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How to Convert a 35mm Movie Film to DVD

As 35mm film naturally degrades and deteriorates in quality over time, it might be wise to consider transferring your old films to DVD. You could go to a professional service and pay hundreds of dollars an hour, or you could easily do it yourself at home. All you need is the equipment you would normally use to project your 35mm films, a computer and a digital video camera. Converting 35mm films to DVD can make sure they're properly preserved for generations to come.

Things You'll Need

  • 35mm film
  • 35mm film projector
  • Projection surface
  • Digital video camera
  • Computer
  • DVD burner
  • Blank DVD
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Instructions

    • 1

      Project your 35mm film onto a smooth, white surface. If you don't have access to a projector screen you can use a large, white wall.

    • 2

      Use a digital video camera to record your projected 35mm film. Make sure your camera is framed correctly and capturing every last inch of the projected image. Place your camera on a tripod, table or some other flat non-moving surface to insure that the camera doesn't shake around while recording.

    • 3

      Transfer your recorded footage to your computer. Use the software that came with your digital video camera to "capture" the footage from the tape into computer video files.

    • 4

      Use DVD burning software to burn the captured video files onto DVD. This is the same process you would follow to burn any video file to disc. Once the burning process is complete, your DVD will be playable on any commercially available DVD player that supports DVD-R media.

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