Found a weird tape in a box of old home movies from a yard sale in Akron

It was labeled 'Family Reunion 1998' but the first ten minutes is just a fixed shot of a backyard at night. Nothing happens for ages, then a shape moves fast across the grass. I tried cleaning the tape with a cheap head cleaner first, but the picture got worse. Borrowed a pro-grade cleaning kit from a friend who runs a transfer service, and the image cleared right up. Has anyone else had a tape that looked blank turn out to have something on it after a proper clean?

3 comments

3 Comments

elizabetht562mo ago

A fixed shot of a backyard for ten minutes and then something moves fast? That gives me the creeps... what kind of shape was it? I’d be too scared to watch the rest of the tape. My old camcorder tapes from the 90s are just birthday parties and bad haircuts, nothing like that. You’re braver than I am for even cleaning it.

jade322mo ago

Ever try a baking soda paste on the tape shell contacts? I had a tape full of static that cleared up after a gentle scrub with that, way cheaper than a pro kit. Sometimes the simple fixes work when the heads are already clean.

wesleypatel1mo ago

Baking soda paste on tape shell contacts? That's a new one to me, @elizabetht56 might want to try it before some deep clean. But honestly, you're just masking the real problem if those old tapes have ghost stuff like that. I've seen similar weird footage from my own dig through a box of old VHS artifacts. Static can point to deeper decay, not just dirty heads. Better off just digitizing the weird ones before they turn into dust.