The short answer: You can learn a great deal about an unlabelled reel without running it once: the box and tin carry lab stamps and dates, and holding the film up to the light shows the frames by eye — colour or black and white, positive or negative, children in a garden or a bought cartoon. Width and perforations reveal format and era: Super 8 exists only from 1965, and a sound stripe on Super 8 only from 1973, according to Kodak.
Grandfather's box: ten reels, most of them blank. But the first run after decades is, according to the Library of Congress and the NFPF, the most dangerous moment in a film's life, and Kodak says film shrunk by more than one per cent — like most old film — is not safe to project. So first you read, look and deduce.
What do the box, the tin and the leader tell you?
The labs' cardboard boxes usually carried the lab's stamp, sometimes a processing date, and often the address of whoever sent the film in — a name and a town of someone in the family. The leader — the white, orange or clear stretch at the head of the film — sometimes bears the lab's printing or a note in marker.
What can you see against the light?
Gently pull a few dozen centimetres off the reel and hold it up to a window. Colours mean colour film; shades of grey mean black and white. If the picture looks natural, like a tiny slide, it is a positive, as most home movies are; if the sky is dark and faces far too bright, it is a negative, rare in family material. If the film is too shrunken or wound too tightly to pull safely, do not force or warm it — follow our grandfather's films triage guide.
How do width and perforations reveal the era?
Narrow film with large holes is regular 8mm, which came before Super 8; small rectangular holes and a large picture are Super 8, which Kodak introduced in 1965; a brown-copper stripe opposite the perforations is a magnetic soundtrack, found on Super 8 only from 1973 onwards. A single hole in the centre between the frames is 9.5mm Pathé; film twice as wide is 16mm. See our Super 8 vs Regular 8 guide.
| The clue | What it reveals | How reliable |
|---|---|---|
| Lab stamp or date on the box | Processing year, sometimes the sender's name | High, if the film is in its own box |
| Film width and perforation shape | The format: regular 8, Super 8, 9.5 or 16mm | Certain |
| Brown stripe opposite the perforations | Super 8 with sound, 1973 onwards | Certain as to era |
| Frames held to the light | Colour or black and white, positive or negative, content | High, for the stretch you can see |
| Reel size and how full it is | Roughly how many minutes, whether it was edited | Estimate only |
What if it is not a family film at all?
Old boxes almost always contain bought reels as well: cartoons, newsreel excerpts or short films sold for home projectors. Spot them in advance, because we bill only for authentic family footage: material that is not yours, leaders and burnt frames are not charged. If the box also holds video cassettes, which tape do I have brings the same order to them.
How do we find out what is on the reel?
Every reel is checked by hand before scanning: perforations, flexibility, splices, signs of decay — and identification of format, soundtrack and content. It is then scanned on a Filmfabriek Muller HDS+, frame by frame, no projector and no camera, even when the film is shrunken. The first minute is on us: you see exactly what is on the anonymous reel before deciding whether to continue. You are welcome to a joint session (Hebrew) at the studio to watch. Details on our 8mm and Super 8 film transfer page.
A reel with no name? Bring the whole box — the first minute is on us.
We send couriers to your door anywhere in Israel, in both directions. Small jobs are usually ready within about seven working days, large ones within about 21 working days, and the first minute is on us — you will see how your film comes out before you decide. You can also drop off in person: our studio at 9 HaMa'ayan St., Rishon LeZion, 5 Lisin St. in Tel Aviv, or Mitzpe Hararit in the Galilee. Call 03-5610368 or leave your details on our contact page. What each service includes is listed on our price list (Hebrew).
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to pull film off the reel by hand?
Yes, gently, holding the edges. If it resists, sticks or smells of vinegar, stop.
There is no writing anywhere. Can the reel still be dated?
Roughly: Super 8 not before 1965, a sound stripe not before 1973 — and the clothes and cars do the rest.
I found a bought cartoon among the reels. Should I scan it?
You can, but you need not: we bill only for authentic family footage.
How much does it cost to find out what is on an anonymous reel?
Nothing. The manual check and the first minute are on us; only then do you decide whether to continue.
