Aarchive Film Productions is a small family run business with over 33 years experience in dealing with all formats of cine film. At one time, it was the 3rd largest company (known then as Movie Memories) in the UK dealing with 8mm movies and sold them all over the world. The managing director, Phil Lilley, was showing Super 8mm movies to his friends from the age of five years old and has been dealing with cine film all his life. He undertakes all the cine film transfers personally, so, as you have your transfer done, the greatest care is taken to not only get the best picture and sound quality, but also have it fully monitored by someone with a lifetime of experience! Also, Aarchive Films is no longer producing any more historical documentaries, so they can fully concentrate all their efforts into cine to video and cine to DVD transfers.

How do Aarchive Films transfer the cine film?

There are two ways to transfer cine film to video or DVD. A Telecine System (Flying Spot) or filming a projected image.

The Telecine System is the professional choice, it is what the BBC and other TV companies use, but since it is the professional choice it is expensive and can cost in the £1000's.

The filming of a projected image is the more amateur, but cheaper option. Here at Aarchive Films we film the projected image through a 'Mirror Imaging' transfer system. The secret to the quality is in the projector and lens. Because we have over 33 years experience in cine film projectors we know how to get the best quality from your cine film, so the final video or DVD is as good as your original footage.

We have spent the last 15 years (since the cine transfer division was set up) making sure the quality is as close to perfect as our knowledge will allow.

If you want to check the quality before you go ahead, we offer a Tester Reel Video; please read the section I have a lot of cine film, but I want to check the quality, what can I do?

Do I get flicker, or strobing, on the final transfer?

No! Some companies will tell you they use a computer to cut down on the flicker, or strobing; this means they are getting the flicker in the first place. Because we have a life time of experience we know how to project the cine film, so we do not get flicker to start with.

My cine film is damaged and broken, can it be repaired?

Yes, and it will cost you nothing. All repairing of the cine film is included in the price and professionally undertaken.

Do you transfer directly to DVD?

No. We make a Digital Master of your cine film, then transfer to DVD. There are 2 reasons for this, (1) Cine films can break or have bad splices (or joins) that need repair. You cannot stop and rewind a DVD, like you can with a video, so we make a Digital Master first of all, then transfer that to DVD so the quality is up held. (2) We keep a Digital Master for a period of about 30 days. This way, if you require additional copies of the video or the DVD, we can create them, without you have to post anything back to us at your expense.

Please note, that we only make a Digital Master when you cine film is being transferred to DVD. A digital master is not made for transfers to video, since it is done directly.

Do you use a Wet or Dry Gate system?

We use a Dry Gate system. Cleaning the cine films, if it is not done correctly, can damage it. Think of it this way: a photograph image is printed on to photographic paper; well, your cine film is many images printed on to cine film. Now think what happens when a photograph gets wet!

With a Wet Gate System, if the cleaning solution is not set correctly, you could lose the images forever! The transfer my look fantastic, but what if anything happened to the DVD and no digital master was made? You may well lose your family memories for generations to come!

I have personally used both Wet and Dry Gate systems, and I only use the Dry Gate, for the safety of your films.

I'm not sure of the order of my cine film, what can I do?

We do offer an Editing Package, the details are on the Transfer Price pages for 8mm and 16mm.

How long will the transfer take?

A smaller transfer (maybe only a few reels) can be done the same day, and if payment is sent with it, sent straight back to you. This is not a guarantee; the average time taken is about 2-3 days. On larger jobs you will be quoted.

How much footage do I have?

Please bear in mind that the sizes in inches are approximate. On the side of some reels there is a footage and/or metre gauge. Please remember that we charge by the foot, NOT the metre. The small reels you would get back from the processors are about 3 inches in diameter and are 50ft, a 5-inch reel is a 200ft and a 7-inch reel is 400ft; some may have a 10-inch reel that is 600ft. Your 16mm film may be on a 12-inch reel, which is 800ft or a 20-inch reel, which is 1200ft.

Reel Size	Approx. Length
3-inch	50ft
5-inch	200ft
7-inch	400ft
10-inch	600ft
12-inch	800ft
20-inch	1200ft

If you have a lot of reels the prices do become cheaper. Please phone or e-mail for a quote.

Please remember there is a minimum charge of £25.00 for 8mm and £30.00 for 9.5mm and 16mm.

Some of the reels I have aren't full of film; do I have to pay for that?

No. We only charge you for the footage of film you have, not the size of the reels. For example, you may have a 400ft reel with only 150ft of film on it; you will be charged for the 150ft of film, NOT the 400ft reel.

I have a lot of cine film, but I want to check the quality, what can I do?

You can have a Tester Reel Video. For just £20.00, which is refundable off the final total of your transfer, you can have 5 minutes of your cine film put on to a tester video tape and sent to you, so you can check the quality, before the full transfer is undertaken. The £20.00 includes tape and postage.

If I have a lot of footage, is it cheaper?

Yes. We offer a quantity discount for transfers over £100, a quotation is available via phone or e-mail.

What formats do you transfer to?

At the moment we transfer to VHS Video (British PAL and USA NTSC formats), Mini DV and DVD. We do not transfer to VCD, because of the loss of quality.

The cost for different formats and extra copies are:

Extra VHS copies from £10.00 each

Extra DVD copies from £15.00 each

For pricing on International conversions, please phone or e-mail. We do not do MiniDV copies.

I have sound on my film; can you transfer that at the same time?

Yes. All sound is transferred free of charge. If you know your film has a sound track on it, a thin brown strip down one side (Magnetic Sound on 8mm and 16mm) or a clear strip down one side, with what looks like a black squiggly line (Optical Sound, 16mm only), then please mention this BEFORE your transfer is undertaken. We can transfer sound for both 8mm and 16mm.

How can I pay for the transfer?

You can pay with cash, by and major credit or debit card, cheque or PayPal. All transfers are quoted before the job is undertaken and payment needs to be received before the transfer is sent back to you or on collection. If you know how much footage you have, a cheque can be included (made payable to Aarchive Film). For credit card or PayPal payments, please call us. In the near future, Aarchive Films will have a secure web site payment system.

How do I get my cine films to you?

If you are local to the Plymouth area you can call and arrange to drop them in, otherwise by post. We strongly suggest sending the films using Royal Mail's Special Delivery service as it guarantees a signature before 1:00pm the next day. It costs a little more, but how much value do you put on your family memories! More information is available on the Ordering Information page.

All transfers are sent back to you via Special Delivery.

Do I get my cine films back?

Yes, and since Aarchive Films can clean and repair your films, you could get them back in a better condition than you sent them.

I have a projector or other cine equipment that I don't need any more, what can I do with it?

We do not take in old cine film equipment any more. We suggest Ebay or trying to sell them locally.