Presentation at CURATEcamp AVPres, April 9th, 2013

1. Erik Piil, Digital Archivist, Anthology Film Archives
CURATEcamp AVPres, April 9th, 2013, WITNESS.ORG (Basecamp)
Email: erik@anthologyfilmarchives.org
Target Formats for Film Digitization

2. Format (35mm, 16mm, 9.5mm, Super8, 8mm, etc.)
Polarity (Positive, Negative)
Perforation Type (BH, KS, etc.)
Perforation Pitch (Short, Long)
Aspect Ratio (1.33:1, 1.37:1, 1.66:1, 1.85:1, etc.)
Sound (Silent, Variable Area, Variable Density, Magnetic Stripe, etc.)
Standards and Systems of Motion Picture Film
Target Formats for Film Digitization
CURATEcamp AVPres, 9 April 2013
Email: erik@anthologyfilmarchives.org

3. Base Type (Nitrate, Acetate, Polyester, etc.)
Color (Color, BW)
Granularity
Projection Speed (fps) (16, 18, 24, etc.)
Film Wind (A-Wind, B-Wind)
Stock Manufacturer (Eastman Kodak, DuPont, Fuji, etc.)
Edge Information (+▲,
batch numbering, barcodes, manufacturer’s logo, etc.)
Characteristics of Motion Picture Film
Target Formats for Film Digitization
CURATEcamp AVPres, 9 April 2013
Email: erik@anthologyfilmarchives.org

4. Shrinkage, Stretching
Brittleness
Ferrotyping
Dye Fading
Mold
Residue from Adhesives
Splices
Dust, Dirt
Scratches (Emulsion and/or Base)
Characteristics of Motion Picture Film (cont.)
Target Formats for Film Digitization
CURATEcamp AVPres, 9 April 2013
Email: erik@anthologyfilmarchives.org

5. Logarithmic versus Linear
Dynamic Range
Wet-gate vs. dry-gate technology
Viewing environment for QC/QA
LUTs (Look Up Tables)
Target exhibition / access environments (e.g. SD, HD, Digital Cinema, etc.)
Intra/extra-frame scanning (edge-to-edge, frame-only, etc.)
Key Concepts/Considerations Prior to Digitization
Target Formats for Film Digitization
CURATEcamp AVPres, 9 April 2013
Email: erik@anthologyfilmarchives.org

6. File Format (image): DPX, Version 2
Resolution: 4K (4096 pixels horizontally)
Color Space/Subsampling: R’G’B’/ 4:4:4
Quantization: 10,16-bit Logarithmic, Linear
File Format (audio): BWAV, PCM
Bit depth: 24-bit,
Sampling Rate: 48kHz
Target Formats and Specifications – 35mm
Target Formats for Film Digitization
CURATEcamp AVPres, 9 April 2013
Email: erik@anthologyfilmarchives.org

7. File Format (image): DPX, Version 2
Resolution: 2K (2048 pixels horizontally)
Color Space/Subsampling: R’G’B’/ 4:4:4
Quantization: 10, 16-bit Logarithmic, Linear
File Format (audio): BWAV, PCM
Bit depth: 24-bit,
Sampling Rate: 48kHz
Target Formats and Specifications – 16mm
Target Formats for Film Digitization
CURATEcamp AVPres, 9 April 2013
Email: erik@anthologyfilmarchives.org

8. File Format (image): DPX, Version 2
Resolution: 2K (2048 or 1440 pixels horizontally)
Color Space/Subsampling: R’G’B’/ 4:4:4
Quantization: 10, 16-bit, Logarithmic, Linear
File Format (audio): BWAV, PCM
Bit depth: 24-bit,
Sampling Rate: 48kHz
Target Formats and Specifications – 8mm, S8
Target Formats for Film Digitization
CURATEcamp AVPres, 9 April 2013
Email: erik@anthologyfilmarchives.org

9. -JPEG 2000 (MXF)
-MP4 (MOV or AVI container)
*Frame rate and resolution of target formats should be preserved, if
possible. Color space should be mapped accordingly, based on display
environment.
Derivative Formats
Target Formats for Film Digitization
CURATEcamp AVPres, 9 April 2013
Email: erik@anthologyfilmarchives.org

10. Harm Jan Triemstra, Tom de Smet. Film Scanning Considerations. Published by
PrestoCentre, www.prestocentre.eu
Reto.ch AudioVisual Preservation http://avpres.net/de/Digitalisierung_8.html
Digital Film Technology Weiterstadt, What resolution is needed to scan motion picture film:
4K, or higher?
Resources for Motion Picture Film Digitization
Target Formats for Film Digitization
CURATEcamp AVPres, 9 April 2013
Email: erik@anthologyfilmarchives.org

11. Email: erik@anthologyfilmarchives.org
Questions?