If you have an old piece of film that you are trying to restore, you might be surprised to see just how much the film has deteriorated over the years. There are numerous reasons why your film might have deteriorated, including:

  • Plastic and emulsions are used to make film, and they deteriorate over time as they are exposed to high levels of light
  • The natural colors on the film fade with time
  • If the film is exposed to certain extreme temperatures or humidity, the quality can suffer
  • Nitrate deterioration can take its toll on films that we recorded before the 1950s, as film was made using cellulose nitrate during that time, which shrinks

Depending on the nature and severity of the deterioration, it is possible to revive certain types of film via professional film restoration services. The colors can be restored, mold can be removed, the film can be flattened, and the pieces of the film will be spliced back together.

If you are looking for professionals who can help you with film restoration, it would be our pleasure to assist you. At ARS Video, we have an unparalleled level of experience when it comes to film restoration. We have worked with numerous types of film, giving us plenty of insight into what we need to do to help you restore your film to the best condition possible. If you would like to learn more about our film restoration services, please contact us today. It would be our pleasure to assist you.

Archival and Film Preservation Services

If you have a piece of film you are trying to protect, you need to rely on professionals who understand the differences in film. For example, early types of film were made using cellulose nitrate, which deteriorates over time. In order to protect the integrity of the film, it is important to keep it preserved under certain conditions.

There are a lot of environmental threats that can ruin certain types of film. A few of those elements include light, heat, smoke, cold, mold, and mildew. Over time, your film might also curl up, making it difficult to read.

There are plenty of ways to preserve certain types of film. In addition to protecting film against threats like those mentioned above, we think one of the best film preservation services is to convert film to a digital format that can be preserved forever.

Once we receive your film it is evaluated to determine the restoration steps necessary to digitally archive and preserve the film. These steps can include:

  • Test the level of Vinegar Syndrome decay.
  • Determine if extra cleaning is required with a professional film cleaner.
  • Determine if baking or straightening is required.
  • Determine if scratches can be removed with a professional film conditioner.
  • Determine if archive reels, cores and cans should be used to protect the film from further decay.
  • Determine if there is audio and if it is magnetic or optical.

Each film reel is digitized frame-by-frame with professional telecine scanners and stored as JPEG, BMP, PNG, or TIFF files. The reels are gently pulled by the edges, avoiding issues with torn sprocket holes and to ensure the film is not damaged.

The individual frames are then assembled at the correct frame rate into .AVI or .MOV files. Regular 8mm and Super 8 film are digitized to High Definition 1920x1080P resolution while 16mm and 35mm are digitized to 2K 2048x1536P.

If there is an audio track on a 8/16/35mm film, it is also digitized. For silent films, an audio track can be added that is specific to each scene. We’ve found that this often increases the viewing pleasure of audiences.

The individual frames and AVI/MOV files are available for archival and editing professionals. User access MP4 files are always provided on a USB Flash Drive or External Hard Drive, included in the price. These files are color-corrected and pillars are used to assure the aspect ratio is correct for today’s TVs and monitors. A backup copy of the user access files is kept on-site for future copies or in case your copy is lost or gets damaged down the road.

It is important for you to take care of your treasured film, which is where our dedicated team can help you. We are ARS Video, a family-owned and operated business, and we’ve assisted countless customers preserve their films since 1987. If you have film that you need to protect, our team can assist you. We use the latest equipment in our field – also used by the Academy of Motion Picture Film Archives, in Hollywood. We believe this allows us to take the best care possible of your film.

If you are interested in learning more about our professional film preservation and restoration services, please contact us today! We look forward to hearing from you.

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