Get ready to break out the popcorn and put your family on the silver screen

All June, save 20% on any reel-to-reel film digitization service. We can transfer 8mm, Super 8mm, and 16mm films, with or without sound.

The character of our collective relationship with movies and TV shows has changed a lot over the last twenty years, but one thing that has remained constant—indeed, has been a constant throughout the entire human history of storytelling—is the intrigue held for us by relatability. It isn’t the end-all/be-all criterion for a story’s value, but the level with which we identify as being on the same metaphorical team (or literal, in the case of sports movies) certainly plays a role in our response to the story. It’s like a strongly colored light being added to a portrait set-up: everything looks different in its glow.

So, what if the character to whom you related was actually someone to whom you are related?

The image of a reel of film is an iconic image of Hollywood, but thanks to the proliferation of 8mm and 16mm video cameras during a certain period of time, many of you actually have a stash of these reels somewhere in your house. The images trapped on these reels can reanimate people long-gone and re-introduce the people that those still here used to be in ways that will almost certainly surprise and delight you.

It’s a process that must be approached carefully, with a keen eye for quality and plenty of care, so it’s not an instant sort of gratification. But the really meaningful things rarely are. Start the process this month—free the ghosts in your attic, the ones that have already waited half a century to remind you from whence and whom you came.

For obvious reasons, this promotion is in-store only; leave a comment below or contact any Mike’s Camera location for more information or if you have any questions at all about the process.

Reel film is transferred in real time to an .MP4 or .mov file, which is then transferred to customer- provided USB or Mike’s Camera USB. DVD or Blu-Ray are extra, and will hold up to 2 hours of transfer time per disc. Custom chaptering and title cards can be added to any project for a one-time set up fee of $30. Custom chapter points include a spot on the menu screen that points to a defined place in the video when the find button is pressed. Title cards are static screens with text.