Motion Picture Film Scanning

DIGITAL MOTION PICTURE (MOVIE) FILM SCANNING (TRANSFER) & ARCHIVISTS OF SOUND OR SILENT MOVIE FILM IN SD, HD, 2K, 3K, 4K, 5K, 6.5K FOR REGULAR 8MM, SUPER 8MM, 9.5MM SUPER 16MM, REGULAR 16MM & 35MM TO FILE FORMATS, DVD & BLU-RAY DISCS, HARD DRIVES, SSDRIVES, SD CARDS OR USB THUMB/FLASH DRIVES

We are a company you can trust with decades of experience and the best film teams using the latest, state-of-the-art motion picture film scanning (Transfer) equipment available today. Have damaged film?… we specialize in Film Recovery.

We are listed with KODAK Motion Picture Transfer & Processing (developing) Facilities. We use only the best supplies by Kodak in the physical processing, cleaning and editing of motion picture film. 

Film scanning of 8mm, Super 8mm, 9.5mm, Super 16, 16mm 17.5mm, 28mm or 35mm silent or sound colour, B&W or negative motion picture films for home movies or the professional movie maker or for our film recovery, restoration and archival services. Film is scanned (transferred) and can be output to several file formats for computer viewing and editing and we can create HD Blu Ray or SD DVD Archival Masters & copies.

INTRODUCTION: Teamwork Media (TMTV) Laboratory has been in business since 1980. Our years of knowledge and experience helping thousands of customers from Canada & the USA preserve their memories and by providing the best specialized film scanning equipment and knowledgeable staff along with a 100% satisfaction guarantee insures you, that we provide the absolute best quality and customer service available in the transfer and conversion business. We are more than happy to explain and help you make a decision for film scanning that fits your requirements and budget. Prior to and after submitting your order we provide one on one personal service were you can talk directly to the Technician who will be personally handling your project. After you submit your project, you will receive an order number by email and then provide a complete inspection before proceeding and once approved to proceed we will provide further email updates during the length of your project.

ABOUT TMTV – We also provide further discounts based on quantity and additional discounts to nonprofits, veterans’ and schools.

We use several specialty built TMTVISION® Motion Picture Film Scanners for a variety of “damaged” motion picture films requiring “RECOVERY” and the Lasergraphics ScanStation™ is available for Super 2K, 3K, Ultra HD 4K, 5K & 6.5K scanning for those professionals requiring hi-end archival & broadcast scans for silent or sound film in good to excellent condition, but it can also handle some mild warped, still pliable non-brittle film. The Lasergraphics ScanStation™ also has built-in color grading tools for easy dye fade correction, applied during scan that eliminates secondary post-processing step. Movies & TV shows shot on film and scanned using LaserGraphics Film Scanners

VIDEO (ABOVE): Raw scanned movie film by TMTV Studios and output in HD for the Rossland Museum of an early promotional film originally made for Red Mountain Ski Club in Rossland BC and featuring early ski footage from the 1960s.  

SCANNING

Whether you need SD (standard definition) or HD (high definition) 720 HD, 1080 HD, 2K, Super 2K, Ultra HD 4K, 5K, 6.5K, all films are scanned uncompressed. Files are then exported to your choice of format from the original uncompressed scans for maximum clarity.

SETTINGS FOR STANDARD SCANNING TO SD, HD or 2K: Our system will be white balanced during transfer along with Best Light exposure, light Grain reduction, mid Shadow detail and we will set auto exposure. All file formats, NIS (Numbered Image Sequence or photos of each frame of film), .MOV & AVI FILE formats will have color and brightness that can be enjoyed “as is”. But final brightness, contrast & gamma along with RGB control and color correction can be performed on your edit system to suit your personal taste. NOTE: If you are having TMTV create and edit a completed DVD, BluRay disc or a “completed” converted file after transfer, all footage can be colour, exposure, grain reduction, dust removal and density corrected by our Colorist at additional cost. Otherwise your discs or files will be RAW with the minor exceptions as explained above. For Super 2K and above scans, the Lasergraphics ScanStation™  is used and has built-in color grading tools for easy dye fade correction, applied during scan that eliminates the secondary post-processing step. 

