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How to Reduce the Flicker in a Film Transfer

The popular way to make video copy of an old film is by projecting it on a white screen, then recording the footage using a video camera. When choosing this cheaper way to transfer films to video, the common problem encountered is seeing flickers on the recorded footage.

Unlike in professional film transfers that use high-end film scanners, video recording of a projected film causes flicker problems because of the difference between the frame rate of the projected film and that of the video camera recording the projected footage.

Things You'll Need

  • Dark room for film projection
  • Clothes and boards to cover windows during film projection
  • Variable speed film projector
  • White screen for film projection
  • Video camera
  • Tape, DVD or memory card used for storing footage (storage device depends on the video camera used)
  • Tripod
  • Table or any secured surface where the film projector will be placed during film projection
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Instructions

    • 1

      Set up a variable speed film projector in a dark room. Secure it on a flat surface or table at a reasonable distance from the white screen where the footage will be projected.

    • 2

      Prepare the room for the film projection and video recording. Cover all windows with thick clothes or boards prior to the projection and recording. The projection requires a dark room just like in a movie theater.

    • 3

      Test your projected image by playing the footage from the projector to the white wall or screen. Make sure that the distance between the two is enough to have a good projection size and quality. Set the projector’s frame rate to any figure near the 30 fps or 25 fps recording of your video camera. The more expensive projectors provide better variable speed options.

    • 4

      Set up your video camera beside your film projector. Secure it on a tripod, then make sure that the camera is focused on the image to be recorded on the white screen. Make sure that your distance to the projected image is just enough to avoid cropping the footage. If your camera has a “Slow Shutter” digital effect, use this as this camera function also reduces the flicker effect on the film footage being recorded in video format.

    • 5

      Make a test recording by pressing the “Record” function in your video camera, then playing your film projector soon after. Make a 20-second test recording, then play back your video footage to check for any flicker problem. If you need to further reduce the flicker, do a trial-and-error by changing the video camera set up and the variable speed of the projector. Ideally, for the projector’s frame rate, the nearer you are to the NTSC or PAL frame rate, the better.

    • 6

      Cue the video camera and the film for projection for the final recording.

Film Production

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