Film Restoration Innovator John Lowry Dies

Lowry To Be Honored By Academy

John D. Lowry, the innovative film restoration executive whose technology has been used to restore classic films from “Casablanca” to “Star Wars,” died on January 21st at the age of 79. Lowry, shown here with the Star Wars writer/producer/director George Lucas, was the founder of Lowry Digital Images. Of Lowry, Lucas said that “his passion for cinema and expertise in technology were essential in preserving the work of filmmakers for future generations to enjoy.”

The Burbank-based Lowry Digital Images is renowned in the entertainment technology industry for its work restoring some of the most important films in history for their release on DVD and Blu-ray. Lowry’s proprietary film digitization and restoration technologies have been used to preserve classics such as “Singin’ in the Rain,” “Sunset Boulevard,” and “Gone With the Wind.” Timeless Disney films such as “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and “Bambi” were also given the Lowry treatment, as were thrillers such as the “Indiana Jones” and “James Bond” films.

Lucas went on to say that Lowry’s innovations had “rescued many movies from irreparable decay, making it possible to enjoy them forever as the artists envisioned, without the damage of time.” Lowry’s career took shape in 1971 when he launched a company called Image Transform. This company developed a system for NASA to clean up live images being broadcast from the moon. Lowry later developed a new system for reducing visual “noise” in motion pictures. This process became the centerpiece of Lowry Digital Images, which Lowry launched in 1998 with engineer Ian Cavén. The film digitization and de-noising process allowed restorers to sharpen images, remove dirt, repair scratches, and reduce visible flicker in films. The process is not only intended for old films – new ones can be improved as well. Recent films such as “Avatar” and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” also benefited from improved image quality after being treated by the Lowry System.

Less than two weeks before Lowry’s death, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that Lowry and his partners would be honored at this year’s Scientific and Technical Awards ceremony, held on February 11^th, for the invention of the Lowry System.

2011 Kodak Fellowship in Film Preservation Awarded

To Benedict Salazar Olgado

Fellowship Includes Cash Scholarship And Internship

Kodak has awarded the 2011 Kodak Fellowship in Film Preservation to Benedict Salazar Olgado, a graduate student at NYU and an active member of both the Society of Filipino Archivists for Film (SOFIA) and the Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA). The award program was established 12 years ago to foster and support the next generation of preservationists and archivists in the film industry.  The 11 previous recipients of the fellowship are all professionals in the field, working at prestigious, industry-leading institutions such as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), and the Library of Congress.

As this year’s recipient of the fellowship, Olgado will attend a four-week summer internship next year, and receive a cash scholarship from Kodak. The internship will be organized by a Kodak company called PRO-TEK, which operates renowned film and video preservation vaults across the globe, and provides inspection and restoration management consultation services for some of the world’s largest film archives. The four-week program comprises training at PRO-TEK and Chace Audio by Deluxe, and a comprehensive course of hands-on digital film transfer work at FotoKem’s digital and photochemical lab. Olgado’s cash scholarship will be administered by the Association of Moving Image Archivists.

A native of the Philippines, Olgado earned his bachelor’s degree at Ateneo de Manila University where he studied communications and social sciences before pursuing his graduate degree at New York University. He will complete his master’s program in Moving Image Archiving and Preservation from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts in May of 2012.  “I am extremely grateful for this award,” says Olgado. “This recognition affirms and strengthens my dedication as a budding audio-visual archivist.” Olgado’s long-term goal is to become an active part of the international preservation community, and to work to protect and maintain important works all over the world. “I’m looking forward to developing my skills this summer,” he says, “and am honored to belong to a roster of individuals who have gone on to become key players in the field.”

Olgado has already gained significant experience at the Southeast Asia Pacific Audiovisual Archive Association, where he works as a senior administrator. He simultaneously did film programming in Southeast Asia and worked on projects with UNESCO. Olgado has also done digital film transfer work in the mixed media collections of Appalshop, and worked on the Maya Deren collection at the Anthology Film Archives.

PRO-TEK’s Vice President Rick Utley says that the internship portion of the Kodak Fellowship in Film Preservation was designed “to augment the education that future preservationists and archivists receive.” Utley says that recipients of the fellowship “gain exposure to the industry, hands-on experience and the opportunity to meet many people in a thriving and passionate community.”

IMAGO President Nigel Walters Urges For Mass Film Digitization

To Protect European Film Heritage

Lack Of Action Could Cause ‘Disappearance of Newly Produced Films’

Cinematographer Nigel Walters, who is president of International Cinematographers Federation IMAGO, spoke about the costs of, and pressing need for, film digitization at the recent eDIT Filmmakers Festival. “Unless there is serious money invested in the digitization of the European film heritage,” said Walters, “a lack of action in eight years’ time will result in the disappearance of newly produced films. If we do not digitize the danger is that even film archive will be useless if the technology to preserve on film becomes obsolete.”

