16mm Film to Digital Conversion Service

Base Pricing (Silent)*

We price movie film by reel size (diameter) or diameter of film pack on reel:

  • 3-inch Reel (50') $18 (36¢/ft)
  • 4-inch Reel (100') $22 (22¢/ft)
  • 5-inch Reel (200') $29 (15¢/ft)
  • 7-inch Reel (400') $36 (9¢/ft)
  • Larger Reels (600-2000') 8¢/ft

Prices shown for silent films. Sound additional. Before quantity discount. Flash drive additional (or provide your own). Shipping not included. $85 minimum order.

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Converting 16mm Film to Digital

Kodak introduced the 16mm format in 1923. It was used extensively to document WWII, and after the war people started using the cameras at home, giving birth to the home movie genre.

16mm was also the dominant medium for instructional and promotional content through the 40s, and 50s, and it continued as the primary news gathering and TV show archiving medium until videotape came along. In addition, feature films were released on 16mm for 2nd run and home theater screenings.

Advent Media invested heavily in film transfer hardware to provide pristine black & white and color 16mm film transfers. We'll make your old films look new again in HD.

We can transfer several types of 16mm film:

  • Camera-original film is usually silent, and has black along the edges with double sprocket holes. This is the exact "reversal" film that went through the camera, so it is first generation, and the sharpest. Camera-original color film usually retains color well. Magnetic sound film is usually camera-original and will have a brown stripe down one edge of the film instead of sprocket holes. 
  • Prints from negative film were shot on negative film and printed after editing in a commercial lab to what is known as a "release print." Most of these have optical sound on one edge, and sprocket holes on the other, and have no splices except if repaired.  Film prints will have a clear edge between sprocket holes. Color film prints often have faded badly, and it may be advisable to transfer them in black & white.
  • Color or B&W negative film is what was used to make commercial films. If you have old negative footage, we can scan, reverse and color correct it into useful footage for video productions.

Home movie hobbyists would splice reels together camera-original reels to make longer movies they could show to friends. That's beneficial today because the bigger the reel, the lower the per-foot cost with us.

Options
(Extra cost)

Enhancements:

  • Color Correction
  • Broken Film Repair
  • Scratch Repair
  • Sound Film Capture
    (Optical/Magnetic)

Deliverables:

  • Flash Drive (standard)
  • DVD ROM (for computer)
  • DVD with Menu (for set-top box)

Transfer Process

In our film transfer lab we first clean your film and check that all the splices are tight. Small reels are spliced together, then they are scanned frame-by-frame on our high-resolution scanner system that cannot scratch or burn your film. After transfer, the digital footage is exported to AVI or QuickTime video files. We finish the transfer by rendering those source files to MP4 video "release files," applying color correction and noise reduction if needed.

Better than HD: Your source footage will be at 2K resolution (higher than HD) in the native 4:3 aspect ratio, unless you are blessed with a camera that exposed between the sprocket holes. We can scan those films in the 16:9 aspect ratio, revealing the unseen picture area normally cut off by the projector gate.

True Frame Rate: We export your footage in its native frame rate: 16 frames/second 16mm silent, and 24 frames/second for 16mm sound. This will give true-to-life motion, with no "Keystone Cops" speedup (unless it's in the film).

Sound Films: Yes we transfer films with sound, whether magnetic, optical or separate-system. Most magnetic sound films are raw footage from a sound film camera. Most optical sound films were prints from edited negatives. Separate system will have sound on an open reel or cassette tape. We deliver perfectly synchronized, clean, clear audio with your film, probably better than you ever heard from a projector.

What You Get
(Future-Proofed Data)

On your flash drive or portable USB hard drive, you will receive TWO copies of your video files, the Source File and the MP4 (compressed) Release File of each item. The Release file can be shared with your family or uploaded to your favorite streaming service or cloud storage. The Source file is your future-proof master backup, which is best to use when editing the footage, or to transcode to the next new consumer format. You can opt to omit the source files to save cost on storage.

You may also choose to receive output on optical media, either as a computer-readable ROM disc, or a set-top player compatible CD (audio only), DVD (SD only) or BluRay (HD). Authoring fees apply, and discs have capacity limits.

How it works.

2. Drop Off
3. Pick Up

Turnaround Time:1

Typically within 1-2 weeks. Larger orders may take longer. Rush service available (extra cost).

We're located in NW Columbus, Ohio, very near the OSU airport.
(We accept major carrier shipments if you're not in the Columbus area. You provide the box!)

$85 minimum per order.*

16mm Movie Q&A

  • What do I need to provide for an accurate quote?

    When you request a quote for film transfer, please provide:

    • The TYPE of film you want to transfer (Regular 8mm, Super 8mm, or 16mm) Combination orders are welcome and qualify for greater discounts
    • The SIZE of reel, in diameter, of each reel to transfer
    • And the QUANTITY of each type of material
    • If  film is damaged or smells, please describe the problem
    • Whether you want your files on a flash drive or optical drive (see deliverable options, below)
  • Can you transfer my films in HD?

