Q. Is my original film harmed in any way during the transfer process?

A. No. Your film is cleaned and inspected for any damage before the transfer and any necessary repairs made then. We use a low power cool LED light source to transfer your film that cannot cause heat damage  associated with standard projection.

Q. Do you return my original film with my DVD’s?

A. Yes, and it will be cleaner, too.

Q. How long will a DVD last and is it the best way to store my transferred film.

A. Manufacturers claim all sorts of life expectancy from their DVD media, ranging up to 100’s of years. This may or may not be true as no-one has had one that long. What is certain, however, is that DVD as a format will be superseded very soon with other emerging formats now in production or in development such as Blu-Ray. Within a few years it may be necessary to convert your DVD’s into another format when DVD goes the way of the VHS video and Betamax format. It is important to make sure your films are stored in the digital format current at the time. Once you have your films in a digital format then successive transfers will not further degrade in quality.

Q. How long will my original film last?

A. There are many factors that determine the life of your film. We have converted film taken in 1945 which is over 60 years old, however this film was always kept in a good storage location. Due to the humidity and heat in Australia, film can begin deteriorating within 10 to 15 years with the emulsion becoming brittle and starting to crack or have mildew forming on the surface. Most film shot during the 1970’s will now be middle aged and will continue to lose image clarity and colour as time progresses if not kept in a suitable environment. Colour film emulsion is made up of 3 different coloured dyes. Unfortunately, they fade at different rates. With some films, green fades fastest so the film takes on a magenta hue, while in others, blue or red may go first. The film base can also deteriorate.

Q. I have both standard 8mm and super 8mm film. Can they be copied to the same DVD.

A. Yes, the film format does not matter as it just requires a different scanner setup to play either format. The conversion process is still the same. We normally try not to put more than 90 minutes of content on a DVD so as to maximise quality.

Q. I have noticed some of my original film is very light and the images are difficult to see. Can this be darkened so we can make out who is on the film?

A. If the age of the film has bleached out the image information some correction can be made however we can not create information that isn't there to begin with. It is for this reason that your films should be converted before this happens to all remaining film. A lot of film was originally captured with incorrect camera settings causing the film to be over or under exposed. While some correction can be applied to film in this condition, it is preferable to transfer the film as soon as possible.

Q. How do I know if my film has sound on it?

A. A magnetic strip could be added to super 8mm film allowing the recording of sound. Very little super 8mm film was shot with sound. The film will display a magnetic strip down both edges if audio has been included.  If your film has sound this will be transferred with the vision.

Q. Can I have background music included with my film?

A. Yes, we include background music as standard with all our transfers. If you would like to include your own selection of music we would need to have it supplied to us in mp3 format and joined together forming a continuous audio sequence. Most home computers will allow the music creation of this nature. We would also have to obtain an APRA licence for the production which would be at additional cost.

Q. Will you copy any film?

A. Our service is exclusively for home movies and for copyright holders of the original movies. Films like Star Wars for example came out on super 8mm and these films can be purchased commercially on DVD in far greater quality than you would expect to get from 8mm film.

Q. I’m hesitant about sending my films through the mail just in case they get lost. Can I drop them off and pick them up when they are finished.

A. We are located at the Malaga Markets for the first weekend each month, and drop-off and pick-up is quite welcomed. We are open from 9am and 5pm Friday, Saturday, Sunday and public holidays on the first weekend of the month. Australia Post registered mail is a very secure method of transport requiring a signature upon collection. This ensures that only the addressee can collect your film. Your film should also only be sent to our PO Box number (P.O. Box 295, Morley  WA  6943) where it is kept safe until collection. For other alternatives, please contact us.

Q. I have a great deal of family video stored on VHS tapes. Is this a good way to archive my material.

A. Unfortunately the older analog Betamax and VHS video tapes have a shorter life and lower quality than the film they were replacing. We are told that tapes have a life of around 5 to 20 years so this is not the ideal solution for your video. It is highly recommended that your treasured family events be transferred to DVD in order to keep up with the prevailing technology. There is no technology yet available that will not need to be upgraded every 20 to 30 years. Within a few years DVD will also become obsolete with further upgrades required. Any storage of film using an analog medium will result in a drop in quality every time it is copied also. (A VHS to VHS transfer results in a loss of about 40% of the video quality and using long-play can increase this to a 70% loss). Once you have a digital file it can be copied many times without any loss in image quality. If you still have the original film I would suggest having it transferred once again to a digital format rather than transferring the tape version to DVD. You will find the quality from the original film will be far better than the transfer from your tape version.

Q. I have tried to transfer my film using a video camera by projecting the image onto a white wall and capturing the result. There is a very strong flicker that I can't rectify. What causes this and how can I resolve this flicker problem?

A. Flicker is caused due to the difference in the capture rate of your camera (25 frames per second for PAL video) and the projection speed of your projector which will generally be running at either 18fps or 24fps. The way your projector works is a 3 bladed circular plate spins in front of the light source effectively turning the lamp on and off at the rate of say 18 times per second. Because your camera is opening and closing its shutter 25 times per second there are times when the camera is actually capturing the moment when the projector lamp is in the off position. This results in the flicker you see.

Professional transfer companies generally have all the right equipment to achieve the best results and if you want the very best transfer results it is better to have it done by someone who knows all the tricks along the way. The home transfer results will never be quite as good as a professionally produced project. You will no doubt be saving money by performing your own transfers however a professional transfer will generally include a completely flicker free result and colour correction to reveal the very best of your treasured movie memories.

Q. We have a lot of film. There is a strong smell like vinegar from some of the older reels. Is this causing any problems with the film?

A. The strong smell coming from your film is an indication of serious decomposition of the acetate base layer of the film. The gasses given off are largely acetic acid which is commonly called 'Vinegar Syndrome' due to the strong vinegar like smell. At this point your film is in an advanced state of decomposition and should be transferred to a digital format as soon as possible. The acid smell can also contaminate other film in close proximity so should be kept isolated from your remaining good film. The film suffering from Vinegar Syndrome will begin to twist and buckle or stick together forming a solid block of film that will be impossible to transfer. If the film still looks to be in good condition even though it has the strong vinegar smell act fast or you will lose these precious family memories