According to Walters, there is a need for widespread film digitization, but the funds aren’t there. Even after a complete digitization of Europe’s film heritage, preserving such a colossal collection would cost an estimated 290 million Euros (roughly $410 million) annually. But the first hurdle is funding the process of digitization itself, which Walters reports would cost between 500 million Euros (about $707.5 million) and 2 billion (about $2.8 billion). Walters said that the undertaking is “rather like a bank crisis with black holes for endless pits of our money.”

Though Walters is clearly a proponent of digitization as a method of preservation, he does not suggest that filmmakers abandon the use of film when making movies. After giving his thoughts on the importance of film digitization to the future of the European cinematic heritage, Walters discussed the use of film in current movies. “Film is far from dead,” he declared, “as witnessed by the use of Super 16mm on The Hurt Locker and Black Swan.” Walters also noted that cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel is in the process of doing Super 16mm tests for a new movie by the Coen Brothers, who have helmed such acclaimed projects as Fargo, The Big Lebowski, O Brother Where Art Thou?, No Country for Old Men, and True Grit. “The final decision will be made after the testing by Bruno and discussions with the directors,” added Walters.

French Ambassador Strikes Deal To Upgrade Filipino National Film Archives

Film Development Council of the Philippines Aims To Rescue Film Treasures From Extinction

In an effort to restore and preserve an important segment of Filipino culture, French Ambassador to the Philippines Thierry Borja de Mozota has teamed up wth Briccio Santos, Chairman of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), in a landmark deal to upgrade the facilities and capabilities of the Filipino National Film Archives. Santos and de Mozota recently signed a Declaration of Intent in which France promises to lend monetary and technological assistance to the Philippines. The French National Archives, which houses what could be the largest and most systemized archival collection in the world, will be overseeing several large projects including the restoration and digitization of many rare films. These digital film transfers will prevent thousands of films from being lost to further damage, and lost to history.

The French ambassador and FDCP chairman sealed the deal at the ambassador’s Forbes Park residence, where visiting officials from the National Center of Cinema under the French Ministry of Culture gathered on November 15^th, 2011. Those present at the signing included Stephanie Rabourdin, regional audiovisual attaché of France for Southeast Asia, and Olivier Guillemot, financial and legal director of the Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée (National Center of Cinematography and the moving image). Béatrice de Pastre, director of the archives collection of the Centre, was also present.

The Declaration of Intent will be a major boon to the Filipino National Film Archives, which has been promised support in the “full development of FDCP’s film archive system in accordance with the French model” by the French government, via its embassy in Makati City. FDCP technicians will receive extensive archiving and audiovisual training, and will have access to substantive film archiving equipment. The deal also requires the FDCP to find, restore, rehabilitate, and safely store all endangered, rare and classic films produced in the Philippines that are considered part of the national heritage. Once these old films are restored to near-pristine condition, they are to be transferred to digital format. These digital film transfers will include films dating back to the prewar period and the “golden age of Philippine cinema” from the 1940s to the 1960s. Many of these films have not been seen by the public since they were first screened decades ago.

 It’s always hard finding that perfect present to give Dad for the Holidays. Instead of racking your brain and shopping a thousand stores, how about giving him a gift that’s sentimental and sure to stand out?

Convert your Dad’s collection of video tapes and reel-to-reel film to DVD! You’ll be preserving a piece of your family’s history and he’ll love reliving those special memories with you.

Here’s why he’ll love it:

-       Preserve Dad’s childhood memories and let him share his history with you. You’ve likely heard endless stories about “When I was a kid…” but probably haven’t seen the proof. Let Dad relive his childhood, while sharing your family’s history together.

-       Allow Dad to easily watch and enjoy his home movies on DVD. Let Dad curl up is his favorite chair and enjoy the old footage of his past.

-       Organize and transform his bulky video tapes and unwatchable reels of film to very accessible DVDs. Part of your Dad’s life is likely recorded on reel-to-reel film, meaning unless he has a working projector, he’s unable to watch these moments. So forget about digging out the projector, allow him to access his memories at the click of a mouse or ‘play’ button!

-       Give your Dad a way to easily edit your family memories. If your Dad is techy like mine, he’ll appreciate having the ability to use his favorite programs to edit and condense the footage of his favorite moments.

Deadlines vary by format, so plan ahead to assure your order is complete in time for the holidays!

