We understand the vital role archive film plays in our shared history and the importance of preserving audiovisual collections before they are lost. Nulight Studios is approved by the BFI, BBC, ITV and many other national and regional archives to work with master copies of culturally important film. By working with us you will ensure your precious collections are preserved for generations to come.
Big Collection,
Small Budget?
Digitise your collection at a fraction of the cost of preservation scanning with our Fast Affordable Catalogue Transfer service (FACT).
This exclusive service is perfect for large film collections where a low cost way is needed to identify and catalogue the content on each reel.
Preserving Our Shared Heritage
Our Process
Explore our custom workflow for archives and see what we can do for you
Collect & Catalogue
We can arrange collection of your media by courier or by our secure van service. On arrival to our facility all film, tape and audio media is barcoded and logged in our media asset management system. Valuable information on your films physical condition is recorded such as degree of shrinkage and severity of any mould or vinegar syndrome that might be evident. These records inform every step in the scanning and restoration process.
Inspect & Repair
Our team thoroughly inspects your film to identify any issues that could affect picture quality during the scan. This includes repair of weak joins and torn edges as well as treatment of mouldy, shrunken or brittle film. This preparation stage helps deliver a cleaner and more stable image as well as significantly reducing the time and cost of any subsequent restoration.
Ultrasonic Cleaning
Film material from 8mm to 35mm is run through our Lipsner Smith ultrasonic film cleaner. Surface dirt is gently removed using ultrasound in a warm solvent bath in preparation for scanning. Ultrasonic film cleaning is the safest and most effective method to professionally clean any motion picture film including acetate, nitrate, and polyester.
Digitise Picture & Sound
We use the state of the art Golden Eye 4 archive scanner which is both gentle on film and supports all standard and many obsolete formats. Our best light transfer process ensures every detail is captured and saved as a DPX file at up to 4K and 16 bit colour. Any combined optical or magnetic audio is captured simultaneously while separate audio is transferred and synced to picture.
Auto-Restoration
Using Digital Vision Phoenix software we semi-automatically remove dust, dirt and sparkle. Where appropriate we will also remove image flicker, improve sharpness or manage grain structure. After auto-restoration is complete clients may opt to commission further manual picture restoration.
Sound Restoration
Our sound restoration process begins with a clean and noise-free digital transfer of magnetic, variable density optical and variable area optical formats. Using ProTools our audio engineer will utilise a range of techniques to remove any unwanted noise such as high frequency hiss, pops and crackle while taking great care to preserve the original character of the sound.
Export and Delivery
Original scans and/or restored film are delivered as 10 bit log DPX files, alongside a visually lossless copy (eg. ProRes HQ) a lossy viewing copy (eg. h.264) and any captured and restored sound in WAV files. We also support alternative mathematically lossless formats including MXF, FFV1 and the Matroska container format for long term preservation and storage. An MD5 checksum is created during copying to either hard drive or LTO.
Client Testimonials
Nulight clearly have a passion for film and their knowledge, experience and attention to detail in every step of the process, from prep to digital restoration, is evident in the final product – our film has never looked better!
James Gibbs, Media Technology OfficerWorking with Nulight to restore our early 16mm films was simply a delight. The negative rolls were often in a delicate condition but Nulight took great care in ensuring that every detail was preserved and restored and beautifully graded. The results were simply staggering, suffice it to say I’d never seen these films looking so good, even when they were prints fresh from the laboratory.
David Sproxton, Co-FounderLUX has worked with Nulight Studios on a number of archival film scanning projects and we would recommend them highly, their experience, knowledge and care is truly unparalleled.
Benjamin Cook, DirectorAfter researching facilities, costs and recommendations within the industry, we approached Bristol-based restoration specialists Nulight Studios. From our first enquiry, their helpful approach guided us through all the processes and options, enabling us to find most creatively appropriate and cost-effective route to the restoration.
Ian Mackinnon, Co-FounderEven when working to tight deadlines, Nulight delivered to a very high standard. As producers, the workflow process was simple and easy, their staff a pleasure to work with and pricing estimates were always accurate. I highly recommend Nulight’s services.
Sarah Peat, Executive ProducerCommunication is excellent, you are kept informed of progress, can view the material online and request any tweaks which are dealt with promptly and efficiently. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Nulight to anyone looking to have their film scanned and restored to the highest standards possible.
James Gibbs, Media Technology OfficerWe wanted to re-transfer some footage from 20 year old broadcast neg. The reels were not properly logged and it could have been too expensive a proposition. Sam and his team worked out the simplest and most cost effective way to eye-match what we needed. They then processed our selects to produce stunning 4K quality images that absolutely stand up against the footage we shot on 6K cameras.
John Capner, ProducerNulight scanned our original negative at high resolution and carried out meticulous frame by frame restoration work before re-grading the digital files. Textures and details that had been lost and forgotten over two decades are now astonishingly vivid. I highly recommend Nulight – they have a very professional and supportive approach and their eye for quality has been amazing.
Ian Mackinnon, Co-Founder