When filmmaker and editor Daniel Frazier sent us comparison images of his long-ago Super 8 film transfer — as compared to our company’s current transfer — even we were amazed at the difference. He’d had these films professionally scanned to 480p long ago, but decided to try our FilmFix’s 1080p HD service. The results speak for themselves.

When Old Transfers Need an Upgrade

When Daniel’s Super 8 reels arrived, I (Nathaniel – technical professional part of FilmFix) understood the challenge. As someone who’s worked in film production himself, Daniel knew he sent material that was going to be a challenge to properly digitize. The amount of underexposed footage would test any transfer service. Most of his reels were shot in low light, appearing mostly black in places.

His original 480p transfer from years ago simply couldn’t pull the detail from those deep shadows. Even for a filmmaker who understands the technical limitations, the old scan was disappointing.

Rescuing Underexposed Film with Modern HD Technology

Working with underlit Super 8 requires a careful balance. Add too much light during scanning and you’ll blow out any highlights (exactly what happened in Daniel’s original transfer). Add too little light and you lose all that hidden shadow detail.

For Daniel’s films, I meticulously adjusted our scanner’s light levels to capture maximum detail without compromising the highlights. Then in post-production, I could properly grade the blacks and colors – something Daniel, as a filmmaker, particularly appreciated.

(Please find his customer testimonial below.)

A Filmmaker’s Verdict on Re-Transferring – he wrote:

“It’s hard to write a riveting testimonial when everything about my order from FilmFix was perfect across the board. No drama in customer service. No disappointing quality in the transfer. Heck, even the FilmFix team member on the phone complimented me on my Southern accent. So, all I can really state are the facts. 1. They took my 30-year-old super-8 footage and transferred it in the highest quality I’ve ever seen. I saw details in the footage I haven’t seen in literal decades. 2. They took care in their color balancing, stabilization and debris removal process. 3. They kept me informed on every step of the process all the way though shipping. 4. The cost was HELLA affordable. (Is “hella” a thing anymore? If not, I’m hella bringing it back!) Five stars across the board, people. I wish I had more film to send them.”