8mm / Super 8mm Film to Digital Conversion Service

Base Pricing*

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

  • 3-inch Reel (50') $19 (38¢/ft)
  • 4-inch Reel (100') $23 (23¢/ft)
  • 5-inch Reel (200') $28 (14¢/ft)
  • 6-inch Reel (300') $30 (10¢/ft)
  • 7-inch Reel (400') $34 (9¢/ft)

Prices shown for silent films  on standard reels. "Small hub" reels may have more footage than listed, add'l per ft. charge will apply. Before quantity discount. Flash drive additional (or provide your own). Shipping not included. $85 minimum order.

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Digitizing 8mm Home Movie Films

Until VHS caught on, 8mm was the dominant format for home movies. It provides a moving color picture of life in the 50s, 60s and 70s. At Advent Media, we've invested heavily in the systems to transfer your home movies to High Definition video so your future generations can experience your family legacy.

8mm films come in two types, "Regular 8" came on short 25' rolls of 16mm film, and the camera exposed on half the width of the film. You'd turn the reels over and expose the other half. When processed, the film was slit down the middle and spliced together for the 50' roll you got back.

Super 8mm came along in the 70s. The film was 8mm wide, and came in a cartridge so you didn't have to flip it. They made the sprocket hole smaller so the picture area could be bigger. They introduced "high speed" film meaning you could shoot without the really bright movie lights. And they introduced sound film so you could record audio alongside the footage.

Home movie hobbyists would splice reels together to make longer movies they could show to friends, so we often find collections with 200, 300 or 400' of film on larger reels. That's beneficial because the bigger the reel, the lower the per-foot cost with us.

Please don't confuse 8mm movie film on reels with 8mm videocassettes (Video8 / Hi8 / Digital8).

Options
(Extra cost)

Enhancements:

  • Color Correction
  • Broken Film Repair
  • Scratch Repair
  • Sound Film Capture
    (Super 8 only)

Deliverables:

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

Movie Film 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 "source" video files. We finish the transfer by rendering those source files to MP4 video "release files," applying color correction if needed.

Better than HD: Your source footage will be at 2K resolution (higher than HD) in the native 4:3 aspect ratio.  Some cameras exposed images on the edges of the film, including between the sprocket holes, which we can transfer in a 16:9 ratio showing the never-before-seen part of the image that was cut off by the projector gate.

True Frame Rate: We export your footage in its native frame rate: 16 frames/second for Regular 8 silent, 18 frames/second for Super 8, and 18 or 24 frames/second for Super 8 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 or 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 (yes, we've transferred Super 8 optical sound). 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.*

8mm Home 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. However, be aware that 8mm movie film frames are smaller than your fingernail. When shown on large TV screens film grain will be visible, so the picture may appear fuzzy when compared to HD video. More about 8mm quality.

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

  • What type of film do I have?

    8mm film is about 1/4" wide, and will come on reels that are 3", 4", 5" or 7" in diameter. All 8mm originated on the 3" reels. Larger reels have film that has been spliced together.

    8mm film reels have a center hole that is about 1/4-inch in diameter. The film has large sprocket holes that are between the frame lines (top and bottom of each picture on the film.)

    Super8mm film reels have a center hole that is about 1/2" in diameter. The film has tiny sprocket holes that are centered alongside each frame. Super 8 sound film will have a brown stripe on the edge opposite the sprocket holes.

    16mm film reels have a square hole on one or both sides. The film is about 1/2" wide. Silent film will have sprocket holes on both sides. Sound film will have sprocket holes on just one side, and either a squiggly line or a brown stripe on the other.

  • 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 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 aberrations are not the result of faded film.

  • Why is my film grainy, even in HD?

    It's important to have realistic expectations of film transfer. The picture area of 8mm film is smaller than your pinkie fingernail. When blown up across a big flatscreen TV, the grains of film (the microscopic spots of color dye that make up the picture) will become visible. Because they're in motion the grains "swim around" as the film plays and the eye will tend to compensate. But if the film is overexposed or underexposed, or the "high speed" Super-8 films of the 70s were used to film in low light, grain will be exaggerated. If we try to smooth grain digitally, the picture becomes blurrier, so we generally do not apply any smoothing. Graininess is just an artifact common to tiny images. (Remember, some film producers pay extra to add grain for the "film look.") More about 8mm quality.

    If the graininess is bothersome, watch the video at a distance from the TV, or on a smaller screen TV, or size the window of the player so it's not full screen.

  • 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.

    Sound film processing is an extra cost option.

  • 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 materials for transfer, you certify that you have permission from copyright owners. Customer bears all responsibility if copyright infringement is claimed.

  • 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 professionaly 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.

  • 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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