Adding Background Music to Your 8mm Silent Film

Film that has sound will contain a thin magnetic tape on one edge that looks like a copper strip. Most older film – whether it is 8mm, 16mm, or Super 8 – does not however contain this magnetic tape, and thus the film is silent. In 1973 film companies started making Super 8 film with this magnetic strip, but it was very short-lived in popularity as VHS tapes came out just a few years later.

8mm and 16mm film with sound strip
So what do you do if your old 8mm or Super 8 film doesn’t have sound? Surely it’s no big deal to view the film in digital format without any sound. The memories are still the same, and watching these old films will be nonetheless emotional. Still, it could be nice to set your 8mm film to some nice background music.

Many places that convert 8mm film to DVD offer the service of adding background music to the film when it is transferred to a digital format. In fact, some places even offer this service for free. So when you convert your 8mm to DVD, you may want to consider whether or not you want to add music, and if so, what kind of music. Selecting the right music can greatly enhance the emotional experience of watching these old family films.

Silent 16mm filmIn almost every case, it seems wise to avoid selecting a rock ‘n’ roll track for your 8mm family movie. Instead, it would probably be better to go with a nice classical track of some sort, though you don’t want to overdo it in that direction either. Beethoven’s 5th might not provide the calm demeanor that the film portrays as you watch your grandparents playing with their children in the front yard. Instead, choose something soft, simple, and not-in-your-face if you aren’t focusing on it.

You might even consider going with what the film lab suggests. Remember, these labs have converted hundreds or thousands of 8mm films to DVD. By the time you come to them, they might know even better than you what sort of music would be appropriate for your film. So if you are having trouble deciding on a track, consider listening to their advice on what would be best. Background music for an old 8mm film can really make the movie, or really make it hard to watch. So select carefully and wisely, and when the time comes to share your newly converted DVD with your family, you can all enjoy the memories together, with an added bit of music to help make the whole experience even more pleasant and uplifting.