FILM SCANNING

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How it works:

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1. You send in your film.

Please make sure it is properly packed and insured.

UPS or FedEx are our preferred carriers. DO NOT SEND VIA MEDIA MAIL - this service is not reliable enough for irreplaceable film.

REMARK: PLEASE DISCUSS WITH US SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR NITRATE FILM SHIPPING.

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2. We receive your film.

We will inspect it and perform any necessary repairs, such as splice repairs or repairing of torn frames. We use splicing tape and will conserve, as good as possible, torn frames by splicing them at the tear line, as not to lose any frames.

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We prefer NOT to clean film with liquid film cleaners, as they can be harsh on vintage film. Instead, in the rewind process, we run the film through particle transfer rollers to remove loose dust. Advanced dirt and dust removal can be accomplished in the digital image restoration process.

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3. We scan your film.

Dependent on the condition, we will use the sprocketless scanner (default scanner), or if needed, your film will be scanned on the pin registered scanner with film gate.

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Output format: 2K (HD 1080x1920) uncompressed in different formats, such as: AVI or in image sequences, DPX, TIFF or BMP.

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We can also render to compressed formats such as MPEG2, MP4 (H.264) or AVCHD.

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For uncompressed formats, we will require an external PC formatted hard drive. This drive should be sent to us with your film. Compressed formats can be sent through the internet via WeTransfer (large file transfer server).

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We can render to DVD or BluRay;  DVD format is low resolution (480 vertical lines), much of the detail captured in the film scan will be lost. Instead, we recommend rendering to BluRay disc if you require a disc format, which captures the full high resolution details (1080 vertical lines) of the scan.

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CLARIFICATION on 2K versus 1080 HD resolution: High Definition (HD) television resolution is 1080 vertical pixels (also expressed in number of scan lines) x 1980 horizontal pixels. This results in an image ratio of 16:9 or 1.78:1.  2K movie theater image resolution (uncropped) is 1080 pixels vertical resolution x 2040 horizontal pixels, resulting in an image ratio of 1.88:1. Most movie theaters show a cropped 2K image in 1.85:1 format. As you can see, 1080 vertical resolution remains the same in an HD file versus a 2K digital theater image. The only difference is the horizontal width of the image, which is 2040 pixels in digital theater files (hence: "2k") versus 1980 pixels in the HD TV file.

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4. We send back your film.

After the completed scan, we will send back your film via UPS, and if applicable, your hard drive containing the scanned files.

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ADDITIONAL SERVICES:

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FILM PRODUCTION and VOICE OVER

We will be able to produce short films on actual motion picture film for you. If you need an intro to your scanned films, for instance, we will be happy to produce this on 16mm film for you.

We also offer voice over services, in both English and German. We use actual vintage microphones, such as the RCA44 ribbon microphone for such services.