Digitizing Family Memories: From 8mm to AI Analysis

Many years ago, I inherited something special from my grandfather: his complete collection of 8mm films, including a projector and camera. These reels had been sitting in my basement, with me always intending to digitize them “someday”. That someday finally came about a month ago when I decided to have them professionally processed.

The investment was significant - €580 for 11 films, each approximately 25 minutes long - but the results are priceless. These silent films have opened a window to my family’s past, showing moments I never thought I’d see: my parents’ wedding, my birth in 1978, my sister’s early days, and even footage of my mother when she was just 15 years old.

My parents wedding, screenshot from digitized 8mm film

While the films don’t include audio, the visual quality is remarkable, and seeing these familiar faces from decades ago is incredibly moving. It’s fascinating to see how people I know today looked in their younger years, and to witness important family moments that happened before I was born or when I was too young to remember.

Klaas Bals, born on November 30, 1978, screenshot from digitized 8mm film

I couldn’t resist adding a technical twist to this project. I created a small application that detects faces in these videos and generates an HTML report. Using Cursor, I was able to build this in less than two hours. It’s amazing how modern technology can help us analyze and organize these historical family documents in ways that weren’t possible before.

You can check out the technical details of this project in my projects section.

This whole experience has reminded me of the importance of preserving family memories. While the initial cost of digitization might seem high, having these moments preserved digitally for future generations is absolutely worth it. Plus, being able to apply modern technology to these historical films adds an entirely new dimension, and was a great learning experience.