16 MM FILM DIGITIZATION!

Digitizing 16 MM film is now possible at the VWM Family History & Learning Center! 

After many trials and errors, we now feel confident we can help our members digitize their old 16 mm films.

There are a few things to know before you reach for the phone to make your appointment!

First, MAKE AN APPOINTMENT! 

Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate walk-ins.  We have to reserve a special room and equipment needs to be set up. 

To set up an appointment call at 330-725-0588 x 5017 or email us at makerspace@mcdl.info.

When you do make your appointment we will need to know the following information:

16 MM                       8 MM

Do you really have 16 MM movie film?  The photograph to the left shows the difference between 16 MM and 8 MM film. 

How many canisters of film did you want to digitize? How big are the reels? And are they full?


The process is done in real time (no pun intended). If the reel is 5-7 inches in diameter and is a full reel it could take about 30 minutes to digitize.

Do you have a smartphone, i.e. iPhone, Samsung, etc.?  The phone will be used to capture the film and save it digitally.  

You will need to bring your reels and smartphone for your appointment. Please make sure you have enough memory space on your phone to capture the film. A 30 minute reel takes about 2.7 GBs of memory. 

If you are not sure there is enough memory on your smart phone or you don’t own a smart phone, just let us know so we can provide a video camera to do the filming instead of your phone. 

When you come for your appointment we will have the projector set up and in the reserved room. Someone will walk you through the process and depending on how comfortable you are, we may be with you through the whole appointment or just the first 10-15 minutes to get you started. We will always be available for any questions or problems that arise.

We have found the results may differ due to a few variables. The type and age of you smart phone and quality and age of the film will determine how the digitized video comes out.  Also, the digitized recording may need to be edited, due to jumpy film or awkward framing. Watch the clip below to see an example of what it may look like.*

 

*You need to click on the center arrow and then the arrow in the left hand corner of the viewer to play the video.

Herman Fulmer family,16 mm film, ca. 1946

Fishing trip in Canada

After all of the film has been digitized, we will show you either how to download it and save it to a 32 GB (or larger) flash drive or how to upload it to your "cloud". 

An additional appointment may be made if you want to edit the digitized film. (Different equipment and software is used for editing.)

If you have any questions about the process, please call us at 330-725-0588 x5017 or email us at makerspace@mcdl.info. We will be glad to answer any questions you may have.