Silver Salt Restoration

What Silver Salt Restoration does

Silver Salt Restoration Limited is a London-based specialist film and television restoration house founded in 2017 by industry veterans Steve Bearman, Ray King, Mark Bonnici, Anthony Badger and Nick Pannaman. The firm offers a 360-degree service spanning film preparation, cleaning, scanning, digital restoration, colour correction, audio restoration and transfer, and long-term LTO data archiving for enterprise clients. Customers include major studios and rights-holders (StudioCanal, Apple Corps), national archives (BFI, BBC Motion Gallery), boutique distribution labels (Criterion Collection, Arrow, Second Sight, Shout Factory, 88 Films, Blue Underground, Powerhouse Films) and streaming platforms (BritBox), with project work on titles such as The Deer Hunter, Hitchcock 9, The Third Man, Pride and Prejudice and Trainspotting.

The technology stack combines a multi-vendor software layer (Phoenix DVO, MTI Restoration, PF Clean, Diamant Film Restoration Suite with integrated AI tools, Dark Energy grain management, DaVinci Resolve Studio) with capital-intensive hardware including an Arri XT film scanner with wetgate, two DaVinci Resolve 4K HDR grading suites with Eizo Prominence and Sony BVM-HX310 reference monitors, Albrecht multi-format audio players, and a Cinetech BSF Hydra non-immersion film cleaner. Silver Salt was the first UK firm to deploy a Dolby Vision certified 4K HDR restoration workflow and the first to install the Cinetech Hydra cleaner in the UK.

The business model is bespoke, project-based professional services priced per engagement via direct enterprise sales. Following the September 2024 acquisition by John Gore Media Limited, the firm operates with a 10-person staff led by Managing Director Mark Bonnici as part of the John Gore Studios group. There are no self-service, marketplace, or channel-partner routes; all client relationships are managed directly and revenue is generated by per-project quotes for scanning, restoration, grading and archiving work.

Name

Silver Salt Restoration

Legal name

Silver Salt Restoration Limited

Website

https://silversaltrestoration.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Silver Salt Restoration is a London-based, 10-person film and television archive and restoration specialist offering 4K HDR Dolby Vision grading, scanning, digital and audio restoration, and LTO archiving to film studios, national archives, boutique distributors, and streaming platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Film and Television Restoration Services

NAICS

Repair and Maintenance (811)

SIC

Services-Photofinishing Laboratories (7384)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Restoration & Remastering (4K/8K Scan, Image Stabilization, Dirt/Scratch Removal) (MPADAMAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Color Restoration & Grading for Legacy Content (HDR/SDR Remaster) (MPADAMAC), Film Scanning & Digitization (Telecine, Frame-by-Frame, Metadata Capture) (MPADAMAE), Access & Distribution for Archives (Restored Masters, DCP Creation, Screening Deliverables) (MPADAMAJ)

Keywords

• Film restoration services
• Television archive restoration
• 4K HDR mastering
• Audio restoration transfer
• Film scanning digitisation

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Film and Television Restoration Services: Project-based restoration services including audio restoration, colour correction, cleaning, scanning, and digital restoration. Services are quoted per project based on client requirements and scope of work.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Silver Salt Restoration provides end-to-end film and television archive and restoration services from a London facility. The offering covers cleaning and film preparation, high-resolution scanning up to 6K, digital restoration up to 8K/16-bit, 4K HDR Dolby Vision grading, audio transfer and restoration, and long-term LTO data archiving, all delivered on a project basis to film studios, archives, distribution labels, broadcasters, and streaming platforms.

Product overview

Silver Salt Restoration offers a comprehensive 360-degree film and television restoration service, operating as a service provider rather than a single product. The portfolio includes interconnected services: Film Preparation (cleaning, logging, tracking), Cleaning Scanning Transfer (using Arri XT scanner for 8mm-35mm up to 6K), Restoration Services (Phoenix, MTI, PF Clean, Diamant, Dark Energy), Colour Correction and Grading (DaVinci Resolve with Dolby Vision HDR), Audio Transfer and Restoration, and Data Archiving (LTO tape storage). Services are delivered through London facility with 10 staff, serving clients including Apple Corps, BBC, BFI, StudioCanal, and Criterion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Film Restoration Comprehensive digital film restoration delivered to film studios, archives, and distribution labels, combining semi-automated and manual repair for dirt, scratches, flicker, chemical stains, warping, and grain management up to 8K resolution.
• Colour Correction DaVinci Resolve Studio colour grading and HDR mastering delivered across three grading suites, including 4K HDR and SDR at 1000 nits facility brightness using Eizo Prominence and Sony BVM-HX310 monitors, with Dolby Vision Certified workflow.
• Cleaning Scanning Transfer

