Inspecting Film

What You're Looking For

There are several key issues to look for when you're inspecting film, whether it be 8mm, Super 8mm, or 16mm (or the even weirder gauges we only have a few of!).

• Mold: Like tape, film can also suffer from mold. Mold will feed on the gelatin emulsion or on organic debris that has collected on the film’s surface. Mold can be subtle, sometimes appearing as tiny specks or a faint haze across the image area, or as filaments and web-like growth on the base or edges of the film. Severe mold can appear as large blotches that obscure the picture entirely. Mold can etch permanently into the emulsion, so even after cleaning, the damage may remain visible.

  • Significant mold will be clearly visible when you look at a wound film from above. Slight mold may need a more thorough look: hold the film at an angle to a light source. It may look like irregular patterns or filmy streaks that move differently from dust when you shift the reel.

• Vinegar Syndrome: One of the most notorious issues specific to acetate film is vinegar syndrome, which occurs when the base begins to chemically decompose, releasing acetic acid.

  • If you notice any of these signs, it's probably VS: a sharp vinegar odor, film becoming brittle or wavy, or warping or shrinkage, which can make the film difficult to scan safely.

• Color Fading: Color film, especially stocks made before the 1980s, is prone to fading. Often, one of the three dye layers (commonly cyan) fades faster than the others, leaving the film with a reddish or magenta cast.

  • Compare the leader or edge frames to any reference material you may have, or simply note if white or neutral objects are unnaturally pink or orange.
  • Black-and-white film is more stable, though silver image degradation (yellowing, mirroring, or bronzing) can occur, particularly if stored in poor conditions.

• Physical Damage: Physical damage can often occur with projection or mishandling of film (or even a rough scan). Physical damage includes any of the following:

  • Torn or missing perforations.
  • Scratches across the emulsion (vertical scratches from transport, horizontal scratches from mishandling).
  • Warping or curling.
  • Broken or bad splices (cement, masking tape, we've seen it all)

Order of Operations

So, with those issues in mind, here is a basic order of inspection for any film:

1. Examine the exterior of the reel and canister for dirt, rust, or labeling issues.
   • Clean with a dry cloth.
2. Open the reel carefully and smell for vinegar syndrome.
   • Vinegar syndrome needs to be noted and evaluated by the film archivist. If no serious physical conditions have manifested because of it, we can usually still scan the film.
3. Inspect the film for visible mold.
   • Evaluate mold with film archivist and determine if it can be hand-cleaned safely. If hand-cleaning, follow this guide.
4. Inspect for physical damage.
   • Check the leader and tail for torn perforations, brittleness, or broken splices. Repair and replace splices as necessary, particularly if they are not archival splicing tape. Replace as you wind through the film.
5. Replace leader at head or tail end (whichever it was wound to) if needed (if leader is less than six feet long or damaged).
6. Begin winding through the film. Note any visible scratches, cinch marks, or warping.
7. Inspect for color fading.
   • Log the presence of color shift or silver image degradation.
8. Feel for brittleness, curling, or tackiness.
9. Replace leader at other end of film, if needed, once you've wound through the film.
10. Log all notes of the film’s condition.