Alright, since we have permission from American Whitewater and it appears we have enough folks to cover the fees, I upgraded my Paypal account to accept donations.
Before you donate, read the following carefully:
It's likely I won't get a whole lot done until after the holiday season; my son is in town with me for Christmas and nothing takes precedence over that time with him. I won't let this drag on, but understand my friend and I will be be driving the film around, gathering supplies, mastering the the video, burning DVDs and shipping in our spare time. I'll post timeframes and status in this thread as we progress.
In the event we have a surplus of funds, I'll post here asking folks what they'd like us to do with them. We might think of "value added" features to spend them on or perhaps just split them up in the same proportions they were received and return them. Or maybe you fine folks could treat us to a six pack of good beer!
If you feel half as weird sending money to a stranger as I feel accepting it, know that Sir Adam has my home address since it is registered in the FCC database (I'm a radio geek too). Were I to try pulling a fast one, I'm sure he'd tell you exactly where to show up so you can "vent" on me with your trusty Mitchell.
Finally, I have to add a big hearty THANK YOU to all of you who've shown so much enthusiasm. I think this film I've stumbled upon is a treasure (to C-boaters at least!) and am grateful to have the chance to share it.
ezwater wrote: The $20 is easy enough, but I hate Paypal. Can I send a check?
Also I want to know who does the film to DVD conversion. I have three reels of color 16mm to convert.
Check your message box.
There are all kinds of places on the net. There are also usually a few places in most metro areas. You might just want to get a projector, you can usually find a few deals on eBay and grab one for around $50 shipped. Given transfer fees are often 17 to 30 cents a foot, this is often MUCH cheaper. Roughly 25 minutes of film is around 1200 feet!
The AWA movie is a bit odd in that it has a magnetic soundrack which most projectors cannot read....most places that transfer video either can't deal with mag tracks or charge an arm and a leg. I could project and videotape it with a good camera, but it would be a silent film then.
Heck, maybe I can convert them for you when we finish this project.
In respect to "Phreon"'s desire for personal privacy with a home mailing address, I PM'd him and asked him to send it to me so I can send in my $20. I'll be happy to receive a dvd of the finished product, whenever it is ready. "Preon", if you want to add some additional features to the dvd, I personally say to add whatever whitewater cboating stuff you have. If there is a remainder after that addition, then get good microbrew of your choice and tip em' up as a toast to all o' us.
KNeal
C-boats Moderator
"Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing-absolutely nothing-half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats."
FYI, the shop I'm going to use is closed until Mon, Jan 3 for their "once a year vacation". This'll give me time to get the funds in order, etc. and enjoy time with my son.
I got in touch with the company doing the transfer work and have it scheduled. Their hours are 10-3 Mon-Thurs and Sat. so I'm going to have to wait until this coming Saturday to drop the film off; I don't think I'll have the opportunity to leave work early enough through the week.
They tell me the turn around time depends on their workload, but the average is usually about a week.
I'm doing my best to keep my hands off the film until we have it transfered. I'd love to watch it again, but don't want to take the tiniest risk of damaging it.
cheajack wrote:Pheron, please suggest an alternative payment method to PayPal so I can get your money to you. Jack. 919-933-9438 or cheajack@bellsouth.net
Which, assuming my estimate of film footage is roughly accurate, leaves $91.48 to fund 14 (+1 for A.W.) DVDs, mailers/cases, shipping, labels, etc.
Sorry if this isn't a kosher ledger, I'm an engineer, not an accountant! Now all we can do is wait for the transfer. I'll likely cash checks soon to purchase the DVDs, etc. in the meantime.
Well folks, I discovered why the shop I chose was so cheap when they gave me a call today. They didn't know what the **** they were talking about and therefore had no idea what magnetic track film is. This, despite asking if they positively could handle magnetic track film on three separate occasions! No, they cannot do the transfer. Now I have to either take time off work or wait until Saturday to get the film back.
All is not lost however, there are options and I have a few leads. There's another shop in town that I know can do the job, but their fee is roughly $275. I've been calling around and have a few feelers out. One shop suggested I contact our local public TV station; he said they used to rent or lend the equipment, but didn't know if they still had it. I'm looking into it. I'm also waiting to hear back from a shop who *might* be able to transfer the audio only. This could be a huge cost saver. Finally, I'm not ruling out just buying a ^&#$! projector capable of recovering the audio, but they are few and far between.
In lieu of this new info, I'll hold off on cashing any checks, etc.
The $20 is easy enough, but I hate Paypal. Can I send a check? 
If there is a remainder after that addition, then get good microbrew of your choice and tip em' up as a toast to all o' us. 
