Storage

[CirrusKitfox]

Hello folks. I'm rather new to using super 8, I've only shot a couple reels but hope to do much more. Anyway, I'm always hearing that new film keeps longer in a cold environment. But what about storing processed film? Is there any good advice on atoring finished film so it will still be in great shape say, 20 years down the road (no vinager syndrome or the like)? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I hope to be able to post in the future about film projects I can share with everyone

[penshuffler]

I just returned to Super 8. I thought it was dead and buried and was about to throw out my gear and old films when I discovered this site and found that it lives on. (And long may it continue!)

Anyway, when I projected my old films (the oldest was shot by my father in 1976 and edited by me about 15 years later) they were beautiful - no degradation that I could see. The colours are great, pictures sharp. The films were kept inside their plastic 'cans', so the dust was kept off them. They were at the back of a cupboard, and so were out of the light. Other than that I did nothing to them. I just cleaned the projector before I ran the films through it.

I remember I did use film cleaner on the films when I finished editing them, so I suppose they were clean when they were put away. I don't know if this made a difference. I was also always careful never to touch the film except on the edges, and I used white gloves when editing. (Now I use surgical gloves.) They've been stored in both humid and dry climates.

Hope this helps.

[CirrusKitfox]

Yes, that does help a bit. Thanks

[Matt Pacini]

Keep in mind that Kodachrome will last upwards of 100 years!
It's the best archival quality film.
The new neg stocks, and Ektachrome will NOT last!
I realize that you most of us are not worried about our films lasting 100 years, but do some searching on the net, regarding film restoration, and you will see that this is a huge problem in the 35mm movie world.
Since Kodachrome 40 is by far the best stock to use on Super 8 (finest grain, by a factor of about 10! and beautiful rich colors), then I would suggest shooting on this for safest storage.
I would guess those old films you refer to were shot on K-40, so using the same storage technique for stocks other than K-40 will not keep as well.
You need to be more careful, in general, but I must admit, I can't be specific, since I myself only shoot on K-40 for many reasons...
Matt Pacini


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[penshuffler]

You're right Matt, they were K-40 films.

I do have a few black and white Tri-X films, that are "only" 17 years old, and still beautiful. I haven't any ektochrome or negatives to compare. I love the K-40 too.

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[Air Forbes]

I'm new to film, but I recently inherited my aunt's home movies from the 60's and 70's. They were stored in the same fashion as penshuffler's, and they look fine. They were also Kodak, although I don't have one handy to check exactly what kind.

From my experience with still photos and slides, I would say the keys to longevity are storing in suitable books/containers (in this case, the original packaging seems to be just fine), keeping the items in a place where they're not exposed to extremes of temperature or humidity. When I was a kid, our local school district ruined their entire film library when some bureaucrat decided they could save money by turning off the air conditioning to the room it was stored in. (Doh!) They weren't unviewable, they just all turned red. I've seen a similar effect on color photos that have been exposed to temperature extremes, particularly when they were in contact with one another.

Maybe Kodak or another film supplier has some more specific tips on their site?

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