Our Service - Information on Film Recording and Transfers

Look on this page for helpful info about subjects such as: Preparing digital imagery and transporting to DFRFX, Shooting DV and Video For Transfer To Motion Picture Film.

Preparing And Transporting Digital Files to DFRFX

Preferred by professionals, digital video is now the popular standard in video production. DV can be exported and stored as a data file that can be transported thru the Internet in several ways. Computer Animation is commonly stored as digital files and is also transportable via Internet. Email is suprisingly good for animated files that are 10 Mb or less. You can send sets of emails to deliver files, we dont mind getting multiple emails from you. NExt, FTP...Some of you may have a server, an FTP site or website that is capable of holding larger digital files. We are able to download files from your server, FTP or website.

Hard media such as DVD-R/RW, CDROM, and DLT tape cartidges, firewire/USB harddrives, etc. can be mailed to the DFRFX mailing address at any time. Large projects are usually sent via hard media. We support PC, Mac external harddrives, and UNIX/SGI external drives, tapes, etc.

Using a compressor program to group files can simplify an email session. However, avoid recompressing any format that is inherently compressed (such as: JPG, AVI, MOV, etc).

Shooting DV and Video For Best Transfer to Motion Picture Film

High Definition (HD) 24p video projects provide the best transfer because the frame rate is the same as film, 24fps. Progressive format is best, so use it if you can.

New 24p cameras (such as the Panasonic line) are great. Some of these cameras output a 24p "Pulldown" version of your footage onto a standard 29.97fps miniDV tape. We can remove the "Pulldown" and recreate an exact 24p format that is then recorded to film, without any artifacting whatsoever. (In practice, however, editing may cause Cadence breakup that affects the 24p recreation. Contact us for more details on Pulldown Cadence and editting).

PAL is second best. We can transfer PAL two ways, and the best way is to use all frames in the PAL video, which results in a perfectly smooth playback but also results in a 4% reduction in speed. Audio pitch correction is used, in this case, to correct audio pitch, if desired.

The following applies ONLY TO NTSC transfers, due the greater difference in frame rates (film's 24fps vs NTSC's 29.98fps or 30 fps).

Run tests on specific camera movements such as fast or long panning of your camera. Some pans work and some dont. We can heavily process some sections but things dont always work for this kind of situation. One test should tell if the shot transfers into usable footage, or not.

Avoid close-ups on fast moving subjects. Close-ups work but if the subject is moving fast, they dont quite work as well as still and slow movements, such as talking, singing, etc. Here again, a test should help you decide if the shot works.

Follow proper lighting techniques. Often, with video production, it is a matter of controlling the lighting in the scene. Reducing lights to avoid "hotspots" and overlighting is critical because video performs better in darker or subtle lighting than in very bright lighting. Run tests to cover the range of scene lightings in your project. Better to be safe than not.

Some cameras have a "Frame Mode" of operation. Too often, this is achieved at the expense of spatial resolution. We recommend using "Interlaced Mode". We will convert interlaced video to film at a better quality.

Color correction can be done electronically and it is cheaper to do this. Videotapes can be color-tweeked thru TBCs and by digital editting computer systems. If you can afford it, professional color correction is recommended. Just set a budget in terms of money and translate that to a limit to the number of hours that you spend in a color correction suite or facility. Film color correction is possible but is more costly. If you need this option, call or email for more info on film color-correction sessions for a project.

Audio is transferred, too. Know your goals and needs for your specific project. Dolby produces cinema audio equipment that most theaters use worldwide. Dolby cinema audio comes in both basic and advanced flavors, and we will help you transfer any format. Add a "Head Pop" if you can - and a visual "2" frame at the front to help us to ensure syncing. However, modern digital gear is so good that we can make it work either way.

DV NTSC Transfers Have Improved At DFRFX

Resently, research into the topic of improved DV NTSC transfers has achieved positive results. I am now getting very good quality NTSC to 35mm transfers. I (Bob Durrenberger) am now using advanced frame rate conversion technology, which allows me to smooth out most of the jerkiness found in action footage. I have now done projects in which people walk and run across screen and the motion appears very smooth - most movements can be smoothed, somewhat. I now see results that indicate that a smooth NTSC transfer is possible and can happen. And thus we can all use our existing NTSC equipment. NOTE however, DFRFX does also transfer PAL video to film.

Please email me any topics that you would like to see explained and we will include that info in this area