Greetings, and welcome to this week’s edition of the FOREVER Digitization Connection! Thank you for taking the time to join us. Today, I’d like to clarify a common point of confusion about 50-foot film reels.

These reels are often stored in different types of cases, such as colorful plastic containers or yellow-and-red boxes. However, regardless of the packaging style, each reel has a 3-inch diameter and holds a total of 50 feet of film. To help you confirm this measurement, please refer to the helpful chart on page 9 of the Digitization booklet included in your FOREVER Box.

If you look closely at the yellow-and-red Kodak boxes, you might see labeling that suggests the reel contains only 25 feet of film—this is a bit misleading. Upon closer inspection, you’ll notice the term "Double" on the left side of the box. This term refers to how the footage is measured. Originally, the film was recorded on 16mm stock, with two parallel strips of film running the entire 25-foot length.

During processing, the film was split down the middle, creating two 8mm strips instead of a single 16mm strip. These two 25-foot 8mm strips were then spliced together, resulting in a 50-foot reel. This explains why the standard 8mm film reel holds 50 feet, even though the packaging may initially suggest only 25 feet.

It’s also helpful to know that the minimum charge for digitizing film reels with FOREVER is based on a 50-foot length, which corresponds to a $30 charge before any discounts are applied. In most cases, reels smaller than 50 feet are rare.

I hope this clarifies any questions you might have had about 50-foot film reels. Thank you again for joining us, and I wish you a wonderful rest of the weekend!