Comparison: Raw-Scan and Corrected

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8mm B&W film transfer sample

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8mm color film transfer sample

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Super 8 sample transfer

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It's all about privacy!

We respect your privacy.

You retain the copyright of your treasured family memories!

Not all companies can say that. Please check their "fine-print" to make certain they will not sell or share your personal family footage to an unknown source.

Over the years, we discovered too many other companies retain copyright of your personal memories. If they retain copyright, they can use or sell your footage, as they wish. What you likely thought was a private transaction is not. We find it disturbing that unbeknownst to you, those dearest memories could end up anywhere.

It was astonishing for us to discover a company who was offering their transfers at a low price, and providing low quality work too, only because they were trying to hook customers -- then sell that personal family footage to make a large profit. We can just imagine their further motives!

If privacy is as important to you as it is us, please do your homework -- then, choose us.

 

 

Will rusty metal reels harm my film?

Rusty reels have a detrimental effect on the film.



It accelerates the decay of the films as it reacts with the film's silver. Film archival houses won't even let rusty reels be stored at their facilities.

It is high-time to get these films first moved onto plastic reels, and then see what sort of needs they have. Conditioning the film will be a crucial second step, before a transfer is attempted.

We carefully hand-clean your film.

After inspecting your films, we begin by asking ourselves, "What will benefit this film the most?"



In our 13 years of experience, we have noted that all films benefit from cleaning -- even films coming straight from the lab! Many films do not require extra special care -- a careful hand-cleaning will do. Other films, though rare, require a pricey film solution called "FilmRenew" (not shown here.)

To note: We never use "VitaFilm" to clean film that has been spliced using tape, because it dissolves the tape.



Below, the film was quite dirty, but with a careful hand cleaning, we achieved very nice results. Sometimes dirt will get securely embedded into the film's emulsion. In certain cases, some of that dirt will remain. Still, plenty will be cleaned off.



Here, there was some mold with the addition of tar built up on the film. We speculate that the owner was a smoker and enjoyed their cigarettes, or perhaps cigars, while watching their treasured family memories.



 

Oops -- don't send like this!

Without padding, things can get quite disheveled and the box can more easily tear, during transit. Please remember to pad it a bit and tape the box -- both on the bottom and top.



When a shipping box has some "play" inside, the box's structural integrity suffers. It's inevitable that during transit boxes get tossed about a bit.

Sometimes we receive them with tear in the corner or side of box. If you pad out those corners and edges some, it both helps protect your material and adds some fortitude to the box.

Rest assured -- in our history no box has been so damaged that any precious family memories have fallen out of the package or gotten notably damaged, during their trip to us. FILMFIX seems to be a special name and the carriers really do take note of the contents!

In fact, we have a 100% track-record for receiving every package sent to us in all our years in business, when using a carrier that provides a "tracking number." That's an astoundingly reassuring record, we think!

Which of these doesn't belong?

The fourth reel from the left is quite an odd sight to see. That's because it's a leader of 16mm film - cut in half. This is something that was sometimes done with double perforated 16mm leader but never with regular perforated leader. The leader cannot be projected as it is, because every second perforation hole is missing.

Is it Normal 8 or Super-8 film?

A fun puzzle for film "geeks":

Try to figure out which of these two reels has Normal 8mm and which has Super-8 film wound onto its reel.

One can determine what kind of film is wound onto each of these reels just by noting the difference in the way the wound film appears.  However,  a prerequisite is knowing how the film was processed, at the lab.

Hint: Observe the difference in how the light reflects off the edge of the film.





Did you figure out which is which?

Answer:

The top image is Normal 8 film (a.k.a. "Double 8" or "Regular 8"), and the bottom image depicts Super 8 film.

The Normal 8 film has these measured alternating patterned, banding sections, of 25 feet in length, because after processing at the lab, the original film gets cut in half. The lab then wound it onto the reel and it showed up in this fashion. More detail - here.

As for the reel's center hole size: Normal 8mm film has a smaller center hole than does Super 8mm film.  Yet, there is something to keep in mind: Either type of film format can be mistakenly wound onto the wrong type of reel. That's why it's so handy to know how to discern the perforation hole size difference (or, that distinguished alternating, patterned banding of Normal 8 film, as described above.)

Curling 8mm film

When film gets old it can start to curl, because it is shrinking. The shrinkage amount will depend upon what type of base the film was made of and in what conditions the film was stored.

Fluctuating temperatures and changes in humidity affect the outside edge of the film, and in time, will cause shrinkage of that outside edge of the film, as seen in this image below.



Don't wait until your film has curled and become moldy - transfer it now!

This outer part can no longer be transferred and will break if a transfer is attempted. Using a special solution of "FilmRenew" helps some film regain elasticity, but the outer third of this film is beyond repair. The inner two-thirds could be helped by soaking the film in "FilmRenew." Still, there is no guarantee what image quality will be achieved.