SOUND FILM & TYPE OF SOUND FILM WE CAN HANDLE:

Magnetic Sound; 16mm commag, 16mm sepmag 2-channel, Super 8mm commag 2-channel, Standard 8mm commag, 35mm sepmag 3-channel

Optical sound; Soundtrack/KeyKode reading simultaneous with image scanning.

PICTURE & SOUND SYNC; we provide a synced image and optical/magnetic sound scanned in a single pass file depending on your project requirements. All sound film is scanned on the Lasergraphics ScanStation™

SEPARATE SOUND OPTION: If you desire and want to sync your own sound to the picture we can create a separate WAV PCM audio files from our Film Sound Reader. This allows for audio enhancements in post; We can provide complete audio restoration and re-master from the magnetic or optical sound strip (track) from Super 8mm, 16mm or 35mm film. THE AUDIO CAN BE ENHANCED BY REMOVING CLICKS, POPS AND CRACKLES, CLEAN & BOOST LOW AUDIO.  Otherwise we can simply supply the raw WAV audio files for you to edit on your own editing program.

CREATING A SEPARATE SOUND FILE: Uncompressed WAV (audio files) are created at 48 bit quality for both right and left channels. Audio WAV FILES allows for immediate use in any editing program or archival storage. 

VIDEO FILES – Export file formats for SD, HD & 2K HD

 

FILE FORMAT CHOICES FOR SD/HD/STANDARD 2K SCANS:
• NIS (NUMBERED IMAGE SEQUENCE – These are photo images of each frame of film) IN PNG, JPEG OR TIFF IN HD OR SD
• .MOV (QUICKTIME) IN HD OR SD
• AVI IN SD OR HD 

FILE FORMAT CHOICES FOR SUPER 2K, ULTRA HD 4K, 5K, 6.5K SCANS:
• ProRes 422HQ MOV file – 15GB per 100 feet – (61GB per 400 feet)
• ProRes 4444 MOV file – 35GB per 100 feet (140GB per 400 feet)
• TIFF’s
• DPX – 16 bit – 250GB per 100 feet (1TB per 400 feet)

CONTACT US FOR FURTHER DETAILS ON ULTRA HD 4, 5, 6.5K PROFESSIONAL SCANS FOR BROADCAST AND THEATRE RELEASE.

DVD MASTERS & COPIES FORMAT CHOICES:
• DVD ARCHIVAL PRESERVATION MASTER IN SD
• BLU RAY DVD ARCHIVAL PRESERVATION MASTER IN HD

CLICK HERE FOR FURTHER DETAILS ON SD, HD, STANDARD 2K FILE FORMATS AND FOR SUPER 2K, ULTRA HD 4K, 5K OR 6.5K FILE FORMAT OPTIONS

FILM PREPARATION & CLEANING PRIOR TO SCANNING

         

          Checking and prepping Super 8 magnetic sound film before scanning

FILM CONDITION BEFORE SCANNING (TRANSFER) – CLEANING & LUBRICATION All films are prepped before transfer to repair bad splices and to look for potential bad or damaged film, then cleaned using our Kinetronics StaticVac Anti-Static Film Cleaner system. After cleaning films can be lubricated and a preservative added if required. If your film is in excellent condition, lubrication & preservatives may not be required, in this case we will only perform cleaning using the Kinetronics StaticVac. This would be determined during visual inspection when the films arrive at the lab and during preparation before scanning. 

OUR FILM CLEANING SYSTEM USED PRIOR TO LUBRICATION AND PRESERVATIVES: The Kinetronics StaticVac Anti-Static Film Cleaner is a vacuum cleaner to be used on film. It utilizes an electronic “bipolar” ionizing system. The StaticVac produces both positive and negative ions for complete static elimination. As the film is passed through the StaticVac, the ionization system gets rid of the static on the film. Then, the gentle StaticWisk brushes wipe dust and lint away. The vacuum action draws the dust and lint into the foam filter. Even Nikon’s digital ICE tool software does not replace the StaticVac film cleaner for the removal of dust from both sides of your film prior to scanning.

There are options for Ultrasonic Film Cleaning and/or film Restoration. We would let you know if we think any additional cleaning or Restoration is required once inspected.

