FILM SCANNING F.A.Q's
What makes Newsreel different from other companies offering "seemingly" the same service?
- At Newsreel Productions we treat all our customers the same. There is no difference between Professional and Amateur film makers in our eyes. We don't offer basic and premium service option because our service is
ALWAYS PREMIUM. We strive to go the extra mile for our valued clients. We only scan film in full HD.But they offer HD film transfers too.
- Not all HD was created equally, especially when choosing telecine services for small gauge films like 8mm and super 8mm. Even those companies that do offer HD transfer, mostly just project the film at a screen and film it with an HD camera pointed at the same screen. These transfers may or may not flicker, crop the image severely, and due to the film chain process will definitely not be as sharp. They may also have a hotspot in the middle of the frame... so no, NOT all HD transfers are equal.
Why do newsreel's prices seem so high versus other companies who telecine footage?
- Newsreel's prices are in line with most other competitors, in fact with many companies SD frame by frame prices! Our prices reflect the level of service and quality you get from Newsreel. We put time and effort into every frame (by frame by frame...) of film we transfer. We insure that the footage is the best looking that it can be before we hand it back to you.
What is the difference between "Telecine" and "Frame by Frame" film scanning?
- Telecine is the film projected on a screen or via "Aerial projection" (using low end single element enlarging lenses) and filmed at real time with a video camera. Flicker, blurriness, frame blending, hot spots and cropped images are the result. Frame by frame scanning, as the name suggests scans every frame of film individually and writes that to a unique frame of video. This allows limitless post processing options and the highest quality. Full frame access, no hotspots or flicker and sharpness from corner to corner are the result.
What is the difference in quality between DVD and BluRay disks?
- DVD's allow only SD video for video disks. For Data they are limited to 8.5gb for Dual Layer disks. 4.3gb for single layer disks.
- BluRay disks are full HD. For Data they have a much higher capacity of 25gb for single layer disks.
What is the difference between SD and HD?
- HD (high definition video) has 6x the resolution of SD (standard definition video). HD 1080 x 1920 lines of resolution. SD 720 x 480. HD also has much higher colour fidelity and latitude.
What happens to my film after I send it to Newsreel Productions?
- The film is first inspected for broken splices, broken perforations and leader is spliced to the head and tail (if needed).The film is then cleaned and conditioned ( This step can be skipped at the clients request for specific reasons ). The film is then mounted on the film scanner and scanned frame by frame. The raw file is then processed to the clients specifications and transferred to the clients hard drive, and transcoded to BluRay and DVD (depending on clients specifications). It is then packaged, the client is invoiced and either the film is paid for at time of pick-up or shipped back to client once payment has been received.
How do I pay for transfer and post services?
- Newsreel accepts Cash or cheques on pickup, Email money transfers to "oliver.newsreel@gmail.com" and Paypal payments to "info.newsreel@gmail.com". Please discuss any payment options before sending payment.
Can you scan Negative film?
- Yes Newsreel scans all negative film stocks as well as reversal and print stocks.
What if the film is very badly shot, severely underexposed, or overexposed? Can you fix it?
- There is a limit to what we can correct. If the film is bad quality old home movie film, chances are that its badly underexposed and will be grainy. We can only work with what we are given. the better the film was shot the better the results of our transfer will be. We can fix some exposure issues (within a couple of stops over or under) depending on the film stock used. Negative film stocks are ALWAYS more forgiving. Bad film in is generally bad transfer out.
Can I request special care of services for my film?
- Of course. We always do our best to accommodate clients requests, and demands. Let us know what you want to have done and we'll do everything in our power to make it happen.
Is it safe to send my film through the mail?
- I have never not had film show up yet. its always best to send it with some sort of tracking number to be able to insure that it does arrive though.
Is there a postal or courier service that you recommend?
- We here at Newsreel don't endorse or specifically suggest one service over the other, however we never have had any problems with the major player (Canada Post, US postal Service, DHL, UPS, FedEx and Purolator)
How should I package my film for shipping?
- Well. Make sure the film is sealed (film can or plastic bag) in case the mail carrier gets it wet. a little padding is never a bad idea. Consider your film a fragile item when you pack it ready for shipping. Generally bubble wrap bags or boxes with packing material suffice.
What is the turnaround on a usual scanning job?
- First off, there is no such thing as a "usual" scanning job. Every job is unique. Depending on the amount of footage received, condition or damage to the film, and what post work is needed to process the file, turnaround varies. Best to contact Oliver for an estimate. Turnaround for simple, small jobs (under 2000[') with no complication is usually within a week.