BotCon Video Archive

Discussion in 'Transformers Conventions and Get Togethers' started by Karl Hartman, Jul 17, 2018.

  1. Karl Hartman

    Karl Hartman Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 20, 2003
    Posts:
    291
    News Credits:
    6
    Trophy Points:
    197
    Likes:
    +105
    Hi Folks,

    I wanted to pass along some information that some of the older fans might have some interest in. My brother Jon has digitized all of our old BotCon footage from the 1994-2002 and 2004 conventions, and is starting the process of putting them on YouTube. As these are coming from VHS tape, the quality is understandably a little dated, but it is watchable.

    The first one has been posted at:



    Keep your eye on that YouTube channel, as more videos will be posted in the future.

    Thanks, and Enjoy!

    Karl
     
    • Like Like x 30
    • News Credit News Credit x 1
  2. fschuler

    fschuler Post Count Inflated With Hot Air TFW2005 Supporter

    Joined:
    Nov 28, 2005
    Posts:
    24,783
    News Credits:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    452
    Location:
    NKY/Cincinnati
    Likes:
    +49,523
    Thank you for this video and all of your work. My how things have grown since then.
     
    • Like Like x 4
  3. SG Unicron

    SG Unicron Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 31, 2016
    Posts:
    824
    Trophy Points:
    172
    Likes:
    +1,141
    This is amazing. His choice of music was pretty great. Makes me feel like I'm watching a documentary about some past historical event of the early 20th century.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  4. Black Conoy

    Black Conoy Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 2, 2017
    Posts:
    250
    Trophy Points:
    142
    Likes:
    +340
    YouTube (Legacy):
    This video looks like it was made in 1974, I know they had better cameras than this in 94
     
    • Like Like x 3
  5. Blitz.

    Blitz. Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 22, 2009
    Posts:
    8,492
    News Credits:
    11
    Trophy Points:
    337
    Likes:
    +5,199
    Love the visuals and music choice I felt like I was taken back in time. This would have blown my mind I was around 9 when this happened and seeing all these toys would have rocked my world.
     
  6. metalwar2010

    metalwar2010 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 3, 2006
    Posts:
    3,246
    Trophy Points:
    312
    Likes:
    +2,634
    Ebay:
    The simpler times.......Thanks for posting this video!!
     
  7. madhatprime

    madhatprime Call me: Ghostprime

    Joined:
    May 25, 2009
    Posts:
    1,589
    News Credits:
    3
    Trophy Points:
    232
    Likes:
    +407
    Cool! I would love Botcon to come back. Has on is not the same
     
    • Like Like x 2
  8. slideshot

    slideshot Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 15, 2004
    Posts:
    757
    Trophy Points:
    262
    Likes:
    +608
    They did, but they were expensive as mess. I'm sure they were shooting this on whatever they could find, which was likely a late '80s camera.
     
    • Like Like x 3
  9. msol

    msol Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 25, 2008
    Posts:
    513
    Trophy Points:
    262
    Likes:
    +510
    Awesome. So sad I never made it to a Hartman BotCon, but I'm glad I finally made it to one in 2014. I remember begging my folks to take me to BotCon '98 but they thought a 14-year-old had better things to do. How wrong they were!
     
  10. Sovietbot

    Sovietbot Autobot from USSR

    Joined:
    Nov 18, 2012
    Posts:
    1,884
    News Credits:
    107
    Trophy Points:
    232
    Likes:
    +3,299
    Instagram:
    Wrote what could come back.
     
  11. jbot

    jbot Disciple of A3

    Joined:
    Nov 18, 2005
    Posts:
    896
    News Credits:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    262
    Likes:
    +499
    You see it too? That’s a relief. I thought I was so drunk that I forgot I’d been drinking.
     
  12. UltraPrimal

    UltraPrimal YouTuber (she/they)‍️‍

    Joined:
    Aug 10, 2008
    Posts:
    1,984
    News Credits:
    9
    Trophy Points:
    287
    Likes:
    +1,474
    Pretty cool seeing some footage of the original BotCon. I think this would be much better narrated. Just talking about what's going on in each clip. Like there's one of a guy at a table. Is that the registration desk? A special guest? Are there any attendees in this footage who became regulars at BotCon? Just talk about the exhibitors you had, how many, what they were selling, what were the hot items, etc. Talk about the Collection Room. What is it? Just a room in the convention where you guys showed off your collection? How complete was the collection at the time? You know, for 1994, that may very well have been a complete Transformers collection.

