Help me digitise my Super8 film footage of concerts

Hi, my name is Deb Mayes and I'm looking for financial assistance to help digitise some Super8 film footage in my collection.

I'm a very keen music fan and have been taking photos at concerts since 1973. Some time around 1976/1977, I purchased a Super8 film camera which I used for capturing a lot of family memories. Once processed, I would then create a musical soundtrack to these films which I would play on audio cassette as we watched these films back on a film projector in the lounge room.

I also took the Super8 camera to some of the concerts I attended, one of which was ALICE COOPER at Festival Hall in Brisbane on Tues 29th March, 1977. I can't remember how well the film came out but I've included a photo that I took at that concert to give you some idea of what the footage might be like. At this point I should also mention that I was also in the habit of using audio cassettes to record the concerts I went to.

Now, I've been aware for some time that most old film footage is reaching the age where it is beginning to disintegrate so earlier this year I took a large reel of footage labelled as "Family" to a local company to have it digitised. When it was done I was able to locate the original audio cassette which contained the soundtrack to that footage and I was then able to make digital video clips using most of the same music that we originally played with it, although a few of the "nowadays inappropriate" tunes did have to be replaced with more suitable ones.

Stored with the audio cassette for the family home movies was another cassette labelled "concert home movies" so I'm assuming (honestly can't remember doing it) that I painstakingly isolated the audio from each of the concerts I recorded so that the sound would match up with the film footage when watched on the projector. Sadly neither of the audio cassettes gave track listing info on the box so I will really have no idea what other concerts I filmed until I play the cassette or see the video transfer.

I don't really trust the tape player I have at the moment so I'll need to access a better one to make a digital transfer of it.

I'm hoping that eventually I'll be able to match the audio up with the video and have something really special to share with the people of Brisbane. At a rough guess I'd say there is probably footage of Ol'55, Ted Mulry Gang, Sherbet, Debra Byrne, and who knows what else, all filmed on stage in Queensland.

To cost of getting that one large reel of "family memories" film transferred was $450 for roughly 20mins worth of video footage.

The important thing to remember here is that TIME IS CRITICAL. My films are showing signs of "vinegar syndrome" degradation and I have TWO large reels and one small one marked "Concerts" which need to be digitised before it's too late. That is why I'm asking for financial help from family and friends who know how important this history is to me so that I can cover the cost of getting this work done.

Going by what it cost to get the family reel done I'm expecting the next two and bit reels to cost around $950 to process. I would be thrilled if you were able to donate even a tiny bit to the fund. I have 444 friends on Facebook and if each of them donated just $3.00 I would have the money I need to pay for this analogue to digital transfer.

I can kind of hear some of you saying "but Deb, what's in it for me?". Well, you'll feel the immense satisfaction of knowing that you helped to save some quite historic film footage that belongs in Queensland's music archives. When it's completed I'm hoping to make this footage available to the State Library of Queensland for their collection. I'm sure they will be thrilled to have it as I'm betting there is not really that much video footage from that era still in existence, so I'm really hoping you can help me out. ...... Thanks in advance xx Deb Mayes.