What Film You Can Have Digitized
Reels of film used to be the most iconic staple of the movie industry, serving as a symbol that people would use for its imagery. Now, most filmmakers shoot directly to a digital medium, though there are some creators that still prefer old-fashioned film formats. Old film formats have a classic charm that carries through to the final product, no matter how modern the project may be. Older film formats, like 16 mm film, were originally created for the average family to begin making home movies.
Since technology has moved away from projectors and film reels, it can be difficult to find a way to play these old film formats back. Digitizing film formats can provide safety and shareability to your old family videos or personal movie projects. With so many different near-obsolete film formats, it is important to know what film you can have digitized so you can keep your fragile physical film formats safe from harm.
Most Common Sizes
As film evolved, several different types of film remained staples in the industry—some filmmakers even still use them today. The names often represent the film’s width in millimeters.
16 mm
Originally developed and introduced in 1923 by the Eastman Kodak Company, 16 mm film was intended to be used by amateur filmmakers or home movie makers. It was cheaper than 35 mm film and was the first film format to use acetate base instead of the highly flammable nitrate base. It became popular for educational and industrial films, especially during World War II. Television shows would use 16 mm format for out-of-studio filming or filming in difficult terrain. For instance, the ongoing hit show The Walking Dead shoots on 16 mm film to preserve post-apocalyptic graininess while adding more believability to its zombie makeup.
8 mm (Regular 8)
The Eastman Kodak company continued its further development of film even into The Great Depression with its creation of 8 mm film in 1932. It was even less expensive than 16 mm film, created with consumers’ financial hardships in mind. Professionals with the correct equipment would create Double 8s by doubling the number of perforations on a 16 mm film. Once half of the 16 mm film would finish projecting, the projector’s operator would flip the reel around to play the rest of the film. Instead of having just one side with frames and perforations like it would be on a normal 8 mm film, both sides would have frames and a row of perforations. While 8 mm film is primarily discontinued now, some people still cut and re-perforate 16 mm film to make 8 mm film.
Super 8
Super 8 film was created in 1966 as an upgrade to 8 mm film. Its perforations take up less space, allowing for larger frames. Super 8 film was famously held inside of plastic cartridges and kept safe. Some people originally disputed the plastic casing; however, the loading speed improvement that the plastic casing provided along with its sturdy protection meant that it was ultimately a beneficial upgrade. It was widely popular for home movies. The film eventually included sound via a magnetic strip; however, this type of film was discontinued in 1997 due to the bonding material for the sound strip being harmful to the environment. Filmmakers still use Super 8, especially with the accessibility of digital video editing software. Professional converters can easily transfer both 8 mm and Super 8 film to high-quality, digital video with the right professional equipment.
35 mm
The most popular film format of the 20th century was the classic 35 mm film. This film format patented by Thomas Edison in the 1890s was used for movies and photos alike. It’s famous for its four perforations per frame on both sides. 35 mm movie projectors populated movie theaters until digital projectors took over. It is still around, though it is a niche interest. Because of 35 mm’s more recent decline in popularity, it is still quite easy to find a company like DiJiFi to convert film to digital.
Other Sizes
Some films on the list of what film you can have digitized are far less common than others. These film formats are niche, but still hold a significance to film enthusiasts.
9.5 mm
Created in 1922 by the Pathé Film Company, 9.5 mm film has a singular row of perforations down the middle, fitting in between the top and bottom of frames. It was fairly popular in Europe, specifically France and England. Viewers of the projected film could not see the perforations, unlike how the perforations were sometimes visible when on the sides of the film, such as with 35 mm film. Filmmakers could use the entire width of the film for larger pictures.
17.5mm
In 1898, unperforated 35 mm film was split in half to create 17.5 mm film, using two perforations per frame. It would find use until the end of World War II, where 35 mm film had to be used economically due to limited resources. Developing countries used 17.5 mm film to cut down on expenses.
22 mm
After it was discovered that nitrate film fires were difficult to extinguish, development began on a new, heat-resistant film base. Kodak began to sell acetate-based films near the beginning of his career and sold Edison 22 mm acetate-based film for his development of the Home Kinetoscope. Because of the speed of technological development, this film type was not used for more than that and is extremely uncommon.
28 mm
The Pathé Film Company in France created the 28 mm film in 1912 and introduced it to the European home video market before it reached the United States. It used diacetate film instead of competitors’ nitrate-based films, which were incredibly flammable. In Europe, it had three perforations on one side of the frame and one on the other, while in the U.S. 28 mm film had three perforations on each side of the frame. 28 mm film fell out of favor in the 1920s as Kodak and Edison’s film formats took off universally.
Film has had a turbulent history filled with evolution and new products, but DiJiFi’s digitizing specialists are prepared with the right tools to preserve all of film’s remnants. We even specialize in digitizing wide collections of microfilm or microfiche, which were popular in library viewing rooms—but now out of date. Contact us today to discuss the details of your film digitization process and for a free price quote.
