Buyer's Guide: Film-to-Blu-ray Tutorial: About Us
HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR HISTORY AND OUR LEVEL OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS
We have produced transfers for PBS and for other national broadcasts -- both directly and as subcontractors for private investors in those productions.
We have worked with
some of the oldest movie films in the US and with movie films that can
only be termed
“national treasures” -- a few of them "Legendary" -- as
follow:
- Admiral Byrd’s 1935 expedition to Antarctica (16mm) National treasure owned by private investor.
- Expedition into the Nyragongo Volcano in 1958 (8mm) -one of the first ever filmed - National treasure owned by private investor.
- 1940 Ringling Circus archives (16mm) National treasure owned by private investor.
- Indigenous People of Taiwan and Philippines (8mm) -- shot by the first missionaries to those areas – pre WWII -- the oldest films known (National Archives:Taiwan and the Philippines).
- "Oldest" known films of Tucson, Arizona (16mm) -- kept in "deep freeze" for over 50 years.
- First Auto Races on the Sands of Daytona Beach (National treasure owned by private investor).
- Emperor of Japan's personal news correspondence's world-wide movie film report from Pre-WWII (16mm) (National treasure of Japan - private investor) – as they prepared for that war; and
- 1942 Philippines’ Los Banos Japanese Prison Rescue (16mm) (public domain) largest “last minute” prison rescue in WWII history -- 1,200 POWs) and saw what living skeletons the same Emperor of Japan made of the people of Taiwan and Philippines -- and US Soldiers.
Some of our more recent work – National Archives of both the US and England (8mm) -- was previously "declassified" footage "of interest" by the US Defense Department and Scotland Yards -- for national security. This historical footage is being studied, frame-by-frame, by 2 major universities.
We have produced historical films for countless cities and towns, fire departments, football teams, State and Federal government archives, hundreds of hours on Vietnam, declassified ballistic missile test on high speed film There is only marginal utility in going on and on with this list. You get my drift -- we have earned our right to stand on our own merit.
Rail Road Films (8 and 16mm): For the "technocrats" of our craft -- commercial clients -- I must mention "rail road films" -- which for the accomplished studio -- is a subject of respect., Due to their level of difficulty, vintage rail road (RR) films are an infamous film transfer challenge. Most studios fail in their attempts to successfully transfer RR films -- to the true satisfaction of RR enthusiasts and RR museums. Trains are "big black objects" many times shot "against the sun" "or against bright backgrounds" creating a silhouette. Preserving and highlighting "the detail" in such film images requires team effort across several disciplines. Our success with RR films, as earned us the right to claim our fair share of this "market niche" for RR film clients. We have proven the quality of our studio with many "unsung" triumphs -- like Rail Road films.
With regard to Dirty Little Trade Secrets, much of our success within the "small format" film industry has been earned "the hard way" -- by trial and error and invention and re-invention -- driven by integrity. We have literally "trashed" much of the equipment that most companies brag about using -- upon realizing much of the equipment adapted from the "large format" film transfer industry is ill-suited for "small format film".
We can simply "look at a film transfer" and tell how it was produced -- based on our prior experience and experimentation; however, until we got into 'redoing" the work of "other studios" -- for domestic clients -- did we realize that there is a side of the film transfer industry -- the domestic market -- that does NOT strive for "high commercial integrity", but rather strive with "intent" that, in my opinion, "is criminal". This "element" in the industry has offered to "buy me out"-- in order to silence me -- many times.
Dirty Little Trade Secrets are NOT revealed by only a technology or technique used, but also by the "business model" that a company uses. We can only disclose our business model as a "leader in the industry", and let you contrast our "business model" within the context of Dirty Little Trade Secrets you are about to read about.
OUR BUSINESS MODEL-- VERY IMPORTANT:
"WE ARE A REFLECTION OF OUR CLIENTS"
Just as you seek the highest level of service, we seek the highest level
of client.
We believe that clients and companies -- of the same level of integrity --
seek each other out.
With a “Thankful” heart, the following is our integrity level:
We have already "proven ourselves" (see above) with some of the oldest and the most valuable, “legendary” films in the world -- produced for national broadcasters and private investors. Because we have achieved this level of success and quality, demand for our services is usually sold 3 to 5 months in advance -- from clients who feel our quality is worth waiting for. And, we have been sold in advance for over 10 years, now.