WET GATE SCANNING: In the past we have used a “Wet Gate” as an option. This solution does provide a good alternative to cleaning and minor scratch removal, however, we have found that in most cases, Wet Gate provides a softer image and loss of detail in the scanned image. Using the Kinetronics StaticVac Anti-Static Film Cleaner other wet cleaners, lubricants and preservatives during the preparation of your film works much better then Wet Gate. There are alternatives to using Wet Gate such as digital software enhancements including; scratch and dust removal in post that we feel also works much better then Wet gate during scanning.

DAMAGED MOVIE FILM: Films that are in poor condition such as bent, warped, shrunk or brittle will have to go through our Film Recovery process and can only be transferred by our custom made digital TMTVISION® scanners to avoid further damage to the film. SEE: FILM RECOVERY & RESTORATION

AFTER SCANNING

DELIVERY (MEDIA) FORMAT OPTIONS. EXPORTING TO MEDIA – DVD, BLU RAY, USB THUMB/FLASH DRIVES, PORTABLE USB HARD DRIVES OR SD CARDS. CLICK HERE FOR A VARIETY PRODUCTS

DVD & BLU RAY: We can create a “movie” from your films on DVD in standard definition or Blu-ray Disc in high definition with main titles & direct to disc printing for playing on your DVD or Blu Ray home player or Mac, PC NLE system with a DVD or Blu Ray disc drive. Maximum content for SD on a 4.7GB DVD-R is 60 minutes and maximum content in HD on a 25GB Blu Ray DVD is 90 minutes per disc. NOTE: these are for playback & viewing only and you can not extract or copy “files” from a DVD or Blu Ray disc master because of the type of disc recording used to create a DVD-R Archival Master discs.

Exported “files” can be placed on a portable hard drive, SSD, SD card or USB thumb/flash drive for file storage, archiving and later use. NOTE: Depending on your type of file choice, exported file sizes can be very large and take up a considerable amount of storage space. USB flash/thumb drives or SD cards are limited by the amount of file storage or content that can be placed on these types of media. The BEST option for file storage when dealing with a large amount of files, is a portable “plug and play” 3.0/3.1/3.2 USB hard drive or portable Solid State (SSD) hard drives.

NOTE: Movie (video files) are NTSC video format (North America and Japan and other countries that use NTSC format) but we can also output movie (video) files to PAL format. See International World conversions

OUR SUPPLIED MEDIA PREFERRED: We can only use customer supplied new or used media if it meets our specifications. (see below).

SUPPLYING YOUR OWN MEDIA: You can supply your own 3.0 USB new or used media but it must be large enough to fit all of your files. Hard Drives should have a standard USB 3.0 connection and must be PC/MAC compatible and pre-formatted in EXFAT or NTFS and be a 1TB, 2TB or larger size drive. USB Flash/Thumb drives we prefer is a maximum size of 128GB. Flash/Thumb drives larger than 128 GB take too long to upload the files to the drive. No warranty or guarantees on customer supplied media. We prefer “plug & play” media over A/C powered hard drives.

FILE/DATA STORAGE INCLUDED

We have a 60 day file/data storage and backup to all original file formats & mastered file formats were “files” or “data” was created or mastered from the customers original material. After 60 days from the date of invoice the files will be deleted unless we are instructed by the customer to hold onto the files/data for a longer period. Data storage fees may apply depending on how long the additional storage is required. All your original material is returned along with your new media after transfer.

OPTIONS

• Film Restoration: If the film is in rough physical shape & pliable, and not shrunk, but is curled & warped, we can provide complete physical Restoration. We can flatten & straighten curled and warped film not requiring Film Recovery.
• SEPARATE COMPUTER FILE FOR EACH 50 FOOT FILM REEL; If you want us to create a separate computer file for each 50 foot film, an additional $5.00 per fifty foot reel applies. Otherwise your films are scanned together on larger reels in the order you provided. The amount of films on each reel and the new file size would be determined by how many 50 foot film reels you have. After scanning all your original 50 foot films are placed back on their original reels/boxes/cans.
• Additional film cleaning with lubrication or preservatives and/or Ultrasonic cleaning
• Editing and/or Enhancements: (Some options listed below) Post colour & exposure correction & enhancements, further grain reduction, digital dust & or scratch removal. Scene to Scene Davinci Resolve Color Grade, (if you have sound film); audio enhancement to remove any clicks, pops, crackles, boost or normalize audio.
• Secondary colour grading
• Dust and spec removal
• Sharpen & enhance
• Secondary grain reduction
• Scene by scene colorization
• Enhanced exposure of under/over exposed scenes
• New film reels or cores, leader or tail, cans or cases (if required or requested) Place any individual small 50, 100 or 200 foot reels of film onto larger film reels and cans. Any of your original boxes or cans that contain any writing or information would also be returned for your reference after scanning.
• Titles or on-screen credits or logos
• Sound enhancements including adding music or narration
• Upconvert SD or HD files to 4K or 8K

