Prominent Indian directors and actors who have scanned their films in the 8k format include Mani Ratnam, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan.
“The cost of scanning a film is relatively cheaper than restoring it. Today, scanning old films in 8k is all about becoming future-ready. Film negatives are vulnerable. In future, when makers want their films in higher resolution, they can go back to their scanned 8k version,” explained Kavita Prasad, managing director, Prasad Corporation, one of the oldest film laboratories in India.
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According to film processing labs, the average cost of scanning films in the 8k format is in the range of Rs 25–50 lakh. For 4k format scanning, the average cost is in the range of Rs 7–20 lakh.
Scanning films in 8k is a strategic rather than a tactical decision, said industry veterans.“Today, new films, especially big-budget spectacle films, are shot digitally in 8k. Producers can monetise such films across multiple avenues. One of these is large-screen formats such as IMAX,” said Hiren Gada, CEO, Shemaroo Entertainment. “But scanning existing films in 8k is more of a strategic decision. Negatives are susceptible to natural decay due to climatic and storage conditions. Also, it is difficult to upgrade 4k content to 8k. However, it is easier to convert 8k resolution to 4k, given the high pixel density of 8k content,” he added.
Scanning films in 8k also helps significantly in digitally repairing and restoring images, said editors.
“A film restored in 8k can bring in visual aspects that may be missing in earlier formats. With the help of AI and VFX tools, a technician can repair images in an 8k version of a film to bring them as close to the original visual as possible,” said veteran editor Vaibhav Desai.
Scanned 8k films also fetch higher valuations for film libraries and licensing deals, said producers.
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“8k scanning and restoration of films are increasingly becoming value drivers for film libraries. They significantly improve licensing negotiations. We are already seeing demand from streaming platforms for the best available formats. Films with superior archival quality tend to command stronger deals, especially in global syndication and long-tail monetisation,” said Suniel Wadhwa, co-founder and director, Karmic Films.
Koushik Bhattacharya, founder, Quality Matters, a company involved in film restoration, echoes Wadhwa, “8k scanning of films is still in its nascent stage in India. But as observed in the West, demand for higher-resolution content is likely to grow rapidly in India as well. This demand is being driven by audiences and streaming platforms. So, there is huge scope for scanning and restoring films in the 8k format.”
