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Why Home Movie Film Doesn’t Last Forever

More durable in comparison to videotape, home movie film was in its heyday from the 1930s to the 1980s. In the 21st century, consequently, most film is reaching the end of its average shelf life of approximately 40 years. The chemical properties of film are decomposing at a fast rate and are especially susceptible to time, equipment, and environmental factors. Unless these film reels are transferred to digital formats, their images will eventually be lost and irretrievable.

Overview

The fact that many aging Hollywood movies have already been professionally transferred to digital formats may have created a false sense of security regarding families’ personal home movies. Yet while home movie film was popularized during the early half of the 20th century, unfortunately it is not a permanent or durable medium. There are hundreds of thousands of reels stored away in families’ basements, closets and garages, containing priceless images of family memories that are fading away with each passing year.

There are three major elements to film formats that contribute to its eventual degradation: time, equipment/usage, and environment. Most experts agree that film begins to degrade on average after 40 years, even if stored properly in a cool area in airtight containers. Some of the most clear evidence begins with the appearance of the film reel itself, with curling, buckling, warping, brittleness, and in some cases, even a strong smell of vinegar.

Culprit #1: Time

The first enemy of film reels is the simple passing of time. Like most physical media, the elements that went into the creation of the film break down bit by bit over time. Color dyes lose their vibrancy. In the rare event that the film contained an audio track, the sound becomes distorted. The acetate composition of the film breaks down and can release an unpleasant acetic acid that smells like vinegar. Time is an unavoidable but realistic factor and has resulted in the loss of hundreds of thousands of valuable feet of footage that once were extremely vibrant.

Culprit #2: Equipment and Usage

If you’re of a certain age, you may remember the temperamental old elementary school film projectors or your parents’ family projector at home. Any number of problems occurred during the handling of the film. If it was loaded improperly, for example, the gauges or perforations could be torn, rendering it impossible to run it through correctly. Worse still, it sometimes caused the film to come to a complete stop and a resulting hole burned in the strip because of prolonged exposure to the equipment lamp. Even with normal running, the lamp itself was a problem, as its heat wore down the condition of the reels. Bad splices, where torn film was re-taped together again, could come apart and cause a jam in the projector. And too tight or too loose tension also caused the pull down claw to create a jam and the film to fold up like an accordion. Unlike videotape, which is packaged in a protective case, film is also susceptible to scratches because it is exposed.

Culprit #3: Environment

The third major enemy to film is the environment, including elements such as heat, moisture, mildew, and water. Unless a film reel has been stored carefully in an airtight container in a cool area of the house, weather conditions such as dampness or extreme heat can dramatically affect the film. Environmental conditions coming in contact with the image layer of the film, called emulsion, usually mean disaster. These elements react with the materials that comprise the film, and cause warping, distortion, and brittleness.

Film is Celluloid

Understanding the chemical makeup of film is helpful in realizing why it is so fragile. It typically consists of a strip made up of a cellulose acetate or nitrate material that is coated with a photosensitive “emulsion” on which the images are contained. By virtue of its physical nature, therefore, film can suffer any number of mishaps that aren’t present in the digital world, such as broken sprockets, brittleness, curling, and loss of pliability – all of which render it difficult or impossible to run on a projector either to view it, or from which to capture images frame by frame for a digital format.

Solution

Film footage is often the best home movie medium there is because of its strong color clarity (if it has been stored properly). Kodachrome clarity has been amazingly resilient in most cases. These film memories need to be preserved for future generations, however, and the best method is to transfer them to contemporary digital formats, such as DVDs. Once the older physical media is transferred into an electronic file, it can be more easily shared, enjoyed, and distributed without worry of degradation.

About iMemories

iMemories is a leader in the dynamic Web 2.0-generation of Internet services. The company transforms old-media memories into crystal-clear digital files that consumers can enjoy and share—whenever and wherever they like.

In iMemories’ 8,500-square foot fiber-optic studio, production professionals use state-of-the-art technology and techniques to convert old home-movie films, videotapes, photographs and slides into organized archives and full-length digital productions. Memories that were deteriorating in the dark are preserved forever on optical disc—and easy to edit, organize, store and share worldwide through iMemories’ private, secure online user experience.

In a market crowded with audiovisual houses and small firms offering basic video-transfer services, iMemories’ technology and expertise enable it to deliver a premium product efficiently and affordably. Founded and led by new-media entrepreneur Mark Rukavina, iMemories is privately held and based in Scottsdale, Ariz. To learn more, visit www.imemories.com or call 480-767-2510.

©1998-2007 iMemories. iMemories name and iMemories mark are trademarks of iMemories, LLC. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Disclaimer:

This article is provided as an educational guide for iMemories customers. Use of or reliance upon the information set forth in this article shall be at the reader’s own risk, and shall not establish any contractual or other legal relationship between the author and the users of this information.

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