Editing On Video

[Van_Arsdale]

Hello I am very new to film making but am learning quickly especially thanks to some of the members on this board.. I am planning on editing my super 8 footage on video (Linear) and i have a few questions pertaining. My first question is do i just need two vhs machines and a controller or do i need some special vhs machines as well? My second question is when adding sound do I sync my sound to my raw footage(film) and telecine it so i am editing image and sound at the same time or do I just edit the image on video and then add the sound to in later? All help greatly appreciated. Thank You.

 

[Zensteve]

Is there a particular reason why you're editing with linear VHS decks?

As far as the question: I remember the S-VHS machines I learned on had the ability to pre-roll, letting the two decks actually get to full speed before it hit insertion point. That was kinda important, as the recording heads & play heads are offset a wee bit.

I don't recall how we added additional sound, like background music. (This was a 6-week class, about 10 years ago)

You really would get better results (as well as a simpler workflow) if you telecined to mini-DV and used the free software that comes with your computer... unless you're doing it this way for particular reasons.

 

[directorik]

My first question is do i just need two vhs machines and a controller or do i need some special vhs machines as well?

You CAN use any two VHS machines. It would be better to
use two VHS machines that were designed for linear editing.

My second question is when adding sound do I sync my sound to my raw footage(film) and telecine it so i am editing image and sound at the same time or do I just edit the image on video and then add the sound to in later?

Both options are a possibility. When you telecine your super
8 film to video your best option would be to transfer the
audio at the same time. But you CAN add the audio later.

Which leads me to a question.

Why are you transferring your super 8 film to VHS to edit?

You say you are very new to filmmaking. Have you thought
about transferring your super 8 film directly to a Quicktime
format (or any DV format) and using a non linear editing
program on your computer?

 

[Van_Arsdale]

Well there are two reasons. One if I transfer it to digital, will it still look like film? Two in a digital world were everything is technology influenced and everyone is trying to make everything easier and clearer I really enjoy the aesthetic of film the grain the texture and the depth of perception and I feel that analog would hold more true in that sense. I understand digitals place and what it has done for filmmaking. I guess I am just sentimental about film and the analog days. Sometimes I am taken out of a movie when it looks to clear i feel like im watching a soup opera or a documentary and not a film. I am just afraid if i transfer to digital that it will just end up looking that way.

 

[directorik]

If you transfer super 8 to Digital Video or to analog VHS
it will look like super 8 transfered to tape. Since it's your
personal aesthetic here, you will have to do both transfers
in order to find your answer.

Since most of the telecine cost is in the prep and the actual
running time of the machine, have the lab make both an
analog VHS copy and a DV copy. If you re happier with the
VHS then you will need two machines and a video controller
for your editing process.

So will you only show the finished product on VHS? You will
never digitize it to DVD or for view on the web?

 

[Zensteve]

if I transfer it to digital, will it still look like film?

I personally think it looks great, transferred to digital.

I'll PM you a link to a ridiculous thing I did a few years ago, that was a mini-DV transfer. I'm sure you'll be able to tell it was originally shot on film, even though it was digitally telecined for editing.

 

[grinner]

Keeping it looking like it does today would be better than a generation or two of composite VHS nastyness. If you must go linear, there are cheap places like Uedit that sometimes stil have both small format film to tape services and by the hour deck to deck do it yourself stations. We're literally talking like 50 bucks an hour so it doesn't ahve to break the bank.
Still, I'd have a wedding video place tranfer it to DVD then you can rip that into any NLE. Much better than makin' it all nappy.