Did Anyone Try To Film Programmes From The Television?

[RichardB]

When I was in my teens, I remember setting up a makeshift camera support in front of the television together with my trusty tape recorder and using my Halina to shoot a reel of 8mm footage from an episode of Doctor Who. You got a slightly annoying dark scan line on the picture, but as my family was still several years away from getting our first VCR, it was quite a thrill to rewatch those 3½ minutes whenever I wanted!

Did anyone else ever try filming programmes direct from the television screen? If so, what did you film?

On a related note, I read a reference several years ago to some kind of kit that you could buy at one point which would help to synchronise your cine camera to the scan rate of the television so that you could get rid of the dark lines. I've never seen any other reference to it though. Has anyone ever seen one of these either in the flesh or advertised anywhere?

Richard

[billyfromConsett]

I've not had a cine camera and came into film-making with a hi8 video camera back in 1992. Ive not needed to record stuff from the telly with my camcorder.

But can I ask, if you can remember, what was the cost of buying the 8mm film and processing your 3 or 4 minutes of Doctor Who? And was this the 60's or 70's?

[RichardB]

It was in the early 1980s actually - the very last episode with Tom Baker as Doctor Who. I know I used to use Boots own brand cine film as it was cheaper than Kodak, but I can't recall what sort of price that would have been for a reel - probably something like £4.00-5.00.

Still, back in 1980, that hit a teenagers cash flow quite a bit, so I only did it the once!

Richard

[tom hardwick]

I remember filming Kate Bush on Top of the Pops by having the Canon 1014E set up (Kodachrome 40) in front of the Sony Trinitron. It must have been 1977.

tom.

[stingman]

I was more into recording audio off of the TV. I started when I was 7. My Grandad gave me his Cassette Tape Recorder. I give him ALL the credit for where I am today. I started me on the path to being a film-maker.

God Bless Him.....

Stingman

[RichardB]

What sort of things were you recording, stingman?

Richard

[stingman]

I used to record TV Themes and adverts. When I was a kid, I used to get tonsilitius alot. This meant two weeks in bed, having a bucket by my bed and just drinking lucosade! This also meant that I watched alot of tv. I also taped the radio and radio1. This included all of there `275 and 285, and stereo V H F`.
Those were the days. Then when I was a bit older at school, I dreamed of haveing a Video Recorder. The Betamax made my mouth water! How times have changed!

Stingman

[Kurt]

My Dad had just bought the family a Hanimex standard 8 camera outfit in 1969, and I used it to film parts of the first moon landing from our Bush Simpson B/W TV.

Still got that footage somewhere.