Materials must be received by:

December 1^st: 16mm Film, Super 8 with Sound, All Expert Transfers, Beta Video Cassettes

December 9^th: 8mm Film, Super 8 Film without Sound, Premium Video Cassettes (VHS, VHS-C, Hi8, MiniDV)

Other Gifts Your Dad Will Love:

Photo Preservation: Your Dad will love sharing old photos together and knowing those memories are preserved forever. Deadline: December 10^th

Digital Photo Frame: Give your Dad a pre-loaded Digital Photo Frame and remind him of new fond memories every day! Deadline: December 14^th

 Holiday Slideshow: Surprise your Dad with a custom Holiday Slideshow this year. He’ll love reliving past memories together as a family Deadline: December 14^th

ScanDigital Gift Card: Let your Dad choose from ScanDigital’s list of sentimental products and services! Deadline: December 18^th

If you have any questions about ordering any of the gift ideas above for your Dad, our friendly team is here to help. Just call us at 888.333.2808 or email us at info@scandigital.com. You can also always find us on Twitter at @ScanDigital, me personally at @PamelaSD, or you can become a fan on Facebook. Hope to hear from you soon!

Your family likely has old reel-to-reel film stored somewhere far out of reach. That piece of your family history is also probably covered in dust, cracked and brittle, and buried in boxes in your garage. And you probably don’t even remember the last time you viewed these memories. Right?

Even if you have a working projector to play your reels of film, you’ve probably avoided dragging out the old machine for at least a decade. Am I right again? It’s okay, you aren’t alone. And we’re here to help- ScanDigital can help put those memories onto DVD so you enjoy then whenever you wish!

Here’s a quick peek into our process for reel-to-reel transfers:

As shown in the video above, here are the steps we take to capture your reels of film on DVD:

1. Identify and Access Film

First, our reel-to-reel film expert identifies the type of film and accesses the condition. All varieties of film, including 8mm, Super 8 and 16mm, are processed different, so identifying the type of film is important. The current condition of the film is also assessed to assure that very fragile film is handled appropriately.

2. Clean the Film

Reels of film are then transferred to a different reel, allowing our technician to delicately clean the film of dust. We use a non-abrasive cloth to assure the well being of the film.

3. Splice and Connect Reels of Film

As our technician cleans the film, any broken sprockets are spliced and mended. We also connect several small reels together so they can be transferred to and played on one DVD.

4. Lubricate and Clean Again

To assure the film is transferred smoothly, we lubricate the film with a waxy substance. This protects the film when it goes through our transfer process.

5. Project Film

The reels of film are then put into the projector, where we record the memories as they play. Our highly skilled technicians monitor the film the entire time it is processing.

6. Preview and Edit Captured Film

Our technicians preview the film as it’s captured to assure a clean and sharp transfer.  Then, they view the film at the editing station where any necessary adjustments are made.

7. Burn DVD and Return

Finally, the transferred film is burned to a DVD. Then the original reels and DVD copy are shipped back.

Once in digital format, your memories are preserved and easily accessible. Forget about digging out the old shoeboxes filled with film and the old projector, now you can just pop in the DVD and enjoy a piece of your family’s history!

If you have any questions about getting your film transferred to DVD or about ScanDigital’s process, please contact us at 888.333.2808, by email at info@scandigital.com, on Twitter or on Facebook.

We all have them somewhere…boxes and boxes full of old photos and home movies…simply sitting in a dark closet or attic, gathering dust, cluttering the room and, perhaps worst of all, not being enjoyed by everyone.  The beauty of the digital age is that old memories no longer need to be relegated to some messy box.  Converting the materials to digital is not only a space saver, but also ensures that those precious moments will be preserved for future generations!

Here are five reasons why you need help preserving those memories:

1. Goodbye Color, Hello Faded Memories – The longer photographic materials and home movies are sitting, the more the color is fading.  Unfortunately, the materials in their original state do not last forever, it is simply a natural part of the aging process- the color is bound to fade and shift with time.  Storing the materials in a dark place at a moderate temperature may slow this process, but won’t stop it.  Add some sunlight in the mix and the fading can occur even more dramatically. Your photos and home movies are deteriorating for a number of reasons and there’s only one thing you can do about it.  To guarantee your family’s archived memories are preserved, they need to be converted to a digital format.

2. Mother Nature Takes No Pity on Precious Memories – Your archive of photos and home movies may be seemingly safe in the shoeboxes in a closet or basement, but chances are they won’t be for long.  Accidents and unforeseeable things, such as floods, fires and other uncontrollable forces of Mother Nature, pose a threat to photos and home movies.  The originals of can never be replaced.  Once the original captured memory is lost, it’s gone forever.  I also encourage a duplicate backup of all digital photos and home movies. Unlike the physical material, digital copies do last forever.

3. Who Said Memories Need to Be So Bulky? – Digital photos and video take up no extra space or require any extra room. Their analog counterparts on the other hand create quite a cluttered mess.  All those old camcorder tapes occupy valuable closet space.  Stacks of photo albums can occupy entire shelves.  Old slides, negatives and film reels can be messy.  Compare that to digital images and movies which easily fit on discs or on compact hard drives – an instant space saver!