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 6K native scanning resolution with 16-bit colour depth
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• HS Art Digital (Diamant)coreTechnology or Integration · 21 May 2024Silver Salt invested in Diamant's Film Restoration Suite with integrated AI tools to stay at the forefront of film restoration technology. The Diamant-Film Restoration Suite provides advanced automated tools for restoring film clarity and color with precision.
• CinetechcoreTechnology or Integration · 14 May 2024Acquired Cinetech's non-immersive BSF Hydra film cleaner, the first in the UK. This machine enables effective, economical, and environmentally conscious film cleaning using PTR rollers and Hydro naphtha solvent with up to 95% water reduction compared to traditional methods.
• ARRIcoreTechnology or IntegrationEquipment partner providing Arri XT film scanner with wetgate capability, offering 6K/4K and 3K/2K oversampling film scanning with infrared dirt maps, sprocket-less loop builders, and hoverscan optical stabilisation.
• Dolby LaboratoriescoreTechnology or IntegrationSilver Salt was the first company in the UK to use Dolby Vision Technology for restoring films in 4K HDR. They maintain Dolby Vision certified grading workflows.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• FotoKem: FotoKem is a long-standing US post-production and film restoration facility serving major studios and streamers with scanning, restoration, color and audio services. It is directly comparable to Silver Salt on full-stack restoration offerings and high-end enterprise client roster.
• Reliance Media (formerly Hollywood Vault / Pro8mm): Reliance Media provides high-resolution film scanning, digital restoration, color grading and archive services for studios, archives and content owners. It competes with Silver Salt in 4K+ restoration of legacy film and television content for boutique and major label clients.
• Park Road Post Production: Park Road Post is Peter Jackson's New Zealand facility offering film scanning, restoration, DI and color grading including 4K HDR Dolby Vision work on legacy titles (e.g., They Shall Not Grow Old). It is a directly comparable peer in premium restoration for high-profile catalog remasters.
• Colorlab: Colorlab is a US film and video restoration lab providing photochemical and digital restoration, scanning, color grading and archival services. It mirrors Silver Salt's boutique restoration positioning and serves archives, studios and independent distributors with comparable project-based workflows.
• Roundabout Entertainment: Roundabout is a boutique UK/US film restoration house offering 4K/8K scanning, digital cleanup, color grading and HDR remastering for studios and distributors. It competes head-to-head with Silver Salt for boutique label work (Arrow, Criterion-style accounts) and uses overlapping toolchains (Diamant, Phoenix, Resolve).
• Deluxe Restoration: Deluxe's restoration division is a global direct competitor to Silver Salt, offering film scanning, digital restoration, color grading and HDR mastering for major studios and streamers. Mark Bonnici himself was a Team Leader at Deluxe Restoration prior to founding Silver Salt, confirming direct overlap in workflow, tooling and customer base.
• DuArt Film & Video: DuArt is a historic New York-based post-production and film services company providing scanning, restoration, color grading and archival services. It overlaps with Silver Salt on film scanning, digital restoration and archive-driven client work for studios and distributors.

Broad incumbents

• Cinetech: Cinetech is both a major equipment vendor (whose BSF Hydra Silver Salt acquired) and a UK-based film lab offering scanning, cleaning and restoration services. It is comparable as a broader incumbent providing film handling/restoration infrastructure in addition to technology supply.
• Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging (MPI): MPI is Warner Bros.' in-house 4K film restoration and mastering facility handling the studio's catalog. It is comparable to Silver Salt as a 4K/8K scanning and HDR restoration provider, though it primarily serves a single studio's portfolio rather than acting as an external vendor.

Others

• HS Art Digital (Diamant): HS Art Digital is the developer of the Diamant Film Restoration Suite that Silver Salt deployed in 2024. It is adjacent/ecosystem-comparable as an enabling technology vendor whose tools underpin modern boutique restoration workflows, including those used by Silver Salt's direct competitors.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Silver Salt Restoration