    Also, I'd be curious to know how you're digitizing your old tapes. Is it with a capture device? Are you running it through any deinterlacing software? I'd just love to see the best quality possible available to you.

    Seriously, guys! This is some great stuff! You could do a whole documentary series with more footage like this. As someone who grew up always wanting to go to BotCon, but was never old enough/couldn't afford to until after FunPub took it over, I'd love to see and hear more about the legendary OG Hartman Bros BotCons.
     
    • Like Like x 2
  13. DarkRed401

    DarkRed401 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 11, 2018
    Posts:
    4,410
    Trophy Points:
    222
    Likes:
    +8,131
    i like the rite of spring but why for transformers?
     
  14. AnnoyedRobot

    AnnoyedRobot Hiatus from 3D print design. Need bigger monitor.

    Joined:
    Jul 13, 2015
    Posts:
    944
    Trophy Points:
    172
    Location:
    my Secret Introversion Hideout
    Likes:
    +1,061
    I hope someone has footage of that god-awful Men In Black-ran Botcon from 1996 and uploads it someday. XD
     
    • Like Like x 2
  15. robwhit1

    robwhit1 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 23, 2008
    Posts:
    1,390
    Trophy Points:
    212
    Likes:
    +241
    Ebay:
    I do wish we still had Botcon's. I even miss the overpriced box sets. Since I focused my collection on MPs, the box sets were the only way I picked up most of the retail molds.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  16. GAUGE

    GAUGE Wargod ARTS

    Joined:
    Jun 21, 2006
    Posts:
    17,673
    News Credits:
    7
    Trophy Points:
    407
    Location:
    Phx, AZ
    Likes:
    +16,420
    wow! When this video was made, I was just barely graduating High School. (this was right before I got accepted into Job Corps. where my life from there would be forever changed with many a roller coaster rides) Many of the people on this site weren't even Born yet. :lol 

    Perhaps they were conceived At the Botcon. :lol 
     
  17. Black Conoy

    Black Conoy Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 2, 2017
    Posts:
    250
    Trophy Points:
    142
    Likes:
    +340
    YouTube (Legacy):
    You’re right
     
  18. Jon Hartman

    Jon Hartman Former Übercompletionist

    Joined:
    Aug 4, 2003
    Posts:
    22
    Trophy Points:
    127
    Likes:
    +7
    Ebay:
    <A wild Jon Hartman appears from the depths of time...>

    The biggest reason it looks this way is because it's a multi-generation edited version that we sent out to folks after the show. Dubbing back and forth between two VCRs doesn't make for a stellar product, but it's all we had.

    The goal of this project is to simply upload the videos in the format as they are. Some are already edited into a highlight format with pretty titles and music, but the vast majority will be just raw video as recorded, warts and all.

    I'm using Roxio Easy VHS to DVD with a USB dongle and two old 4-head VCRs. Some videos may be re-captured from the original Hi-8 tapes with S-Video to see if it gets better results, but everything should be watchable regardless.

    There'll certainly be a lot of material to pull from if someone was up to that task. Over 80 hours of footage are sitting on my hard drive.

    I think because it fit the edited running time that I was shooting for, and also for certain dramatic effects.
     
    • Like Like x 6
  19. GizmoTron

    GizmoTron Roobaticon Commander

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2010
    Posts:
    6,561
    Trophy Points:
    287
    Likes:
    +9,327
    Ebay:
    Neat footage, but honestly I found that music kind of irritating and a bit out of place.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  20. ZapRowsdower

    ZapRowsdower Selling oddities in a shack. In the woods.

    Joined:
    Feb 5, 2014
    Posts:
    4,915
    Trophy Points:
    262
    Likes:
    +4,923
    This.

    The music makes no sense to me. I think it's TOO DRAMATIC. For something like this, I imagine something more calm and easy. Don't get me wrong: save this dramatic music... for the portion of the video where a couple of fans broke out into a heated debate with furious pointing? :lol 

    But all silly criticisms aside, I appreciate the uploading of this stuff so I can experience it a bit after-the-fact. It's a cool piece of TF convention history, and it'd be a shame to lose it to a black out or fried HDD! :eek: 
     
    • Like Like x 1