David Mackenzie: Director, Writer

🎬 Early Life: A Scottish Imagination in Motion

David Hugh Mackenzie was born 10 May 1966 in Corbridge, Northumberland, the son of Scottish parents whose roots ran deep into Perthshire and Dundee. His father, Rear Admiral John Mackenzie, served in the Royal Navy, and his mother, Ursula Balfour, maintained the family’s strong cultural ties to Scotland.

David grew up in rural Perthshire alongside his younger brother Alastair Mackenzie, who would later become a well‑known actor. The two brothers shared a creative streak from an early age—one that would eventually lead them to co‑found Sigma Films, a Glasgow‑based production company that became a cornerstone of Scotland’s modern film industry.

Converting old 8mm films

I inherited some old 8mm family movies from my mothers side of the family and want to save them for future generations.  In the past I had converted a two minute film from my dad's side of the family from 1958 using some software and a scanner.  This film had my great grandfather, grandparents, parents and aunt and uncle.  It turned out so well I decided to tackle it again.  This time I had six rolls of film.

Since there were more rolls this time I decided to build some additional components to help me out.  I first built a pair of reel holders out of wood with bolts for spindles.  Next I needed a way to advance the film a precise number of frames for each scan.  The one I built moves the film ahead 16 frames for each scan (1 second).  I also needed a gate to keep the film straight and in the same place for each scan.  The gate was built using a plastic ruler and an old plastic CD case which I cut to form a path for the film with a separate piece to hold the film against the glass of the scanner but not block the light or interfere with the image.