amazed at how easy it is to maintain sync for 20 minute spurts. (Video transfers sometimes chop off frames at the end of a reel or the print will be missing frames at the ends of the reels for some odd reason, but it is easily covered up in redubbing.)

3. Yes there is magnetic sound capability for 16mm. I don't know of anyone with striping machines, and it would be not cost effective to do so. Plus you would end up with films you could never re-sell.

quote:

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Now if you're REALLY serious about wanting some incredible sound from Super 8mm, you can simply record the timecode signal onto the magnetic track 2. Then of course record a mono mix-down of the audio on track 1. This way you can output the signal into a dts player for full 6 channel digital sound WITH A BACKUP AUDIO SIGNAL!

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Pardon me for asking Brad but do you know anyone who has actually done the above? I hunted around the Internet but could not find any mention of anyone actually having done it.

Also have you heard the results of such an overdub? If so what was your impression of the sound quality. It seems to me that one could do such an overdub on a popular film like 'Grease' and then invite one's friends around for a film night but not tell that you've fiddled with the sound. They'll be expecting some tinny sound, maybe stereo but if one has carefully hidden speakers and subwoofers around the room they'll literally be blown away by the sound quality if it is as good as you say.

You weren't kidding us were you?

cheers Peter

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One of the very best 16mm double band projectors that I worked on was the BAUER, with an intermittent movement! Partly seen nearest in the picture with a vertical xenon lamphouse. Playback only, it could be interlocked with other follower heads for rock ‘n roll dubbing. Projectionist Ken Wells. ITN News (cica 1980). On the other side of the room there were two other theatres equipped the same.