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7. San Francisco 1958
3 months ago
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4 months ago
1. New_York_06_HD
5 months ago
More surprises. A reel labeled "Alameda 1958" happened to feature quite a few urban scenes set in San Francisco. This footage features only my grandfather; both behind and in front of the camera. Preceding this piece of film was a document of his travel there; aboard a Navy Aircraft. That will be posted soon.

Music by Air "Alone In Kyoto"

Credits

386 Likes

  • Offscreen Productions plus 3 months ago
    Keep'em coming Jeff!
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  • laherrera5 3 months ago
    I loved the shot with the silhouette of the cigar smoker (your grandfather?) with the bay bridge in the background. I seriously can't get enough of this stuff. More, Jeff, more!
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  • The Balloon Project 3 months ago
    would be great if someone composed some original music for these old films of your grandpas.
  • Carlos Darlington 30 days ago
    the music is Alone in Kyoto, by Air... sountrack Lost in Translation,
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  • MuratCo 3 months ago
    nostalgic footage, nice music.
    the wagon turned around manually, classic.
  • cami brunjes 1 month ago
    the cable cars are still manual! :)
  • MuratCo 1 month ago
    hahah blame it on my ignorance..
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  • Jay Palmquist 3 months ago
    I don't know how to express the impression you create with that music background, except that you make the old feel new and fresh somehow --- if not altogether dream-like and melancholic at the same time. This is such a fresh approach. Very good work!
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  • christine raye 3 months ago
    awesome! thanks for sharing!
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  • christine raye 3 months ago
    more more more!
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  • Jarbas Agnelli plus 3 months ago
    Great choice for the music.

    Gosh, how I love the light leaks on the right of the footage!
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  • Joel Manuel 1 month ago
    I have been entranced by this ever since discovering it a couple of weeks ago. Is the music something which is available on ITunes? I'd love to purchase it.

    This reminds me of the San Francisco depicted in "Vertigo."
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  • joe blough 1 month ago
    i was just thinking the same thing re: vertigo. isnt that carlotta's house there at around 1:40

    the song is called alone in kyoto by AIR.
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  • Lawrence Smith 1 month ago
    Great vid! How did you transfer the film to computer? Looks great! Amazing how that was 50 years ago. Chinatown looks the same.
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  • fullblownstone 1 month ago
    who is this song by?
  • Carlos Darlington 30 days ago
    music is: Alone in Kioto, by Air soundtrack Lost in Translation
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  • David Zemke 1 month ago
    that was beautiful. Nice editing and a great piece of music set to it. The music added a surreal trance like quality to the piece. I recently moved away from SF and seeing that gorgeous bay and the views from the top of Nob Hill were great. It made me miss that great city.
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  • dylan allen 1 month ago
    very beautiful. Thank you for posting this !
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  • Mike Frisch 1 month ago
    Excellent colorization! Great vid!
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  • Merry Writer 1 month ago
    I don't like the music and it's definitly does not match the Frisco of old - 'San Francisco Here I Come' is more like it and was the city song in 58 - not the maudlin I left My Heart now claimed. But Frisco is now weird and I guess that is the impression it gives most people, especially the young who don't know the city's history.
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  • Merry Writer 1 month ago
    Edited? This was edited? - wish you would show all the film. This country had become totally ADD in thinking as if no one has an attention span of more than 3 minutes.
  • Jeff Altman plus 1 month ago
    It was edited by hand some 50 years ago by my grandfather shortly after shooting it. Judging by the 3 minute length, I would say its safe to assume you're seeing all the footage he shot. 100 foot rolls of 16mm are of about 3 minutes in length. The order of the shots were probably changed, as well as removal of flash frames and other junk.

    Keep in mind that these are home movies. He would make popcorn and show these to his family as a Friday night activity. Editing was part of the spectacle. I can't imagine there was very much thought put into preserving the raw footage as a historical record. He wasn't a professional; just a hobbyist.

    I'm doing no editing on my part with any of these movies. Only adding music.

    Unfortunately, with most of these things, my choice in music seems to be polarizing for a lot people. The best I can do is choose something which reinforces the imagery to me. Primarily based on feel rather than any rational thought.

    You enjoyed the images, though? Thanks for your input; I appreciate your constructive criticism.
  • Eric Lampi 1 month ago
    Jeff, beautiful stuff. I love the music, and I would agree, you should use what feels right to you.

    I am curious how you transferred it, my father has a bunch of old films I would love to save, but there aren't many options I know of that aren't very expensive.
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  • Ed Hunsinger plus 1 month ago
    Absolutely beautiful. perfect song pairing with the video. For those wondering, the song is "Alone in Kyoto" by Air.
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  • John Harris 1 month ago
    Hey, did anyone notice the VW parked down hill on the left between 17 & 18 seconds in?
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  • Hughes Hall plus 1 month ago
    Fantastic footage! And in very good shape. Do you have any more of this era film of SF? Love the music too.

