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The ceiling in my office collapsed last night - covering my edit suite in soggy roof tiles and soaking everything on the desk in water.
As gutted as I am about the kit - it is insured and I can get new ones (even though the equipment was less than a week out of the box).
BUT... It soaked a mini DV tape - which has irriplaceable footage on it (HDV footage). Is there any way I can save this footage? Can I dry the tape out? Please any tips or advice would be brilliant.
Thanks so much, Sarah
I think that`s a bad one , even if you did dry it out , the tape may well stick I can only think of using an old mini dv camera with the works on show and FF or rewind and using cotton buds against the business side of the tape stopping frequently and using a new cotton bud.
do the other side of the tape when rewinding and repeat till satisfied. (re shell first by the way).
Good luck
Did it really get that wet?
it may have only been "splashed"?
http://www.keene.co.uk/electronics/multi.php?mycode=MDVRW
Maybe you could use one of these to wind and examine the tape. I've reshelled (and spliced) miniDV but it's not for the faint hearted. Silica Gel can be bought in large bags from Boots and would help with drying - shut the tape in a tupperware box with the gel
Back in the days of 16mm I once dried a film by having in on two spools and cranking it back and forth by the air from a blow drier for a while.
Film is different, but if you were going to reshell it, you might try to set up a two spool crank and try to air dry it with the help of a hair drier.
Good luck.