Film Development and Scanning Project

Each roll of film costs about $20 to develop and scan professionally. With hundreds of rolls planned for this project, home development could significantly reduce ongoing costs.

Equipment Required:

• Development tank and reels

• Chemical storage containers

• Temperature control system

• Film changing bag

• Light box for scanning

• Film holders

• Copy stand

• Chemicals for development (ongoing)

I'm building this setup piece by piece as the project progresses. Here’s an example of what those components look like for film development and film scanning.

An added benefit of developing at home is the ability to control each part of the process.

While the initial setup cost is substantial, having this equipment would allow me to process film throughout the project rather than paying per roll. The savings add up quickly - developing 200 rolls at a lab would cost around $4,000, not including the cost of film itself. Yikes.

Example Film Scanning Setup