SOUND AND VISION

INTRO

Ever since the first talking pictures were shown, the viewing public have become used to hearing the spoken word on film. Where once film makers were free to film where they chose, they now had to consider the clarity, strength and synchronicity of their sound. These constraints meant that the early pioneers had to shoot the majority of their movies in vast studios, adapted for superior sound recording.

When they, on the odd occaision, wanted to film outdoors, they had to drag with them heavy and cumbersome equipment. Not to achieve the strength and clarity of indoor recordings which could always be augmented by dubbing in post, but to keep the synchronisation of the recording, especially of the spoken word.

In was not until the development of portable battery powered recorders, that the 8mm film maker was able to enjoy the freedom of being able to record sound outdoors. With this freedom came the demand for better quality portable recorders, and what for some 8mm film makers was to become the holy grail, Synchronization of the spoken word.

This striving for perfection saw the birth of many small inderpendant firms who specialized in inventing gadgets that allowed some film makers to achieve this nirvanna. The small independants were in a position to manufacture gadgets, able to be used across a broad range of projectors and cameras. By developing their own systems, Equipment manufacturers also picked up on the vibe, ever eager to extract more cash from the film making public, by enticing them to buy their complete systems.

Just when the film maker had a plethera of systems to choose from, along came the sound cartidge, which was to change forever the way "ordinary" point and shoot film makers made films. Gone were the expensive gadgets, modified recorders, and lengthy periods behind the editing desk. One camera could do the lot. The film maker, in less than 50 years, had reached a level of sophistication, that the early pioneers with their cumbersome equipment could only dream about.

The following pages contain a brief explanation of what is available to the 8mm film maker, should he/she choose to go down the path of shooting synchronization of image and sound. Click on any of the links on the right, to view its page content.

SOUND ON FILM

POST STRIPING

You have a silent film and you want to add a voice over, and perhaps some background music, how do you do it? You add what is known as a stripe. A stripe is a piece of recording material, that comes either as a thin piece of tape, or in paste form. It is placed along the "main" edge that does not contain sprocket holes, hence the term "Main" stripe. The stripe placed along the edge containing sprocket holes is termed the "Balanced" stripe. If you have a large reel of wound film, the thickness of the main stripe causes the film to be raised more on that side than the other side. A "Balance" stripe applied to the side containing the sprocket holes, will "balance" the film, allowing it to be wound in an even fashion.

There are two ways to apply stripe to a roll of film:

Laminated:

The stripe is a thin piece of tape that is bonded to the film via a suitable striping machine.

Paste:

The stripe is applied in liquid form to the film via a suitable striping machine.

(At the time of writing Fuji is offering "post striping", during the development phase, as an optional extra for its range of silent single 8 films.)

SOUND FILM

Alas it is no more. Kodak stopped producing sound film a while ago. You can still find it on places like Ebay. However, it is now several years (if not decades) past its use by date, and Kodak will no longer develop the K40 Sound cartridge. Readers will have to scour the net to look for developers of "other" types of Sound Super 8 Film cartridges

Should you be able to get your hands on some sound film, you will have a few facts to consider. The most important fact is that all Super 8 sound cameras record sound 18 frames in advance of the picture. If you edit the film at a particular point, you will either loose some sound or end up with some extra visual frames you don't need. At projection time you may hear either silence or a popping sound, emanating from the sound track.

A useful technique to employ, which I found in an article appearing in Movie Maker magazine, is to do the following:

The last few seconds of each scene should be repeated at the beginning few seconds of the next scene. By doing this you can effectively manipulate the two scenes to produce a seam less edit. At the start of a new scene, the camera should be operating for at least a second before any wanted sound or speech is recorded. In terms of lip sync, during this initial period, actors expressions should be as believable as possible.

PROJECTOR SYNCHRONIZATION

INTRODUCTION

Projector synchronization is the synchronization of the image (from a projector) with sound (from a separate and suitable audio player). The methods used can be split into two broad groups. The first group uses the Electro-Mechanical method, while the second group uses an Electronic approach. Both systems require the use of a separate device called a synchronizer, although in the Electronic method the synchronizer may be incorporated into the audio device. The Synchronizer provides an interface between the projector and the audio player. Synchronizers are either fully automatic adjusting, or manual adjusting. Sometimes synchronizers are a combination of both. Their main function is to ensure the image from the projector stays in "sync" with the sound emanating from the audio player. Synchronizers achieve this by making adjustments, where necessary, to the projector's speed, either manually by hand or automatically.