4. VCR? Slide Projector? – Unfortunately terms that were once part of our everyday language have gone to the technology graveyard.  Even if your materials are in pristine condition, there is a good chance that the machine used to view them is either already obsolete or will be in the next five years.  Digital conversion unlocks these memories and brings them into a format where they can easily be viewed.

5. Send, Share, Create! – Digital technologies have opened up so many new possibilities for our prized memories.  Digital photos can be turned into a canvas print or a photobook in a snap.  We can edit and upload our videos to YouTube in minutes.  Relatives from all over the world can access and share their favorite photos with friends.  Gone are the days of those photo albums with sticky plastic pages or the evening slideshow in the living room.  In this new digital age things are far more accessible.  There is no reason those old memories shouldn’t be enjoyed the same way!

‘MommyGoggles’ from the MomDot review team wrote a wonderful review of ScanDigital after trying our service. She described her experience using our service to convert her video tapes of her daughter’s childhood to digital format in detail. Check out what she had to say:

Preserve your VHS memories with ScanDigital

I think we all have those old video tapes stored away in boxes that we are telling ourselves “I swear I am going to have that VHS put on a DVD”, yet time passes and we don’t get it done. Why? Maybe money is an issue. Time? Who knows why we take so long to get something preserved that is so precious to us, but today is a whole new day. 

I had a very special opportunity to work with ScanDigital to have a VHS tape that I have of my 14 year old daughter, in to a DVD that will last a whole lot longer than a VHS tape can last. I have had this tape of “K” and have added on footage of her ultrasound from when I was pregnant with her, the day she was born, and so many years of precious memories that were captured on VHS. My process with ScanDigital was so fast, so easy and I am truly amazed by their customer service and speedy work! 

Here was my process: 

• I registered for an account on www.scandigital.com on 2/8/09
• I went in and told them that I had a VHS tape to transfer, clicked through super fast and printed a shipping label. 
• My VHS tape was shipped on 2/10/09
• ScanDigital received shipment on 2/13/09
• Order was completed on 2/18/09
• I received my finished product on 2/23/09

I received emails all throughout the entire process letting me know they received my shipment, that my order was complete, as well as that my products was shipped. I LOVE being updated that way! I was beyond excited when my finished product arrived! Not only did they send me a nice, keepsake case with the finished DVD in it, but they also customized the cover with screen shots of each chapter that is included in my DVD.

How much was this? To have a VHS put on a DVD was just $19.95! They also do pictures on DVD and so much more. If you have home movies laying around, get them to ScanDigital! You will not regret it!

The quality of my DVD is amazing! Honestly, it is better than the VHS tape was!

Thank you to MomDot Reviews and ScanDigital for a truly heartwarming opportunity!

There are a few new things that we are happy to introduce this month to our customers. We are always in the process of developing new ways to improve our service on all ends to offer the best digitization services on the market.

Large Flatbed Scans – ScanDigital is now offering scans up to 12.2”x17.2” in either 300dpi or 600dpi. By adding this service ScanDigital will be able to offer high quality full scans of large photos, newspaper clippings, artwork, album pages and scrapbooks. By capturing the entire image in one scan the quality is far superior to having to “stitch” different images together in an editing program. The pricing at 300dpi and 600dpi is $1.88 and $2.88 respectively and is relatively inexpensive when considering that elsewhere the price is upwards of $6.00 a scan. For those of you who scrapbook this option is a great way to protect and share your cherished hard work.

Capzles Partnership – ScanDigital is proud to announce that we have partnered with Capzles.com, an innovative new photo and video sharing site that lets users design their own timelines. Capzles’ amazing new flash technology allows for users to fully customize their timelines and seamlessly integrate photos, videos and blog entries. Check them out at www.capzles.com.

ScanDigital Growth – Over the past year ScanDigital has added more than 15 new employees to our skilled and dedicated team. Our experienced and highly trained team has been integral in helping ScanDigital become the industry leader in both quality and turnaround time. Each new member brings with them ideas and experience that have helped us improve all aspects of our business. By adding our great team members we are able to meet the ever increasing demand for our services while maintaining the quickest turnaround time. Also, you can rest assured that all their materials are being handled with the upmost care by trained professionals who are dedicated to providing you with the best possible images.

My original plan was to finalize part 2 of the series I started here a couple of weeks ago, but then I came across this piece on CNBC yesterday and thought it would be interesting for our readers.

David Pogue from the New York Times did a piece on “AFLS” – Analog Format Loss Syndrome. As he mentions in the piece, so much of the equipment out there available for consumers are simply too difficult for the average user’s patience. Not to mention that the resulting quality is lower than expected.

This really reaffirms ScanDigital’s value proposition. We completely remove the leg work from converting your photos, slides and negatives into digital format or transferring your old videos and film into a usable digital format.

To see the video, please click here (CNBC wouldn’t let me embed the video in this post):

Do you suffer from AFLS?