    Actually, films are transferred in a format HIGHER than HD, the frame is 2000 pixels wide, while HD is only 1920. This gives us the flexibility we need. to size your films either "pillarboxed"  4:3, with black bars on the sides, or full frame HD, cropping the top and bottom of the picture to fill the 16:9 screen. Your release files will be full HD 1920x1080 at the native frame rate of the film (16fps for 8mm/16mm silent, 18fps for Super 8 silent, 24fps for Super 8/16mm sound.)

    If delivery on DVD is requested, DVD is a Standard Definition format, so the HD picture is downscaled to SD, and the frame rate is interpolated to 30fps in order to maintain accurate speed.

  • What type of film do I have?

    16mm film reels have a square hole on one or both sides. The film is about 1/2" wide. (8mm film is about 1/4-inch wide). Film reels range from 3-inches, with 50' of film, to 15" in diameter, with 2,000 feet of film.

    Silent film will have sprocket holes on both sides. If it's camera-original film, the frame lines and space between the sprockets will be black. If it's a print from a negative, the spaces and frame lines will be white.

    Sound films have sprocket holes on only one side. On the other side is the soundtrack. Optical sound has squiggly lines along the edge of the film. Magnetic sound has a brown stripe that looks like magnetic tape.  It makes a difference in your estimate, so be sure to specify what type of film you have.

  • Can my film be scratched or burned?

    No. Our film transfer machine does not have a traditional projector mechanism. The film flows smoothly over big clean rollers across a stage with a cool LED light source. When a light beam senses a sprocket hole, the high-speed camera takes a picture of the frame. The pictures are then combined into a video file we can process for your viewing.

    If the film has magnetic sound, we do a second pass through a magnetic sound projector to extract the soundtrack after the picture has been captured on the mastering machine.

  • Can faded color film be restored?

    Yes, but it depends on how degraded the color dyes are in the film. If it is a mild case, we can restore faded color film fully. But if a dye layer is completely faded, it cannot be restored. We have had some success in restoring some color back, but it is never perfect. Sometimes it's best to render badly faded old film in black & white. The worst color issues have been in films produced commercially (prints from color negatives). Most well-exposed camera-original films have been perfect, even from the 1940s.

    Daylight film shot indoors (with orange tint) or indoor film shot outdoors (with blue tint) can be corrected during processing. These color abberations are not the result of faded film.

  • Why is my film grainy, even in HD?

    16mm film has 4x the image area of 8mm film, so it will look far better than 8mm on correctly exposed scenes. If the film is underexposed and very dark, we use an auto-exposure system when capturing that increases sensitivity of the camera. This not only amplifies film grain that may be present, but it induces digital noise from the scanning camera that can be annoying, but without it you wouldn't see much of anything. More about 16mm quality.

  • Can you transfer sound film?

    Absolutely!

    Magnetic sound requires a pass through a sound projector to capture the audio. That is then married with the picture in the editor.

    Optical sound is captured optically by the film scanner, and an AI app converts the squiggles to a digital file that is married with the picture in the editor. See sample HERE.

    Separate System Sound has the audio on a separate tape recording. The tape and film contain sync marks so we can marry the sound to the picture in post production. (We cannot transfer magnetic film.)

  • Can you transfer instructional films, promotional films or feature films?

    Transferring films with copyrighted content will depend on the copyright status. If it's a film with expired copyright (aka in the "public domain"), there's no problem. Films for which you own copyright or have permission to copy are likewise no problem.

    Home use without distribution may fall under the copyright law's fair use provisions. By presenting films for transfer, you certify you have permission from copyright holders. Customer bears all responsibility if copyright infringement is claimed.

    Frankly, if it's a feature film that's available on DVD or BluRay, it's much less expensive and you'll have far better image quality just buying the disc.

  • What are my deliverable options?

    USB Flash Drive:
    Most of our customers choose delivery on a USB flash drive or portable hard drive. With so many sizes available, we can usually fit all your content on one USB device. Most modern TV sets and all computers (Mac/PC) will play content from a flash drive. We include instructions on how to backup and safeguard your investment

    DVD/BluRay
    Some customers prefer delivery on optical disc, usually DVD. While we can "author" the disc to play on a set-top player, DVD has the following disadvantages:

    • Maximum 2-hour runtime 
    • SD resolution on DVD, BluRay can handle HD.
    • Cannot reorder or rename files
    • Can lose data over time. Difficult to back up
    • Players are becoming rare

    To release on DVD we "author" the disc professionally to build a menu and transcode the footage to high quality MPEG-2. It's a time-consuming process that yields superior quality, but is an extra cost item.

    Digital Download
    We do not provide digital download service. Read more here.

  • Can I provide my own disk for output?

    Yes, we support BYOD (bring your own disk). While we normally provide output on our media (cost varies with drive size), you can instead provide a new-in-box (sealed) flash drive or portable hard disk/SSD at no extra charge. We can estimate drive size needed with your estimate, and confirm the size when transfers are complete.

  • Can I make my own copies?

    Absolutely! We make no copyright claim on your content, so you are free to make copies (provided, of course, the material is not copyrighted by a 3rd party). If you prefer for us to make your copies, they're available for only the cost of the media.

    Additional copies may be ordered from our master files with or without the source files for up to 3 months following delivery. Our masters are scheduled for deletion after 3 months unless you choose the archive option.

Take the next step.
Let us know what legacy materials you have to see how we can help.
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