Our Scanning & Restoration Process
At Vinegar Syndrome, restoration starts with a simple goal: to get as close as possible to the experience of seeing a film the way it was originally intended to be seen.
For most of the films we work with, that means a theatrical experience. Our job is not to make an older film look new. It is to preserve the character of the original photography and bring that experience into a modern home video environment as faithfully as possible.
Whenever possible, we work with original filmmakers to establish the proper color, framing, contrast, density, and overall look and feel of the film.
Film restoration is ultimately performed by people, not machines.
Vinegar Syndrome has a full-time crew of nearly 10 people working across film transfer, digital restoration, and asset management, with our Restoration Artists bringing more than 60 years of combined experience to the work.
That experience matters. Every film presents its own problems, and knowing what to fix, and just as importantly, what to leave alone, is a huge part of doing this work properly.
Our scanning and restoration facility exists exclusively for Vinegar Syndrome's own preservation and home video projects. It is not a commercial lab and does not accept outside work.
Preparing the Film
Before anything is scanned, the physical film has to be properly prepared.
Our transfer and restoration teams work closely with the Vinegar Syndrome Film Archive, where elements are inspected, cleaned, and physically repaired as needed. Splices, damaged areas, and other potential problems are addressed before scanning so that we can get the safest and best possible transfer from the surviving film.
We operate several Lipsner-Smith film cleaning machines using dry, alcohol-based, and solvent-based systems, allowing us to select the right approach for each element.
The quality of any restoration starts with the film itself.
Scanning
Our primary scanner is an ARRISCAN XT 6K, equipped with both Archival and Mechanically Pinned gates for 16mm and 35mm film.
This is the workhorse of our scanning operation and is used for the majority of our most demanding projects. We generally scan at resolutions higher than 4K and remain at the scanner's native 1:1 resolution throughout the restoration and color process. We only downconvert the image when we create the final home video deliverables.
This means our Restoration Artists are working with as much information from the original film as possible throughout the entire process.
Our second scanner is a Lasergraphics ScanStation, capable of handling film gauges from 8mm through 35mm with optical image stabilization. Its flexibility makes it especially useful for smaller-gauge material, shorts, supplements, and other projects where it is the better tool for the job.
Restoration Without Reinvention
Once scanning is complete, digital restoration begins.
Our restoration department operates six Phoenix restoration suites, all capable of working with image sequences at resolutions higher than 4K. Depending on the material, our Restoration Artists may remove dirt and debris, repair scratches, correct instability and flicker, rebuild damaged frames, and address other damage caused by age, handling, and wear.
Much of this work is performed manually, sometimes frame by frame.
Before & After
Experience the Difference
Bloody Psycho
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Restored in 4K
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Scanned from it's 16mm original camera negative
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Presented in Dolby Vision High-Dynamic-Range
Bloody Psycho (Alternate Slipcover)
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Restored in 4K
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Scanned from it's 16mm original camera negative
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Presented in Dolby Vision High-Dynamic-Range
The Beastmaster
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Restored in 4K
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Scanned from it's 35mm interpositive
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Presented in High-Dynamic-Range
Just as important is knowing what not to remove.
AI-based image restoration is not used in our process.
We use modern technology to reveal what's already on the film—not to create something that was never there.
Trust the Process
Color and Framing
Color grading is managed and overseen by Vinegar Syndrome using DaVinci Resolve.
Whenever possible, we work with original filmmakers and surviving reference materials to establish the intended presentation of the film. Color, contrast, brightness, framing, and density all have a major impact on how a movie feels, so these decisions are treated as an essential part of the restoration.
A film photographed decades ago should still look like a film photographed decades ago. Our goal is to present it from the best surviving materials, with the advantages of modern scanning and display technology, without losing what made the image look the way it did in the first place.
Sound
Our audio department operates an extensively upgraded Magna-Tech sound reproducer capable of transferring a wide range of optical and magnetic film soundtracks.
We maintain an analog signal path for as much of the transfer process as possible before the audio enters the digital restoration environment, helping preserve the natural tonal character of the original soundtrack.
Our primary audio restoration platform is iZotope RX 12, which allows us to address clicks, pops, hum, hiss, dropouts, distortion, and other forms of damage without making an older soundtrack sound unnaturally new.
Quality Control
After restoration, grading, and sound work are complete, the finished elements are conformed and reviewed in our Mac-based editing suites.
Every project then goes through multiple layers of quality control, including file-based QC of the finished master and multiple disc-based passes after authoring.
That distinction matters. A master file can be correct while problems are still introduced during encoding, authoring, or disc production.
For us, the restoration process does not end until the final disc has been checked.
Preserving the Work
Once a project is finished, our Digital Asset Manager oversees long-term backup of the completed master to multiple LTO data tapes.
For films owned by Vinegar Syndrome or physically housed within the Vinegar Syndrome Film Archive, we may also preserve the original raw scans and selected intermediate restoration assets.
The work performed for today's UHD or Blu-ray should also contribute to the long-term preservation of the film.
Film First
The technology available to us continues to improve, but our philosophy remains fairly simple.
Start with the best surviving materials. Put them in the hands of people who know how to work with them. Handle them carefully. Scan them at the highest practical quality. Repair damage without erasing the photographic image. Work with the people who made the film whenever possible. And use modern technology to reveal what is already there rather than creating something that never was.
The Work You’re Not Supposed to Notice
Some of the most time-consuming work we do is also the work we hope you never notice.
A successful restoration shouldn't constantly remind you that you're watching a restoration. Ideally, the technical problems disappear, the film takes over, and you never have to think about what happened behind the scenes.
Here are a few examples of the things our Restoration Artists regularly encounter—and occasionally lose a few days of their lives fixing.
Getting in Sync!
Starting From Scratch. Again.
Frankenstein Lives!