Recently, Phil Maher, Founder of Stockfilm, contacted me about their service. Stockfilm holds 162,000+ searchable clips scanned from 1,583 physical 8mm and Super 8mm film reels spanning the 1930s to 1980s. This is not a scanning service, it is a library of clips which can be licensed.
NOTE: Stockfilm files can be used in any NLE – Final Cut, Premiere, Resolve, Avid… and more.
As I usually do when I discover something new, I asked Phil if I could email him some interview questions. Almost immediately, Phil returned the interview and asked my questions for me. (Something I’ve never seen before!)
So, here is Phil’s self-interview, followed by a PDF containing instructions on how to use Stockfilm, plus access to three Stockfilm samples.
INTERVIEW
Question: What does real home-movie footage give an editor that a vintage effect does not?
Phil: Evidence. A filter can imitate grain and color, but it cannot recreate the unconscious details of a period: how a family occupied a room, how someone reacted to a camera, what was parked on the street, or how clothing moved. Those small, unscripted details are usually what make an archival cut feel believable.
Question: What is the most common technical mistake editors make with 8mm or Super 8?
Phil: Assuming the camera’s historical frame rate is automatically the frame rate they should assign to the delivered digital file. The master may already be conformed to a modern rate. Inspect the asset and watch ordinary movement before changing speed. Reinterpreting the wrong file can create a problem that was not there.
Question: Is optical flow the best way to smooth archival motion?
Phil: Sometimes, but not by default. It can work beautifully on a clean, simple shot and fail badly on grain, scratches, water, quick pans, or overlapping movement. I start with frame sampling because it preserves the original cadence, then test optical flow only where the shot truly benefits.
Question: Why scan 8mm in 4K if the film does not resolve like a modern 4K camera?
Phil: A 4K scan is not a claim that 8mm suddenly contains modern-camera sharpness. It is a way to avoid throwing away what the film does contain: grain structure, edge information, color transitions, and useful room for gentle reframing or stabilization. That headroom is especially useful when the final program is HD.
Question: How far should an editor go when cleaning up old film?
Phil: Far enough that damage no longer distracts from the story, but not so far that the footage loses its physical character. Grain, slight weave, and stock-specific color are not automatically defects. If the audience notices the restoration more than the moment, the treatment has probably gone too far.
Question: What should an editor preserve along with the media file?
Phil: Keep the original licensed master, the clip ID, source URL, license, invoice, and any date, location, reel, or rights notes. Archival footage is both an image and a record. Good provenance makes the next conform, legal review, or re-license much easier.
Question: What does it cost?
Phil: Stockfilm holds 162,000+ searchable clips scanned from 1,583 physical reels spanning the 1930s to 1980s, with direct licensing at a flat $149 for the 4K master, royalty-free and worldwide.
EXTRA CREDIT
This PDF from Stockfilm explains what you need to know to successful use Stockfilm. It also include three free samples in a link at the end.
