final project

On a random blog I follow, I was happy to see this video about 8mm and Super8 digitization, because that is precisely what I’m working on for my final project!

The Projector - 8mm Direct to 5Dmk2 from James Miller on Vimeo.

I have been interning with TAMI this semester, digitizing Super8 and 8mm home movies. It is so fun! Although I do cringe a bit when I come across 60 minute reels labeled 'grass planting -1972' most of the films are quite entertaining, even if i have no idea whats going on. 

I was lucky enough to digitize a family's collection of  European travels from the mid 50s; Stockholm, Paris, Madrid, it was pretty incredible. Which made me wonder how families in the 50s or even 70s,  could even afford cameras to document their lives in this way, but I'll leave that for another blog post.

TAMI as well as the iSchool Digitization Lab use “Sniper” machines. Which consist of a projector for the film and a  camera that that captures frame by frame, at about 15 frames per second. In addition to the sniper, one would need an analog/digital converter, and, well, a computer. 

A new model, according to THIS WEBSITE will cost about $7400. So, if any of you all have some film. Go to the digitization lab! Or let TAMI do it for you, for free.

James Miller came up with his own DIY digitization machine projector and a Canon DSLR camera. He even gives you instructions! Forging a digitization device on my own sounds horribly intimidating, but when they cost close to 8K, it makes sense to attempt to DIY.

For my final project I will be digitizing some Super8 film of my two oldest sisters from 1977-8. This is exciting. They normally complain that all of our home movies are of myself and my other sister, because my dad did not own a video camera until 1986. One reel is labeled Lisa's first steps, which is particularly interesting, because now she has a daugher of her own, who will soon be learning to walk.. for now she just spins. 

I will be using the iSchool's sniper, and am curious to see how this works out. Each machine operates a little differently, even at TAMI, one belt runs a bit smoother than the other, one is a little easier to thread etc etc. I am hoping I get the hang of the iSchool sniper sooner rather than later, especially since this project is due in less than a month!

I am excited to get started and also excited to see what the rest of the class will be doing! 

copyright? or wrong

I really enjoyed the talk Carlos gave last week, and while it sort of make sense, its also sort of (ok, really) complicated. Rather than thinking about the big picture after the talk and the articles, I tend to focus on specific instances and wonder how can/should they get away with that?

After watching the video Jessica posted about the "Amen Break, " I have even more questions about who can get away with what. So, the music industry.... Ice Ice Baby vs Under Pressure?

More recently, Lady Gaga's new song vs Express Yourself?

And also this article-- discussing both Lady Gada and Rihanna's "inspiration."



So for the entertainment industry it seems like copyright becomes a bigger deal (because more potential profits are at stake?)  I am also curious how Disney operates its "vault." And while it seems like they have a tight grip on everything they have ever produced.. where did this guy get a hold of that footage? (which Im happy he did, its a lovely cover and very cool video).

My History of Digitization

My interest in digitizing stems from an interest in obsolete formats.  The idea that there are audio/visual recordings that people cannot access, and maybe never have, is very exciting to me. These materials pose problems for access that paper does not. No matter how old a piece of paper is, it is readable, it can be stored, without changing its format, and someone can access it 500 years later.  Digitizing obsolete formats to ensure their viewability in the future seems particularly important to me. Similarly, the idea that formats will constantly be changing and improving, means that maintaining access to these materials will be an issue that may never go away.

My fist experience with changing formats ( not technically ‘digitizing' ) was for my  family, transferring home videos to DVD. This was quite an undertaking, sifting through 15 years worth of video. To complicate things further, my Dad’s frugal method of using every minute of blank tape meant one evening could be split up and found in 5 different places.  This was also my first experience in making organizing and arrangement decisions, Do I arrange by holiday then year? Do I arrange birthdays by year or by person? Sporting events by year or person? Etc.

I used a device with a VHS and DVD drive and was fairly straightforward to use. But the process of taking the mini tape, putting it in the adapter VHS tape before placing in the VHS drive made me wonder what we would do it the adapter was lost. Just a simple search for such an adapter says ‘currently unavailable.’

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000067DK2/gemotrack9-20/ref=nosim

Another project commissioned for me is to digitizing massive amounts of slides for my parents, since their slide projector is no longer functional. To me this poses another issue of the viewing experience. Watching slides was quite a process, pulling out the projector screen, setting up the projector, making sure the slides were placed correctly in the slot, hearing the hum of the machine and the loud sound of proceeding to the next slide. Obviously, I can be quite nostalgic about these slide shows, and it makes me wonder that while these slides can certainly be digitized and viewable, the viewing experience may not be.

From Survey of Digitization I hope to learn how to digitize a variety of formats and become familiar with  problems associated with each. I also hope to discover successful ways to make digitized materials accessible to the public at large.