I know
how many reels I have, but how does that translate
into feet?
top |
|
Use this chart to help
you calculate the number of feet of film you have.
|
Reel Diameter |
|
Feet of Film |
|
3" |
|
50 feet |
|
4" |
|
100 feet |
|
5" |
|
200 feet |
|
6" |
|
300 feet |
|
7" |
|
400 feet |
|
8" |
|
600 feet |
|
10" |
|
800 feet |
|
12" |
|
1200 feet |
|
14" |
|
1400 feet |
|
How many
minutes of footage are on my film reels?
top |
|
50ft Reels are 3-4
Minutes. You can use this as a base guide for your
larger reels. For Example: a 400ft Reel would be
24-32 minutes in length. You can also reference
our Reel Conversion Chart.
|
Why does my
film box say I have 25ft reels when the smallest
reel you list is 50ft?
top |
|
Most "Double Roll"
film was originally sold as 25 feet of 16mm film.
The cameraman would shoot one edge of the film,
flip-over the spool in the the camera (in the dark)
and then shoot the other edge of the film. After
the film was developed, it was split down the center
and two ends were glued together to form one 50
foot reel. You'll notice the box containing the
reel is twice as thick as the small plastic reel
inside. |
How can
I tell the difference between Regular 8mm and Super
8mm film?
top |
|
|
8mm |
Super 8mm |
|
|
Super 8mm perforations (holes) are SMALLER
than those for Regular 8mm. Correspondingly,
the actual film area for Super 8mm film
is larger than that for Regular 8mm - a
full 50 percent larger! Hence the industry
term of "Super" is added to the name.
|
|
What if
the film appears to "jump" or "chatter":
top |
|
If the film is not
lubricated, some projectors can damage the film
perforations. (Kodak film is automatically lubricated
during processing by Kodak.) Once the perforations
are damaged, lubrication will not solve the problem
of unsteadiness. Such damaged areas must then be
either spliced out or duplicated. Lubrication also
helps prevent drying and warping of film. For protection
and long life, film should periodically be cleaned
and lubricated. |
My film
is really old, how do I know it's still good?
top |
|
Most old film can be
restored using the cleaning and lubricating agent
we carry. If your film is too brittle, we won't
risk damaging it. We will keep you informed on every
step of the way. |
My film is
broken, can it be transferred?
top |
|
The most extreme cases
of damage are from the vinegar syndrome where the
film smells like vinegar and has curled and become
dry and brittle. Only in some cases have we been
able to transfer this type of film. Since it is
a case by case basis. The best way for us to tell
you is if we can see your film ourselves. |
How much
does it cost?
top |
|
 |
We charge by the foot. We
have a no minimum charge. |
|
Footage |
|
Per Foot Price |
|
Less than 1000 feet |
|
$0.30 / foot |
|
1000 - 3000 feet |
|
$0.21 / foot |
|
More than 3000 feet |
|
$0.15 / foot |
Pricing includes 1 DVD set, film cleaning,
digital film conversion and splicing.
Our optional Color Correction
/ Image Enhancement service is 10 cents per foot.
Add 10 cents per foot if your film contains a sound
track. Most home movie film is silent.
|
Are you
the cheapest?
top |
|
Our goal was to offer
the most affordable and quality product possible.
We are not the cheapest but we are the best value.
Rather than automating everything to cut costs and
produce an impersonal product we have set up our
process to incorporate manual quality control. We
want you to know that you are not going to need
this done again. Do it once, do it right, do it
DigMyPics! |
What
about return shipping charges?
top |
|
We only charge the posted shipping rates on the
FedEx and USPS websites. |
What type of films do you
convert?
top |
|
We specialize in all
8mm and Super 8mm film types with the ability to
transfer sound if present. |
Can you transfer
sound film?
top |
|
Yes. The charge is
10 cents per foot in addition to the original transfer
costs. |
Can you
make my films look better?
top |
|
Through our Color Correction
/ Image Enhancement service most films will indeed
look better. Possibly better than they have ever
looked.
*Note: We cannot improve film that is blurry, flickering
or strobing on original film, shot out of frame,
damaged due to humidity and mildew or double exposed.
If we find that it doesn’t improve the quality of
the image we will not enhance that footage and only
charge for the footage that the enhancement benefited… |
What
customer service do you provide?
top |
|
We have a direct phone
number to our customer service representatives during
regular business hours. You won't be forced onto
a hold line. When you call 1-866-364-5952 our phones
start ringing and we answer with a hearty hello! |
Do you offer
Rush Service?
top |
|
Yes. The additional
cost for this service is 50% of the scanning price.