We produce a "branded product" that both I and our staff are proud to "put our names on". My name on a product, over the years, has become a Trademark of Quality. We do not perform third-party domestic transfers -- knowingly; however, other studios sometime pretend to be a client, pay "retail prices", then stripping off our graphics and replacing them with their studio name -- and resell our work as their own. I guess this is a complement of sorts.
Clients have actually use our service to "get their money back" from other studios -- who (used to) offered a money back guarantee IF AND ONLY IF another studio could redo the same film "better". Having basically "paid for their project twice", whether of not they ever got their "money back"-- none of these "redo clients" ever asked us for their money back, and, to date, are among some of our most gracious clients. Through this "redo" process, over the years, we have become familiar with the work of many major transfer companies that surprised -- and disappointed -- even us. Thus the need for Dirty Little Trade Secrets™. Since we have "redone" their dirty little work -- we know their dirty little secrets!
As for our own work, we must decline many requests for quotes once we have reached 5 to 6 month mark in advanced sales. Due to demand, we simply do not have a need to do "test reels" for domestic clients; and due to our reputation, our new commercial clients do not ask for 'test reels".
Ironically, the integrity of our "business model" is in fact -- "like" a continuous stream of "test reels" -- backed with a money back guarantee!
Our
business model – has always protected our clients by
1) affording our clients approval of our work – in stages (now on DVD), on
their own equipment -- before they make final payment(s); and
2) backing our work with guarantee of 100% money back -- if any stage of
our work is not “better” than the original film.
Despite our longer delivery times (because we do a lot more work than a "single-pass film transfer machine") and our higher prices, the most ardent critic must conclude the quality of our work is reflected in our clients’ pleasure – after waiting for our work, after approving each stage of our work, and then, after paying higher prices for our work -- in stages. We have never had one request for “money back”.
These criteria are sufficient to attract "the level" clients – in both quality and quantity -- that I enjoy “working with”.
At this time, we are accepting new clients and their projects. We invite you to entertain the idea of adding your project to our list of accomplishments and clients -- by requesting a price quote for your project. We also invite you to read our unsolicited testimonials. Most people take several days to read this site. Getting your request for a price "out of the way" now, you may have a quote by the time you finish "absorbing" what is being said, and you can be ready for your quote -- with "informed questions" for me -- knowing the price of your project.
Upon your request for a price quote, I will be sending you a quote assuming in good faith that, as our client, you are a good match for the level of our accomplishments. We hope, we may have “the pleasure” of serving you – to an end – we are confident – will be your pleasure, too.
THE LEADER
IN THE SMALL FORMAT MOVIE FILM TRANSFER INDUSTRY:
We are not just a “movie film transfer” studio. "Film transfer" is only a minor step in our multi-step service.
We are multi-disciplined specialists in
1) Small Format Antique
Movie Film Repair, and
2) Digital Transfer of Antique and Damaged Movie Films, and
3) Post-Production Digital Restoration and
4) Post-Production Digital Enhancement and Re-colorization, and
5) Digital Format Transcoding, and
6) Physical Media and Virtual Packaging, and
7) Mass Media Distribution & Webcasting.
Perfection in first stage is amplified by perfection in successive stages – making our final product “better than the original”. Over-riding a “state-of-the-art” machine with “knowledge-of-the-art”, is known as “value-added judgment”. This “value-added judgment” is what a jet pilot brings to a state-of-the-art jet -- that can literally fly itself – until it is disabled by a flock of geese and forced to land in a river.
We prep your movie film, then capture it digitally, then enhance the images, and then re-color the images in your movie film – in a work flow from one technology to another – getting to know your movie film -- “what it is” -- but also knowing -- “what it can be”.
We actually have "meetings" about your film - passing on information and production notes about the previous stage -- so that the next stage will be "the best it can be".
This “value-added” – or added value – added stage by stage -- to the exceptions and problems in your very old and very worn original images, is the reason I can guarantee your final product will be BETTER THAN YOUR ORIGINAL MOVIE FILM – better than what ANY "competitor's" single-pass machine – run by someone living -- to punch-out for a break, lunch, and the end of a boring day.