         

• DVD or Blu Ray Archival Preservation Masters – We include; scanning (Transfer) to a Digital Master: 100 YEAR ARCHIVAL PRESERVATION MASTERING DVD-R DISC (Certified Swiss Quality), direct to disc printing with your title information, full size DVD case, reusable cello wrap, main title at the beginning of your movie (Example: SMITH FAMILY MOVIES)
• Copies of any media including USB drives or DVDS
• Additional file formats
• Custom disc printing and packaging for your DVDs – SEE CUSTOM PRINTING AND PACKAGING
• RUSH SERVICES (Same day/next day or under our regular service times

PRICING

Pricing is not provided by phone due to the many options & complexities available. However, please feel free to call us and talk directly to a lab technician during our regular business hours or email us anytime (including weekends and holidays when available) to discuss the many options and to help you prepare your films for us to provide you a detailed estimate by email showing discounts based on your volume and additional seniors, schools, student, veterans discounts available.

TO RECEIVE AN ESTIMATE

Before requesting an estimate by e-mail for your film project please prepare a physical description of your film as best you can. Alternatively you may also send the film to our lab for a complete hands-on inspection and no obligation quote.

Please supply the following:

Name:

Phone Number:

Location:

How you heard about TMTV?

What is the format of your film; Regular 8mm, Super 8mm, 16mm, 35mm or?

Does the film have a soundtrack? – If you know (99% of Regular/double 8mm film is silent, some Super 8mm or 16mm film could have a soundtrack). If you see a brown strip or stripe on either 16mm or Super 8mm in could be sound. If your 16mm has sprocket holes on one side of the film only and not both sides there could be an optical or magnetic soundtrack (brown stripe). If you don’t know we will check for this during our inspection process once the films arrive.

Approximately how long is each reel? measured in feet or reel size. (SEE “FILM GUIDE” CHART BELOW). Some film reels have the “feet” marked directly on the reel.

Is the film on reels or cores? 8mm and Super 8mm film would normally be on film reels. Some 16mm & 35mm may be on cores and not reels.

What file format do you require once scanned? IF YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT FILE FORMAT YOU REQUIRE AT THIS TIME DON’T WORRY, WE CAN HELP YOU WITH THIS DECISION.

YOUR FILMS CONDITION Please check your films condition and provide, as-best-as-possible an accurate description. If you suspect that your film is damaged please let us know. You can also email us photos if you suspect they are damaged. If the films look good, no photos would be required.

The films physical condition is important for us to provide accurate pricing, estimate or quote. Film can be in various condition from excellent, good, poor to very poor and film may require “Recovery” if warped, curled, vinegar syndrome, very dirty, white powder (mold), brittle or damaged by water, flood or fire. Does your film smell like vinegar or have a bad odor, warped, shrunk, brittle, twisted? Then your film may need recovery before transfer. GO TO OUR FILM RECOVERY/RESTORATION WEBSITE: Filmrecovery.net

FILM GUIDE SIZES

           

Most 8mm & 16mm silent home movie film speeds are 16 to 18 Frames per second (fps). This depended on the original setting on the camera when the film was shot. Professional film speeds and those with sound are usually shot at 18FPS for Super 8 and 24FPS for 16mm.

SUBMITTING YOUR FILMS FOR SCANNING

Once you receive our estimate by email and you decide to proceed, please print out and sign the estimate (if possible)  and include it with your order. If submitting your films for a hands-on inspection and quote please provide a note in your package that you are sending the films for “a quote before proceeding” and provide all your contact information.

When submitting film to the lab please number them CLEARLY in order of sequence, Example: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. (do not use POST-IT Notes, they fall off). If you do not know their sequence please number them anyway for our reference on quantity and sizes when they arrive. If you do not know their sequence please number them anyway for reference on quantity.

Once shipped, email and let us how and when shipped, along with the tracking number.