We do this in order to pay an employee to work overtime
in order to move a customer ahead in the Queue to
be processed. |
Where are
you located?
top |
|
We are located in the
beautiful Grand Canyon State of Arizona. We do all
of our business from our 1 location in AZ. |
Can I try
you out before I send all my reels?
top |
|
Sure! We have no
minimum so you will just pay for what you send. We are confident you will be satisfied
with the quality of our service and when you send
the rest of your reels, we'll add your first sample
order to your new DVD free of charge |
Can I get
my film back in an editable form?
top |
|
Yes! We will transfer
full quality "uncompressed" AVI files from your
8mm and Super8 reels to a 120 GB USB 2.0 External
Hard Drive. This hard drive does not require a "wall
plug" to power it up. You only need your computer
and the USB cable that comes with it. Alternatively
you can use a ripping and converting software such
as AVS Video Converter to convert the playable DVDs
we make into editable files. The resulting files
will not look as crisp as the uncompressed AVI files
we provide and conversion time may be lengthy depending
on the speed of your computer. |
Will the
DVDs you create be compatible with my DVD player?
top |
|
We use the best of
the best TAIYO YUDEN Recordable DVD Media. Made
by the inventor of the CD-R disc, Taiyo Yuden is
used by professionals for mastering around the world.
Taiyo Yuden has the widest playback compatibility,
the lowest error rates in recording, and comes with
a 100-year data integrity guarantee. |
How much
film will fit on DVD and Hard Drive?
top |
|
We can fit 800-1000
ft of film on a DVD and about 6,000 ft of uncompressed
AVI files on the 120GB External Hard Drives. |
Can
I order extra copies? How much do they cost?
top |
|
We keep all the files
we need to make additional copies for 30 days after
your order is completed. Simply call us and we'll
send more copies your way or even deliver them to
a friend or relative as a gift. The cost is $6 per
disc. For example: If a set consists of 3 discs
to fulfill the total footage then it will be $18
per set. |
Can I
make copies of the DVD myself?
top |
|
Yes. These DVDs are
yours to do with what you like. You must have the
proper burning software and DVD Burner Drive installed
on your computer. |
How exactly
do you transfer my film? What is the process involved?
top
|
|
We begin by cleaning
and lubricating your film with a specially designed
machine and solution. The film passes under a microfiber
cloth that removes dust and debris from the film.
Secondly, a cleaning and lubricating agent is applied.
This cleaner helps keep the film hydrated and pliable,
as well as filling in small scratches and giving
the film a light protective coating, which gives
the capture a "wet gate" like appearance. During
this process, we inspect the film, add leader if
necessary, and repair tears or bad splices. Also,
at no extra cost we will combine up to 8 small 50ft
reels together onto one large 400ft archival reel(s)
for more compact and safe storage. The second stage
is the actual transfer. Our transfer equipment has
an enlarged gate and specialized light source. The
enlarged gate allows us to capture the entirety
of the frame. We do not project the image; our camera
looks directly into the gate and as each frame passes
through a picture is taken. These individual frames
are put into specialized software that interpolates
the frames into a movie, resulting in a solid, smooth,
flicker-free capture. Unlike super bright projector
bulbs that tend to blow out a picture, our specialized
light source provides a softer and more realistic
light. We also have the ability to control the brightness
of each scene during capture of your film so that
your darker scenes are brighter and your brighter
scenes aren't blown out. The bulb also puts out
much less heat than a projector bulb to eliminate
the chance of film burn or hot spots on the movie.
Unlike an automated setup, we monitor your film
as it is captured to be sure no dust or hairs get
into the transfer. We watch the transfer on an LCD
TV Monitor and keep a high pressure air hose ready
in case any debris gets into the film gate. Because
this transfer process is Frame by Frame we are able
to stop our machine at any point in case an adjustment
needs to be made and then resume capture without
causing any interruption in your video. This is
a huge advantage over non Frame by Frame methods.
We then take your film into our professional editing
consoles and prepare the captured footage for the
DVD. We will delete any blank footage and only bill
you for actual frames containing information. Here
we will review your film to see if it may benefit
from our optional Color Correction / Image Enhancement
service. If your film looks like it can be improved
by this service we will notify you. If you decide
to add this service to your order, the cost is 10
cents per foot. Finally, we take the digitized film
image and output it onto an easy to use DVD with
animated thumbnails of each of your reels for viewing
with family and friends. |
How long
will it take?
top |
|
We keep our turn status
up to date and posted on the left hand side of every
page on the website. Please call or email for larger
projects. |
Will you
return my originals?
top |
|
Yes most definitely!
It is important to always have a backup copy of
your DVDs and keeping the original film is one of
the best ways. |
How should
I label and package my film for shipment?
top |
|
To prepare your reels
for transfer, group and organize them by film type.
8mm and Super8 film reels should be grouped together
by type of film. Number each reel in the order they
should appear on the DVD. Provide a Title for the
DVD (this will be printed on the physical disc itself)
and names for each reel (be sure to note the reel#
and name up to 80 characters per reel). |
Sounds
great! How do I proceed?
top |
|
Simply fill out our
online order form. When you click the Submit Info
button you will be given the option to schedule
a FedEx pickup, drop off or you can print a generic
label and ship via the courier of your choice.
Here is the order
page. |