Little League "armchair" clients -- read equipment reviews -- of "Little League" transfer "mills", to determine the "best equipment" for their film -- when in fact, they can not even determine what gauge their film is, if their film has "vinegar syndrome" or not, if it is even "SOUND FILM" or not.
They have no clue as to what shrikage their family films have after 50 years, much less 70 years, nor the degree of "projector burn" the surface of the film may have developed. They have no clue as to whether the splices in their film are "tape" or "press tape" or "glue" or "hot glue" or "abutted" or "overlapped" -- say nothing of havinve a clue as to "how tired" the splices in their film are. These clients are NOT in our league.
SINCE WE "REDO" THEIR DIRTY LITTLE WORK -- WE KNOW THEIR DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS!
For example, any company bragging their equipment offers "pull-down patterns" are actually warning the public that they have adapted a piece of equipment from the "large format" movie film industry -- which (they do not tell you) will introduce "judder" (irregular extra frames) into a "synchronized" "scanned" image. We trashed that technology -- long ago -- when we realized, both in theory and practice, "NO PULL-DOWN PATTERN" IS APPROPRIATE FOR ANY SMALL FORMAT FILM -- originally shot slower than 24fps. More later.
MAJOR LEAGUE WORK: We have "the technology" -- to capture "the grain" ON "the grain" in film -- and it works great on new, or "like new" film; however, many "sanning methods" also give you "raw light" though the scratches in old film. (Do you have scratches in your film?) With "OLD FILM" we must adapt -- or even switch scanning -- methods -- to alter the "raw white light" into "neutral grey light". That is just one "little" difference in our service. We do not hold ourselves, or client interests -- their film -- captive to a sales pitch -- or a piece of equipment. We are NOT in that "League" of service. Our League is "Client-Film Centered Service".
Most companies, who would elevate their image by calling themselves, “our competitors”, simply are not in our "League". Ours is the league of “hard work”, “long hours”, and “commitment” to exceed "our own personal best".
In our League, the argument for quality, "my bat is bigger and thus better than your bat", is the argument of "little league".
That “we lead” and “they follow” is a quiet pride at the end of a day’s work -- added to a long list of accomplishments -- which are our standard for quality.
THIS IS OUR "SALES PITCH" -- TO ATTRACT THE LEVEL OF CLIENT WE SEEK:
As part of our list of accomplishments, we are equally proud to have preserved images - of the American Family. Yes, we have done “private work” for families whose names are internationally recognized; but we treat our domestic clients' home movie film as no less valuable than any of the above.
In truth, your films are an important part of a much larger story of "the extraordinary" -- the ordinary men and women and children -- of this, our, great nation of families -- who have repeatedly risen to the challenge -- to become the unsung heroes -- of every war and peace and economic tribulation and natural disaster:
AND YOUR FILMS are PART of the uncensored record of what really happened during the Golden Age of America; and YOUR PART -- your "life and times" -- deserve PRESERVATION for YOUR future generations to likewise say, "This is PART of who I am!"
Because of "our" guarantee, our “added value” (see below) and the way we do business, we routinely have pre-sales roughly 3 to 5 months in advance -- from clients who feel our quality is worth waiting for. Proof of their satisfaction is their many letters of thanks; repeat business, referrals -- and, the one letter we have NOT received -- for all my years in business – a letter asking for a refund.
This honor, given to us from clients past, is the foundation of our commitment to you and your movie films. This honor – something freely given to us -- something money can not buy -- is the only requirement for true "competitors" to be “in our league” -- and thereby welcomed. This honor is "our" true honor -- to serve you, too.
If your heart can swell with pride, knowing you are in the company of so many of our clients like yourself, then we invite you to join our League of Clients.
 |
 |
|
Me, first haircut, 1955 (Picture from 8mm movie film) |
Me, thankful to still have some hair. |
Bruce Mayfield, Founder and Owner
MBA,
MSPsy, BSCS
d.b.a. (doing business as)
Film-to-DVD.com & Film-to-Video.com & Film-to-Blu-ray
Resume
Experience: Doing business as Mayfield Productions and as a former Producer at WFGX TV, now a Fox affiliate, Bruce has over 20 years experience in photography, videography, and television.