    Can you talk a little about the transfer process?
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  • Samm Bennett 1 month ago
    This was a real pleasure to watch. Love the big signs in Chinatown, proudly proclaiming: "CHOP SUEY" and "CHOW MEIN"! Haha!
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  • chrispc 1 month ago
    what is this music? is it available? I do like it a lot.
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  • Greg Battersby 1 month ago
    I would love to see the Alameda parts you edited out. I am an Alamedan and judging by your last name, so are you...
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  • John X 1 month ago
    This is fantastic, man, like climbing into a time machine. What I wouldn't have given to live in SF in that era!

    Your choice of music was well considered.

    Great stuff here. Thank you for sharing it.
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  • David Nierse 1 month ago
    What an amazing footage.. Lately I watched 2001: A Space Odyssey and I was also stunned by the quality of this film and the effects from 1968! I'm curious what else material you will find.
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  • jennifer sharpe 1 month ago
    the music choice was brilliant. don't let anyone tell you otherwise!
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  • Patrick Blackard 1 month ago
    btw, the white convertible they are standing in front of at the beginning is a Jaguar XK150 Drop Head Coupe. My dad, an Air Force Captain, bought a Jaguar sedan of the same vintage and I instantly became a Jaguar fan.

    Dad also had a 16mm DeVry camera, and I wish I could afford a Spirit transfer of his footage.
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  • Steven Brown 1 month ago
    Absolutely gorgeous. Please, please, please share some insight on your transfer process. I have hours of film from the late 60s that I cannot even remotely touch of the quality of this...
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  • Nocturne Records 1 month ago
    Great video, you might want to think about giving some credit to the musician in the description. As it is an integral part of the video and improves upon it so much. Again very nice work, I enjoyed it.
  • Jeff Altman plus 1 month ago
    You bring up a good point. The least I could do is give credit to the artist. Thanks!
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  • Sukhjit Ghag plus 1 month ago
    This is amazing footage. I lived and adventured in all the areas filmed.... up till about 6 weeks ago. This makes me homesick.. and also wish I'd shot more video around town. San Francisco is a world class city. Thanks for sharing this.
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  • Osprey Therian 1 month ago
    Thank you, Jeff. Film + music = win.
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  • JD Vargas 1 month ago
    Amazing how little SF has changed in 50 years, relative to other large cities. Aside from the Financial District and SOMA, the city today looks pretty much like the footage here, aside from the cars and clothes.

    Thanks for posting it! And the music was a nice choice, sort of a wistful feeling that fits nicely with footage from the past.
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  • Greg Del Savio 1 month ago
    Thanks for putting this up..
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  • H. N. 1 month ago
    Wow... this moved me to tears. With the music, your video has a stark and powerful quality about it. Thank you for this; I imagine your grandfather would be quite proud of your work.
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  • valree h 30 days ago
    I second the request for Alameda parts if there are any. And I like the music you chose.
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  • Ridley Suicide 30 days ago
    Wow. It's amazing how the city looks nearly identical except for the cars and fashion. Beautiful choice of music.
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  • Carlos Darlington 30 days ago
    the song is Alone in Kioto, by Air, soundtrack Lost in Translation....
    very nice video thank Jeff for shared!!!
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  • Kevin Twohy 30 days ago
    Wow -- really amazing. Shocked by how 'clear' the footage looks. Thanks, Jeff.
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  • superde1uxe 29 days ago
    not sure if you answered this already but how did you transfer the 16mm film? i have a bunch i need to transfer as well.
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  • Merry Writer 26 days ago
    Thanks for answering my comment Jeff. It looks like there's an age disconnect. By pairing your 'new' music with the old footage, your generation will not know authentic history. But that is, of course, your prerogative. All I have to do is turn off the cacophony and enjoy the views. So glad you posted your dear grandfather's home movies.

    Yes I do remember these type of home movies, every neighborhood had a neighbor who took us 'traveling.' For those of us in Frisco it was Hawaii. It is just that quality that I enjoyed so much and in part made me mention the music mis-match.
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  • lisa salvo 25 days ago
    sigh...i just keep coming back to watch it again and again! i recently moved away from san francisco after living there for a year and this video makes me miss it so bad! every day that i lived there i could not believe that i was so fortunate to live in such a beautiful city.
    i LOVE the choice of "alone in kyoto", makes me think of thoughtful bus rides on the 38 geary to work with my headphones on.
    thanks for sharing!
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  • Cipion 25 days ago
    Loved it! Blogged about it!
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  • Chronic 23 days ago
    Great! I am glad you posted this.
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  • Robin Wright 21 days ago
    Thanks so much for sharing this, Jeff. I grew up in Frisco (born in '58), and this is like a piece of my childhood brought to life. The music was appropriately wistful, as well - good pick.
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  • jack west 18 days ago
    Jeff thankyou so much for posting these videos! I really enjoyed seeing this candid-homevideo view of the 50s in such high quality!
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  • SLT 18 days ago
    Nice!!
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