Film and Digital Info
 
This Website provides a thorough comparison between Film and Digital Photography / Cinematography

         During the past decade many Hundreds of Millions of people around the World have been duped into parting with a fair sum of their money to purchase a Digital Camera they don't need.  These people spent this money because they erroneously believe that Digital Photography is superior to Film Photography.  If they had not believed this, these consumers would not have likely expended their money on a Digital Camera they couldn't really afford.  The HTML Links below (just CLICK the Link to download) provide Articles on Film Photography and Cinematography as compared to Digital.  The Articles explain in detail all of the specific problems with the Digital Photographic process.  The Articles explain how Film directly captures a Light image which provides the highest quality Photography / Cinematography possible.  Film simply captures real Light.  The Articles address the basic factual differences between Film and Digital -- in particular as regards Resolution and Colour.  I have expended a great amount of my time to produce these Articles because of the urgent need to combat the unacceptable deceptions being perpetrated upon consumers around the World regarding Digital Photography.  The facts of the problems with the Digital process need to be known.  While Digital Prints may look good unto themselves, Digital Prints cannot achieve the quality of Film Photographs because of the higher Resolution and Colour content of Film.  The greatest proof of the super-high Resolution of Film is the Movie Presentation which uses a Frame of only 22mm by 16mm, and it fills up a Screen 20 or 30 feet wide by 10 or 15 feet high.  Then there is the highly important concern of preserving family memories.  People everywhere need to be informed of the fleeting life span of Digital Picture Files before they would end up losing their family memories.  I would urge you to take every opportunity that comes available to explain to people how Digital fails to measure up to Film.

Mr. Terry Mester
     PHOTOGRAPHY ARTICLE          CINEMATOGRAPHY ARTICLE
ARTICLE_PHOTO.html           ARTICLE_CINEMA.html
 
 
N. B.  There are BUGS in Mozilla Firefox which cause problems in viewing this Webpage.  You need to use Microsoft Internet Explorer to view it properly.
         I would like to translate my Photography Article into other languages including French, Spanish, Portuguese, German and Japanese.  If you can translate the Article for me, please contact me at:  filmanddigitalinfo@yahoo.ca.
v. 1.27.2011

Recording Synchronous Sound with a Silent Movie Camera

        I developed a simple technique to record Synchronized Sound with silent Film Movie Cameras.  I initially developed the technique for 8mm amateurs, but it applies to all Movie Camera formats.  You can Click the Link below to download the two JPEG Pages which are preformatted.  If you would like a high quality version for printing out on your Printer, E-Mail me at the Address above, and I'll send you two high quality Bitmap Files (which are 3 Megabytes each). 
 
S8SOUND1.jpg            S8SOUND2.jpg
        This new method keeps the starts and stops of the Sound Recording synchronized to the Reel of Film through any number of pauses in filming.  This method simply uses one Pause Switch to turn both the Tape Recorder and the Movie Camera on and off at the same time.  It doesn't replace "frame by frame" timing provided by a Quartz Clock in professional use, but it makes the process of professional editing and viewing dailies a whole lot easier.  For Super 8mm Home Movies it's fantastic to be able to record synchronous sound.  It is important to ensure that you have fresh Batteries in both your Camera and Tape Recorder.  (If you're indoors you can use a Transformer as I suggested, and avoid power drain problems.  Use a Voltmeter to test the Transformer to verify it is outputting the correct Voltage!)  Your Projector should allow for altering the Speed of the Film during projection which would enable you to keep the Film Reel (which is 3 Minutes and 20 Seconds) synchronized to the Sound during playback.  If the Film goes ahead of the Sound Recording (or vice-versa), you can quickly push the Pause Button on the Projector (or the Recorder) to get the Film and Sound re-aligned.

        If you download the Sound Recording into your Computer -- which is easy to do with Microsoft Windows 'Sound Recorder' and 'Media Player', you can edit the digitized Sound Recording in the Computer to expand or shrink its length, add silence or remove part of the Sound Recording as needed (1/2 Second, 1 Second, whatever is needed) to make sure it is 3:20 Minutes in length and synchronized through to the end.  With  the Film running at normal speed (24 or 18 Frames/Second) you can use a Stopwatch to verify how far off the Film and Sound might be at any given point, and then add or delete in the Computer as needed.  /  A better technique to use is to make a Digital (Timing) Recording while watching the Film being projected.  You just use your Voice to make a blurting sound every time there is a pause/start in filming -- beginning with the initial start.  There will be about a 1/10th of a Second delay from when you see the pause and then blurt the sound with your mouth.  Thus, you would subtract 1/10th Second from where the blurting sound shows up on the Timing Recording to determine the proper time of the pause on the Film.  You would then take note of these times on this Timing Recording to compare to the times of the pause/starts on the main Sound Recording for the Film Reel.  You can thus correct the timing of the Sound Recording accordingly.  /  You can also use your Computer to play the Sound Recording while watching the Film on the Projector, and thus you can be certain that the Digital Sound Track will remain 3:20 Minutes.  /  There is a free Computer Digital Sound Recorder & Player called "Audacity" which is superb for editing sound.  It's available for download from the following Website: http://audacity.sourceforge.net.
 
