What makes film different from video, anyway? And how do you identify film types?

Film and video are two vastly different mediums. Film is a series of transparencies which are projected, one after another, at speeds of 18 frames a second or more. This conveys to us the illusion of movement, when the individual frames are projected onto a screen. Videotape is, of course, a magnetized tape stock --and the images captured by our video camera are electronically digitized and stored on the tape...then projected onto a television screen in a series of hundreds of thousands of tiny dots called "pixels."

The three most popular types of amateur film are 8 millimeter, Super 8 millimeter, and 16 millimeter.

Eight mm film --sometimes called "regular 8" --was popular in the 1940's and '50's. It was made by splitting 16 mm film stock in half, lengthwise. Most 8 mm film was color stock, but occasionally you might run across black and white regular 8 film.

Super 8 film was introduced in the early 1960's, and it relegated regular 8mm projectors, editing equipment and cameras to their well-deserved graves by providing the user with a larger, more colorful image. Some Super 8 cameras were built with "sync sound," where a thin, magnetic tape strip on the film stock could be used to capture live sound via a built-in microphone, or used to carry music or narration tracks which could be added later.

16 millimeter film is considered "serious amateur," or "professional" film stock. It has been around for over 50 years, in both color and black and white formulations, and projects a clean, sharp image.

On the trail of the elusive film projector. "Where do you FIND these things??"

One thing that stops many videographers from rushing headlong into the film transfer business (or preserving their own family memories on video) is the seeming lack of suitable film projectors. Don't let that stop you --they're still around! 16mm projectors are still being made by Elmo Manufacturing (800-947-3566). In addition to autoload and manual 16mm models, Elmo also offers a synchronized projector (Model TRV-16G) which is designed expressly for transferring 16mm film to video via a built in CCD chip. It's expensive, however: list price is around $4700.

But it's not necessary to buy a brand new projector to transfer film. If you don't mind using rental or second-hand gear, 16mm projectors abound. Try garage sales, educational supply houses or schools, camera shops and a/v rental companies. In most cases, used 16mm projectors are in reasonable shape, since they were built more ruggedly than 8mm and Super8mm models, which were aimed at the amateur market.

While the major manufacturers have discontinued making home movie projectors, an import dual-8mm projector with variable speed control is still available. "Yelco" brand machines are distributed by Matrix Video (616-944-9525) at approximately $475.

If you're not ready to make an investment in a new projector, you should be able to find used "Dual 8 projectors" --units which handle both types of film --by searching in your local newspaper classifieds, or even attending garage sales. If you're planning a one-time transfer of your old home movies, ask your local photo shops if they rent such projectors, or have any used ones for sale. While it's unlikely you'll find a "synchronized for transfer" projector, you should keep your eyes open for one with a variable speed shutter.