SHIPPING TO OUR LAB You may ship to our lab however you choose. Please ship by a reliable courier or by USPS or Canada post and get a tracking number. PLEASE READ OUR IMPORTANT SHIPPING INFORMATION ESPECIALLY IF SHIPPING FROM THE USA TO CANADA:  SHIPPING INFORMATION

LOCAL DROP OFF AVAILABLE AT OUR LONGBEACH STUDIOS: Please contact us for directions to our studio & drop off instructions or to make an appointment.

IF YOU CHOOSE TO SEND YOUR FILM WITHOUT AN ESTIMATE OR PRICING – When submitting film to the lab please number them CLEARLY in order of sequence, Example: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. (do not use POST-IT Notes, they fall off). If you do not know their sequence please number them anyway for reference on quantity. Please provide all your contact information, return shipping address and email us and let us know how and when shipped along with the tracking number. Once the films arrive we will provide a complete hands-on inspection and quote with no obligation. 

ONCE THE FILM ARRIVES AT OUR LAB

Once the film arrives at our studio/lab we will email you and then provide you an order number and a full inspection before proceeding.

NORMAL PROCESSING TIME 5 to 10 business days + shipping if required. This depends on the overall size of your order, what is required and our current workload. If you require your project to be completed by a specific date please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate you.

PAYMENT: A DEPOSIT OF 25% MAY BE REQUIRED BEFORE PROCEEDING. This depends on the overall size of your project. Usually orders estimated at $2000 (Canadian Dollars) or more require a 25% deposit after your films project arrives, the inspection is completed and before any work is started.

PROCESSING & PAYMENT INSTALLMENT PLANS AVAILABLE FOR ORDERS OVER $3000 Canadian Dollars: We provide processing orders & interest free payments over a specific time period. This allows customers who can not afford a one time payment to be able to have us process their order in two or more parts and pay installments over specific period of time. This would be customized per order. If this is something you would like to consider, please ask about Processing & Payment Installments.

GUARANTEES, WARRANTIES, LIABILITIES & MISSION STATEMENT

CUSTOMER COMMENT: Dear TMTV crew, I can’t tell you how delighted I am with the quality of these transfers. It’s kind of amazing that the image quality of the Super-8 stacks up very well against that of the 16mm. I am truly impressed with the audio quality of the Super-8 transfer. Thanks so much for your excellent communication throughout this project and for this superb transfer service. Glenn W. WI, USA, Motion Picture Film Scanning.

AMIA Supplier Directory – (The Association of Moving Image Archivists) A Global Directory of Services and Suppliers of Audiovisual Media. Autumn 2024 Edition – See TMTV’s listing under “Disaster Recovery”

Association of Canadian Archivists Founded in 1975 and incorporated in 1978, the Association of Canadian Archivists (ACA) is a non-profit organization that represents the needs and interests of archives and records professionals throughout Canada.

Archives Association Of British Columbia – The Archives Association of British Columbia (AABC) is a non-profit organization that supports archives, archivists, records professionals and all those with an interest in documentary heritage in British Columbia. 

Archivists of the United States – National Archives – The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is the nation’s record keeper.

Society of American Archivists – The Society of American Archivists empowers archivists to achieve professional excellence and foster innovation to ensure the identification, preservation, understanding, and use of records of enduring value.

Teamwork Media Film Recovery Motion Picture Film Archivist, serving Canada & USA since 1980

NOTE: * The videos & photod on this website are not shown in their actual size. The images are reduced for internet viewing for all devices. All photos, video and images on this website are under copyright protection by TMTV, Teamwork Media Television Incorporated and are not to be used without the express permission of TMTV. Any other logos, photos or video used are owned by their respective owner and used by permission. Copyright © TMTV.net ®. LaserGraphics ScanStation, Kinetronics StaticVac & Kodak are copyrights of their respective owners, 

©Teamwork Media Television Incorporated (TMTV.net), or its affiliates; TMTV.ca, Teamworkmedia.net, FilmRecovery.net, KootenayDigitalMedia.com, DigitalVideoLab.ca, NelsonBCCanada.com, KootenayLiving.net, TMTVNews.com, NelsonDailyNews.ca, BCTVKootenay.com and all related logos are trademarks of TMTV.net, Inc. or its affiliates.