35mm Movie Scans Compilation

I’m attempting a huge crowdfunding project to get a list of 35mm films scanned, including Alien, Aliens, Blade Runner, Predator, The Running Man, Robocop, along with a list of horror titles, and more to follow. I’m working with a few other 35mm project leaders. The initial part will likely completed in February 2022, with further instalments released as per the dates listed. You can read all the details here;

https://www.bookofthedead.ws/online_portfolio/br_35mm_movie_scans_blu-ray_box-set.html

35mm print scanning is an expensive & time consuming business. It costs somewhere between $700/£590 to $1100/£920 to rent & scan each movie in 4K or 5K resolution (depending on running time), and even that is fans’ mates rates. The quality of the print, or popularity of the film doesn’t come in to it. Time-wise; might be anything from 1-3 months to get a batch of scans, and restoration work on each print might be another 1-2 weeks each.

Why watch a 35mm scan over a retail Blu-Ray version? The biggest draw for me is the overall experience of seeing a warts & all 35mm print, over a impeccably perfect and overly sanitised restored digital version. In addition, there is usually a wider un-cropped picture, no modern colour correction, and the original mono or stereo audio mixes. A genuine theatrical experience.

So to the pitch. Every few months, I’ll be asking everyone on this project’s mailing list for a set financial donation, which will vary each time according to the scanning costs and the number of contributors. From those funds, a set of 3-5 35mm movie scans (plus trailers) will be created, and every contributor will get those scans. There would never be any profit, as any funds left over once the rental/scanning costs are paid, rolls over in to later and/or additional scans. Each round of scans, pays for the next, and we’ll just see how far it can go.

Just completed work on the Return Of The Living Dead feature open matte 35mm scan, along with the trailer (both shown below). The movie has the original dual mono optical audio track, without any of the later rights alterations. Maniac & trailer are next up!

Just completed work on the Maniac feature open matte 35mm scan, along with the trailer (both shown below). Straw Dogs & trailer are next up!

Work on the Straw Dogs feature & trailer are now finished. Next up are the couple of misc trailers, including 35mm transfers of Sorcerer, The French Connection, Zombie, The Legend Of Hell House & Poltergeist.

Work on the Zombie/Zombie Flesh Eaters/Zombi2 (1979) 35mm scan feature & trailer are now finished. As are the 35mm trailers for Sorcerer (1977), The French Connection (1971), The Legend Of Hell House (1973), Alien (1979), Taxi Driver (1976) and Shogun Assassin (1980). Next up is the Taxi Driver (1976) 35mm feature, along with the Alien (1979) 35mm feature.

Another three 35mm trailer scans are done; Outland (1980), Goodfellas (1990) & The Parallax View (1974). Parallax was a real pig of a job, very faded print. I’ve given it three evening’s work and it still looks pretty rough.

Another two 35mm trailers done; Blade Runner (1982) and First Blood (1982)

I can now present the preview encodes of upcoming 35mm scan titles Blade Runner (1982), Predator (1987), Running Man (1987) & Taxi Driver (1976).

PLEASE NOTE: These are quick previews only, encoded from the raw scans as compressed MP4 files provided by the scanner. Each reel has been given a quick levels & colour grading pass, and cropped/upscaled for 1920x1080p encoding. they obviously need a lot more grading work. The final encodes from the raw scans will be higher quality, and have far more time put in to them. This is just so everyone can get a very rough idea of the quality of the print.

Here is the final encode of the 35mm scan of Seven (1995), along with 35mm trailer scans for Big Trouble In Little China (1986) and Creepshow (1982).