Traditional film restoration techniques in a digital world

In our present world of great technological advancements, we are constantly aware of the enormous changes that digital technology has made to our industry. It seems that every, week we read how this technology has changed the way production and post-production in both film and video is accomplished. And frequently, we are treated to the re-release of great movies in their new digitally restored versions. The results achieved are truly amazing, bur as awe-inspiring as these results are, an often overlooked fact is that the cost of restoration via digital techniques frequently surpasses the original cost of production. The use of traditional techniques for restoring film elements is the methodology of choice for the majority of film producers and distributors, This paper will describe some of the considerations that must be made when assessing the condition of available printing materials and how this assessment is used to determine the equipment and techniques required for a successful restoration.