Projector synchronization can be used in two different ways:

Double System:

This System involves bypassing the projector's audio amplifier in favour of a suitable audio player. The audio player contains the final edited audio of the film on one track, and any other sound or "pulses" required, on other tracks.The main advantage of this system is that you have better quality sound, while the disadvantages are the extra equipment needed, and the set up time required for each showing.

Single System:

In this method the Double System of synchronization is used once, to record onto the "Main" stripe of the penultimate edit of the film, the final edit of the audio emanating from the recorder/player. Ideally each edited audio scene should be introduced with a clapper board, which could then be lined up with the projected image of the clapper board closing. The synchronizer will ensure the 18 frame separation is maintained, for that particular scene. All that remains now is to edit the Striped film, removing the clapper board and other surplus images from the film. This method means that after successfully transferring the finished edit of the audio to the main stripe of your film, you will be able to show your film on any sound projector with out a synchronization device, and suitable seperate recorder/player.

ELECTRO-MECHANICAL

This method is the elder and simpler of the two. The following is only a general outline of Electro-Mechanical methods available and should not be applied to any particular Electro-Mechanical synchronizing system. Each Electro-Mechanical Synchronizing device may have its own variations, therefore you should consult the instructions and an Electronic Engineer before operating an Electro-Mechanical synchronizing device.

Electro-Mechanical Methods usually require a suitable projector, synchronizer and a reel to reel player. In essence this method seeks to control the speed of the projector's electric motor, via a mechanical method, usually a knob or dial. After following the instructions that come with the synchronizer, the audio tape is threaded as normal, except that the free spinning wheel of the synchronizer, is inserted into the reel to reel loop, usually near the take up spool of the reel to reel player. After threading a film through the projector, a flexible shaft is then connected from the synchronizer to the inching knob of a suitable projector. You now have information on the speed of the projector, and the reel to reel player, fed back to the synchronizer. An electrical connection from the synchronizer to the projector allows the user to control the speed of the projector, mechanically via a control knob or dial. The synchronizer also provides the user with an indication of the synchronization status.

ELECTRONIC

This is the slightly more modern and complex method of the two. The following is only a general outline of Electronic methods available and should not be applied to any particular Electronic synchronization system. For example some systems may have a separate pulse generator, synchronizer and tape recorder, while others may incorporate all three functions on to the tape recorder. There were also Electronic synchronization systems released by the major camera/projector manufacturers of the time, incorporating their own integrated system. Therefore each pulse system may have its own variation, so you should consult the instructions and an Electronic Engineer before operating an Electronic synchronization system.

Electronic Method usually requires a suitable projector, synchronizer and a suitable two track recorder/player. The synchronizer is connected to both the audio player and the projector. The most common type is based around a series of pulses, that have been recorded, (from the camera while filming) usually on to one of the audio tracks of the two track tape recorder. The other track contains the audio. Pulses are also generated from the projector either directly or via a pulse generator. The aim of these systems is to compare the series of pulses fed into the synchronizer from the tape recorder, and the projector, to control the speed of the projector, thereby keeping synchronization with the audio track from the two track tape player/recorder.

DIGITAL SYNC

Digital Sync usually requires the transfer of the film to a digital medium, use of a computer/video editing suit, and suitable video editing software. The end product is usually shown on a tv screen.

Crystal Sync:

This method requires the modification of a suitable camera, so that it operates at a digitally locked speed. The speed that the camera is locked to, is determined primarily by whether you live in a PAL TV system or NTSC TV system country. This method allows the use of a digital recorder, and usually requires no connection between camera and recorder. The end product is digitally transferred and shown on television. This method is favoured by those shooting music videos. For more information on methods used to record sound for synchronization, please refer to an article by Tobin Cinema Systems

Wild Sync:

This process requires the use of a "digitised" transfer of the film, and a computer with software appropriate for synchronizing sound and vision. The software should contain the ability for the user to visualize a graphical representation of the sound. By using a "clapper-board" at the beginning and end of every scene, a visual and audible sync point can be established. Graphical representation of the audible sync point, allows the film maker to synchronize the beginning and if needs be, the end point of a particular scene. Ideally if you are using the PAL video system, the scene should be shot as close as possible to 25 frames per second. Also the scene should be kept as short as possible, because you will inevitably loose synchronization.

SOUND on FILM
Methods
PROJECTOR SYNC
Introduction
Electro-Mechanical
Electronic
OTHER METHODS
Digital Sync