Film-to-Video.com: "The first" small format movie film transfer company to switch to Digital Video format on MiniDV tape -- literally a couple of days after MiniDV technology was introduced in the national press. Bruce invested in the first "fully digital studio" dedicated to "small format film" -- 8mm, Super 8, and 16mm movie film -- in the USA. He was one of the first studios to use DVDs -- thus creating Film-to-DVD.com. When writable Blu-ray was introduced, Bruce created Film-to-Blu-ray.com.
Less than a decade after going digital, Bruce expanded the "Master Video Tape" concept to a new concept called Digital-Film™ -- to include all "archive worthy" data file formats -- which he calls Archive Master™ files.
Most recently, Bruce was first to introduced "virtual video disc" products to the film transfer industry -- VIRTUAL-DVD™ disc and VIRTUAL-Blu-ray™ disc. Virtual discs are data structures that "act like" a physical disk -- without the need of a physical disc drive or disc player. If placed on a Memory Card, they are playable on hand-held video devices -- like iPhone or iPad. Bruce also introduced the first Memory Card loaded with virtual disc -- calling it a Home Movie Card™.
Bruce makes physical Blu-ray discs and DVD discs, and with such a broad line of both virtual and physical products, Bruce introduced the concept of 3 Stage Digital Archiving™ which consist of 1)Video Format Diversity™, 2)Virtual Disc Diversity™, and 3) Physical Media Diversity™ -- into an industry where most studios offer only a generic DVD.
Bruce is now pioneering "streaming video" in H.264 for Webcasting products targeting iPhones, YouTube, and most handheld mobile devices. Like using NetFlix, a client can have a centralized internet distribution point for Home Videos on Demand™.
Bruce also introduced HDTV Re-Colorization™ to the small format movie film transfer industry -- an aggressive technique for re-adapting RGB black balance to the new standards allowed by HDTV -- a procedure previously unthinkable within the limits of NTSC TV technology. The result is a restoration of deep green, and to video where the dye colors in the original movie film have grown "tired" rendering the unprocessed image "black" instead of "green"; and, "normalizing" the "magenta shift" and "red shift" -- so typical of Super 8 movie film and Regular 8mm movie films -- at the same time. These color anomalies can not be corrected by traditional "white balance" and "blank balance" technologies -- and in extreme cases -- can never be corrected by any technology.
Bruce literally trashed much of the digital video technology that is still being used today by most movie film transfer studios -- to which he refers to as "the transfer mills" -- adapting to the shift to HDTV, Blu-ray, and H.264 AVCHD technologies while at the same time, avoiding their pitfalls on behalf of his clients.
Years ago, as a Computer Systems Specialist, he successfully side-stepped the error of using MPEG2 (DVD) digital technology for archiving movie film -- instead, choosing MiniDV -- which later become "the standard" of consumer, prosumer, and professional studios.
Today, as that technology shifts toward Solid State Disk (SSD) and SDHC, once again, he is reinventing the industry and continues to be a consumer advocate in the Movie Film Transfer Industry -- making the public conscience of the pros and cons of domestic movie film preservation.
Education: BS in Computer Systems, MBA in Marketing & Management, and MS in Clinical Counseling & Psychology. Minor in Music and Theater Arts with an emphasis in Media Arts.
Other: CEU credits, as a graduate of Landmark Education, Bruce continues both his professional and personal education.
Personal Thoughts:
Bruce has a personal interest in helping families preserve their sense of identity and unity. "Who we are as a family?" and "Where we come from?", are very important questions that a family must answer -- to stay a family. Home movies are nothing short of a resurrection of both the images and memories of our "loved ones" past and present.
Old "home movies" allow family members, of all ages, to celebrate their own "cycle of life" -- birth, rites of passage, mythological motifs, survival, and death -- in a very personal way.
Bruce states, "I know of no better way to get families to talk to each other again than letting them watch their home movies together. It invites families to think about what is really important!"
Now we are one of the few companies that offer a true "master file archiving concept". This is more expensive and time consuming, but it is "the right way to do it" -- so we do it. It is something I am personally proud of.
I have been in business long enough to have proven beyond any shadow of doubt, that my clients -- past and present -- are able to adapt their archives to technology shifts -- to face the future, with "full frame", "high resolution" masters. I know I have rendered a "true service" that will prove a "true value" -- time and time again -- which will span the test of time.
