- 1). Set up the film projector and ensure that it is free of dust and is working. A dirty projector will hinder the quality of the finished product, so be sure that it is as clean as can be. Remember: a dirty projector will yield dirty digital video in the long run.
- 2). Set up a smooth screen or find a white wall or space with no textures to project the video onto. Above all, be sure the surface you are projecting onto is completely flat and completely white.
- 3). Set up the DV camcorder onto a tripod. Make sure it is at a slight angle so it will record all of the video, but be sure not to put the camcorder's field of view into the projector's field of view, otherwise you will get a very bright but obnoxious video quality.
- 4). Run the projector and the DV camcorder for a few minutes and tinker with the camcorder to ensure it is set to your liking. Make sure you are zoomed in tight on the projection, this will give you the best picture quality possible when recording. When you are absolutely sure the camera will record the projection accurately and at the best quality, start playback on the projector and begin recording. This entire project comes down to personalization: how do you want the video on the DVD to look when finished? How exactly do you want the camcorder to be angled? These are all questions you must ask yourself and answer before you begin filming, otherwise you may have to go back to the drawing board and start filming all over again.
- 5). Connect the sound output on the projector to the audio in the DV camcorder. This will properly capture the sound of the 8mm film, ensuring you will get the crispest sound possible, free of any noise the fan and motor of the projector may create. If the projector does not have an audio output, try your best to quiet the projector so the camcorder will pick up the minimal amount of noise. Use your imagination on this one. Anything you can find to quiet the background noise the fan may create, use it, just make sure it does not make the projector too hot and overheat it, otherwise you may be in need of buying a new projector in the future. If the film does not have an audio track at all, simply mute the camcorder when you begin recording.
- 6). Connect the camcorder to your PC or Mac. If you are using Windows, launch any video editing software of your choice and follow the directions for importing digital video to a camera. For Mac users, iMovie/iDVD comes standard so that will suffice for this project.
- 7). Watch the video to ensure the quality is up to your standards before burning it to a DVD. If the video has too much flicker, it may be wise to use a Deflicker filter in the program VirtualDub to clean up the video quality. Once you have removed the flicker and are happy with the results, simply burn the video to DVD and enjoy your memories of yesterday on a much more modern format today.
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