Cine Film FAQ's
What
transfer method do you use?
Our exclusive Phoenix 2k system uses innovative technology to gently guide the film over the scanner, where digital images are made of each and every cell of your film. You may have heard this referred to as a 'frame scanning'. There is no screen involved so no loss of quality or blurriness is possible. This is a clear, sharp scan of every single cell of your film.
These images are then built up to form a movie. Once on the computer, the film is cleaned up manually by our expert team of graphic artists.
then through the software, with careful editing to remove
unwanted sections such as leader-tape. Finally, your editor will watch each section of film and apply colour correction
filters to restore the natural colours and remove many of the horrible
tints caused over time.
My film is damaged - can it still be transferred?
Yes. We specialise in very old, damaged film at Alive Studios so we have no problem handling it.
We do not generally charge any more money for film that is in a poor state, but if we do feel it requires additional time we would always tell you as soon as we saw it so you have no worry about your price increasing. Where splices break, we repair them without charge. If a film is temperamental and doesn't want to go through we will always try it in several machines to make sure it's had it's best shot at a transfer. Where sprocket holes are punctured or torn, we will still transfer the film, often with no visible problems. However, some sprocket damage prevents a steady image from being obtained, in which case we transfer the whole film, then edit out any sections which 'jump' or drag because of the damage. This way we keep as much film as possible, and with careful editing you don't even notice any is missing.
What
is the best way to archive my footage?
Alive Studios strongly
recommend customers to order an archive copy
of their transfer on DV or HDV tapes.
This
highly versatile, high quality, long-lasting
format allows you to easily edit your films
at a later date, and the nature of the tape
is very durable and far harder to damage than
a DVD. Whilst many customers order AVI files
for editing, you will find a miniDV or HDV (hi-Def) tape a
better permanent storage format.
If you want to safely store this important film for generations to come, then
this is a great option.
(for commercial use, we also offer DV Cam and ProRes)
Do
you edit out the leader tape?
Yes. We take out as much unused film as possible
including the leader tape at the start and end of
each reel. Whilst we cannot remove everything without
charging for a full edit, we do endeavor to remove
as much unused film as possible.
Media format times
How much film will fit on each DVD/Blu-ray or tape?
1h 20mins for
DVD - 2h for Blu-ray - 1h for miniDV or HDV - 18mins for AVI & QuickTime Discs
184mins for DVCam
What about extra copies?
We will keep your film on our edit suite for 30 days to allow you time to order your extra copies. After 30 days copies can only be made if you return your disc to us. You can request extra copies on DVD and Blu-ray within 30 days of your order for just £15. This allows upto 6 hours of film. If you have more than 6 hours, then you will be charged £15 for every 6 hours. If you would like to order your copies online you can do so by visiting the link www.alivestudios.co.uk/order-copies.php