        When using Super 8mm Cameras I would recommend not using the Electric Zoom feature because this drains power away from the Cartridge Motor causing it to temporarily slow down.  This would affect synchronization.  Instead you can just manually move the external Zoom Lens Dial.  If the Dial has a smooth and slippery surface, you can just glue Drops of Glue (I suggest "Goop") on it which will enable you to get a good grip with your finger.  Manually moving the Zoom Lens also provides a smoother more controlled zoom than the roughness of an electric motor.

        Although, in synchronizing for professional use,  this method would reduce the need for the Clapper to just once at the beginning of each Film Reel, the Clapper should still be used for subsequent scenes as backup and also to record the Technical Scene Information onto the Film Reel.  Since the Sound Recording would be synchronized to only one Camera, and if filming a Scene with more than one Camera, you need to synchronize all the Cameras together.  The best idea is to glue two 'two-pole' Pause Switches together which would enable you to keep three Cameras synchronized to the Sound.  This would also end the nuisance of having one Camera run out of Film before the other Cameras.  Another method you could also use is to briefly flash a Red Light on the Set for just a split second each time the Cameras are turned on after a pause in filming.  You would then simply use the Last Frame of Red Light on each Reel of Film to synchronize all the Film Reels together.  You could use both methods for extra safety.  In either case, your job has just been made easier for both editing and reviewing the whole Reel of Film.
 
Super 8mm Tips and Information
 
        For additional tips and information on the Super8mm Movie Camera format, just Click the Links below.
 
Super8 Camera Maintenance to Prevent Jitteriness
Inside the Super8 Cartridge
How to safely open up the Camera
Projector Tips
 
Environmental Responsibility
 
        I want to quickly address some environmental concerns brought to my attention by another Photographer.  The concern regarded used developing chemicals being poured down the drain.  As far as the left-over bath Water, this should just be boiled away on a Stove which will leave behind a very small amount of solid residue for disposal -- almost all of which would be minerals from the water.  Where you have other solutions that are almost entirely Water, you can boil them away outdoors using a portable Electric Stove Burner.  It would probably take a few years to produce enough solid residue to necessitate a trip to a depot for disposal.  As for the other chemicals, if your Local or Regional Government doesn't have a programme for recycling old chemicals, there are companies that take chemicals for recycling and disposal.  The reclaimed Silver makes it worthwhile for them.  Check the Yellow Pages or the Internet.
Light in the Darkroom
 
        It may not be well known, but regular photographic Film (both Colour and Black & White) is unaffected by "Infrared" Light.  Infrared (IR) Light is produced by a regular Incandescent Light Bulb.  An "IR Filter" is simply used to cover the Light Bulb, and filter out the regular Light -- leaving only Infrared.  "IR Goggles" are then used to enable you to see the Infrared Light.  You can purchase a simple hand-held IR Monocular or Binoculars, or IR Goggles which strap on your head.  Just search for Infrared Filters and Goggles on the Internet to find out where you can purchase them.  They should sell for as little as $50.
[Note:  You cannot use an IR Video Camera and Monitor in the Darkroom because the Monitor Screen emits regular Light which would corrupt the undeveloped Film.]
 
Breathing Fresh Air in the Darkroom
 
        If you cannot afford the cost of a ventilation system, I want to offer you a simple and inexpensive method to provide yourself enough fresh air to breathe in the Darkroom -- for a cost of about $20.  All you need is a basic Breathing Mask and a Hose (about 3/4" or 1" Inch in Diameter).  In selecting a Breathing Mask, you would want one with a Vent opening on the bottom for the excess Air and your Breath to expel.  The Hose would then lead to an Air Supply outside of the Darkroom.  You'll need to drill a hole in the wall to the neighbouring room for the Hose to pass through.  The other end of the Hose would be attached to a hole in a small Box, and a small table Fan would be used to blow Air into the Box and through the Hose.  In the Darkroom you can hang the Hose from the ceiling so that the Mask is at the level of your mouth, and you can take breaths from it whenever you feel the need for fresh air.  This should provide adequate fresh air for you to breathe in the Darkroom, and if necessary a Hose with a Diameter larger than 1 Inch could be used.  As for Glue to connect it together, I would suggest a Glue named "Goop" which is the best I've ever seen.