My Staff
One of my best kept secrets -- and gift from God -- is that I have been able to hire some of the best people in the world to work for me. A company can have the best equipment in the world to work with, but if the person running it has not both the "head and the heart" to do a superior job, you will only get a mediocre result. However, given someone with both the "head and heart" to do their best -- even if given only "adequate" equipment -- you will get a superior result. Give the best people and diversity in the best equipment for the many problems we encounter, we feel truly blessed.
Most of my staff are artists in this craft -- not technicians -- which makes all the difference. Finally, but not lastly, they truly care about our clients and know them not only by name, but know them by images and faces that shaped their lives - and who they are today.
A Consumer Advocate In the Movie Film Preservation Industry:
We were informed by a member of the Smithsonian that our clients constitute a majority of movie film archives that are "acceptable" by the Library of Congress as a part of our National Domestic Archive. The great tragedy is that almost all footage now on VHS and DVD does not qualify, and will be lost to future generations because of "transfer mills". We encourage our clients to make copies of their MiniDV tapes and donate them to the NDA -- as there is no funding to acquire domestic footage for this archive.
For years now, we have been the only consumer advocate in our industry -- pleading the virtues of digital longevity of digitizing to metal particle tape -- shunning DVD as an archive medium. As the archive world, including the Library of Congress and IBM, now take a firm stand against DVDs as an archive medium, stating that only movie film footage preserved on digital metal particle tape will stand the test of time, we now rest our case -- triumphantly -- against the damages to our domestic archives -- wrought by the "transfer mills". Both our products and our quality will endure the test of time -- at the shame of the "transfer mills", and (unfortunately) at the expense of their clients. It is our opinion, in light of public data now available about the longevity of DVDs, that any "transfer mill" selling that DVDs -- as an archive -- may well be inflicting damages upon the public -- for which they, "the mills" may be liable.
As demand for magnetic tape declines in the market -- shifting to chip technologies like SSD and SDHC, we would like to think that our voice, joining the choir of so many others who have joined our cause -- for "archive worthy media" -- has been a motivational and economical force affecting the recent development of the "archive gold" type technology in both DVDs and Blu-ray. Even though the formats of DVD and Blu-ray fall profoundly short of "archive standards" the longevity of the new "archive gold" type media - as a "data store" does provide a safe haven for any given data format. Video data format must be chosen wisely and MUST NOT be left to the media manufacturers who cater only to those companies who's interests are served by "play only" formats like MPEG-2 and AVCHD and H.264 formats.
In the face of recent technology shifts, we have been force to examine all video formats and all media types in the many combinations that will satisfy our definition of "archive worthy". We are confident that we can achieve our own standards -- the highest in our industry -- and thereby, once again, challenge our industry to new standards. These new standards will become the subject of this website -- which is -- has always been -- a work in progress.
In short, we are proud of our work, of our stance -- to archive movie films with integrity and longevity; and, we are proud of what we have done to preserve the National Legacy of the American Family -- which is dominated by a long list of our clients. In context of our success, we do not need your business, but rather, we want your business, and, it is now your choice to add your name to that list of proud successes who have "honored us" and who's "honor" we now strive to uphold.
Finally, the highest honor we have -- though out the years, comes not from money, nor having "big" ( internationally recognized ) clients", nor even the high visibility of some of our work. Our highest honor, sadly, comes from our hospice clients. They choose our service to preserve their memory as a last act of their love to their family. This is a holy charge that we do not take lightly. We are deeply honored and humbled and made to realize -- with true gratitude for what is important in life, and life itself -- the work we do is so important. It is a sweet sorrow where laughter is found in tears and the restful repose in a smile and nodding of the head becomes the ultimate gift of peacefully letting go -- in order to just let go, as we all must.
As one of my clients said to me, paraphrased, "My video is nothing short of a brief, but priceless resurrection of so many people I have loved..", (chuckle), "...and, now finally, learned to love -- which is good, because I will soon join them. The most important thing to me now, is to want to watch this thing with my family -- one last time -- and know I have passed my living memories on to my kids; and I know these memories will become the only living memories for their kids, and their kids -- of us, our lives, and our times -- which now have the chance to live on in them."
That I strive to be a leader in this industry, comes from the inspiration from my clients, not the desperation for clients. I think you understand.
Now that you know who I am and why I've made this tutorial, let's go to my Tutorial.