Filter anti "flickering flame" effect?

[park84]

I am trying to restore an old VHS tape which contains an even older 8mm movie. The only thing I have is the tape, so I can not do any better capture of the 8mm material. The issue is an effect that appears sporadically which is something like a flickering flame; better than an explanation, I think you will see what I mean by looking at the attached little clip.
What can I do? Can you recommend me some VirtualDub filter for solving this?
Thanks

c.avi

[filmboss80]

This is caused by vibrations through the film gate on the original 8mm movie. If the vibration occurred during the playback stage through the projector, you could solve the issue by lubricating the movie film, then transferring it to video again. In some cases, the jitter of this type will occur after a film splice passes through the projector. If the vibration occurred in-camera (during filming with the 8mm movie camera), there's not much that can be done.

Do you have the original 8mm movie film rolls? If so, you can have it professionally transferred, and perhaps the transfer folks will lube and treat that dried old film in the process. The best ones can also repair bad splices.

If the VHS tapes are all you have, you might try a few VirtualDub filters -- though I don't think they will help much. I would experiment with Gunnar Thalin's Deshaker filter, or perhaps a deinterlace filter (trying to drop a jumping field). Try them out on short clips to see how it will look. (Frankly, I have serious doubts.)

Post note: I would call this a "jitter" not a "flickering flame." There is actually a fiery flame look at the beginnings and ends of 8mm movie film; the result of partially exposing the film to light when the ends are threaded into the movie camera.