About
16mm Time Machine is a project that came out of sticker shock after seeing the prices of existing motion picture film scanners, and being disappointed in the results of some professional transfers. Since its inception, I have been developing a scanner of my own design, which I do hope to eventually make available in some form or another.
It began from working with a collection largely composed of early 16mm home movies, to focusing more on the massive number of published films that are otherwise only viewable online in low quality, or in many cases not available anywhere.
“Why the watermark?” As I upload films in high-resolution unlike the vast majority of film archives, it becomes a target for people to try and re-upload footage to sell on a site like Getty, or TV/documentary production houses lifting the scan.
Scanning Process
Films are scanned frame-by-frame, captured using a Basler acA3088-57uc camera. Sprocket-hole stabilized by custom computer-vision program. Frame resolution is approximately “2K” (1440p), scaled to 2160p for best presentation on Youtube.
Edited using Da Vinci Resolve Studio, with corrections made for deficiencies in prints.
No AI colorization, upscaling, or interpolated framerates; what you’re seeing is just the best version of what’s physically on film.
For most silent films, I compile soundtracks from period-appropriate music available in the Library of Congress Jukebox, which I also edit with EQ & effects to remove noise.