Digital Sprockets Relies on Cintel Scanner for Restoration of Classic Mexican Films

Blackmagic Design today announced that its Cintel Scanner and DaVinci Resolve Studio are being used at film restoration and post production facility Digital Sprockets to restore a number of 35mm classic Mexican films from the 1940s, 1950s and 1980s.

Digital Sprockets was founded in 1994 by Benjamin Fernández Rodriguez Maribona in Mexico. With facilities in Mexico City and Los Angeles, Digital Sprockets’ services include scanning 35mm films in 4K RAW and HDR, as well as 16mm and S16mm in 2K RAW and HDR, restoration, color grading, post production, mastering and DCP quality control.

Digital Sprockets’ latest major project includes restoring films in 4K for one of the largest video on demand (VOD) platforms in Mexico, as well as a number of “Ficheras,” a Mexican comedy genre.

To restore these films, Fernández’s first step is making sure they are complete as oftentimes the films are missing scenes. After each roll of film has been marked in chronological order, Fernández mounts them on the Cintel Scanner to start transferring the negative of the image.

“I’ve been a Cintel Scanner user for years as it is extremely reliable, cost effective and doesn’t require a lot of power compared to other tools out there,” said Fernández. “It is also very simple to use, so when I’m working on big projects, I’m able to get the work done more efficiently.”

With the Cintel Scanner, Digital Sprockets is typically able to restore two films a week in 4K.

“It is a huge advantage to be able to complete a 4K restoration automatically. I start with scanning all of the images and sounds, and then the next day, I take care of the sync,” Fernández explained. “The Cintel Scanner also comes with DaVinci Resolve Studio which includes incredible features such as Revival tools. I am able to eliminate dust, lines, spotty parts, and other imperfections that are often part of these films. It’s just all around easier to get the work done.”

After the film has been cleaned up and transferred to 4K, Fernández relies on DaVinci Resolve Studio for color grading, editing and audio noise reduction.

“DaVinci Resolve Studio is a wonderful tool for us. It is very easy to use, and I can take care all of my post work in one place,” Fernández added. “Color grading the blacks and whites has never been easier, as is editing to stitch each scene together smoothly. In addition, I take advantage the Fairlight audio page which provides me with powerful tools to clean any background noise and level the loudness.”

“The Cintel Scanner is such an essential tool for all the work that we do at Digital Sprockets,” he concluded. “It has armed us with everything we need to work on projects quickly and effectively, and at the same time, this has resulted in us being able to take on more projects and grow our business throughout the years.”

About Blackmagic Design

Blackmagic Design creates the world’s highest quality video editing products, digital film cameras, color correctors, video converters, video monitoring, routers, live production switchers, disk recorders, waveform monitors and real time film scanners for the feature film, post production and television broadcast industries. Blackmagic Design’s DeckLink capture cards launched a revolution in quality and affordability in post production, while the company’s Emmy™ award winning DaVinci color correction products have dominated the television and film industry since 1984. Blackmagic Design continues ground breaking innovations including 6G-SDI and 12G-SDI products and stereoscopic 3D and Ultra HD workflows. Founded by world leading post production editors and engineers, Blackmagic Design has offices in the USA, UK, Japan, Singapore and Australia. For more information, please go to www.blackmagicdesign.com.