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History of Scanners Timeline
(1957–Present)The history of scanners traces the development of technologies that convert photographs, documents, objects, and other physical information into digital data. It spans early drum scanners, flatbed and handheld devices, optical character recognition, and modern 3D and smartphone scanning. More Less
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Development and production
Scanners scripts are developed
1970 - 1979
David Cronenberg developed the scripts The Sensitives and Telepathy 2000, which became the basis for Scanners.
Image source: Scanners
Cronenberg plans a Roger Corman pitch
1970 - 1979
Cronenberg planned to pitch The Sensitives and Telepathy 2000 to producer Roger Corman before beginning work on The Brood.
Future Complex is identified as a Roche building
1972
The Future Complex used for the ConSec exterior had been erected in 1972 by the pharmaceutical company Roche Holding.
Pierre Trudeau passes film tax shield
1974
Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau passed a 100-percent Capital Cost Allowance tax shield for film investors, a policy that later shaped the financing and production circumstances of Scanners.
Image source: Pierre Trudeau
Canadian film subsidies shape production
1974 - 1980
The tax-shield system helped define the environment in which many Canadian film productions of the 1970s and early 1980s were financed.
Future Complex serves as ConSec headquarters
1979
The Future Complex building in Vaudreuil-Dorion provided the exterior of the fictional ConSec headquarters.
Scanners enters rushed production
1979
Scanners was rushed into production to claim available subsidies, even though it lacked a finished script and constructed sets.
Scanners production reaches $4.1 million
1979
Scanners was produced on a budget of $4.1 million, equivalent to approximately $16,830,500 in 2025.
Cronenberg describes Scanners as difficult
1979
The demanding effects work, complex story, unfinished script, and unconstructed sets made Scanners one of David Cronenberg's most difficult productions.
Filming begins in Montreal
Oct 30, 1979
Principal photography on Scanners began in Montreal on October 30, 1979.
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Key Facts
- In 1957, Russell Kirsch and his team created an early digital image scanner at the U.S. National Bureau of Standards and scanned a portrait of Kirsch's infant son.
- Drum scanners, developed in the mid-20th century, used photomultiplier tubes to capture highly detailed images and became important in publishing and prepress work.
- Flatbed scanners became widely available in the 1980s and 1990s, making high-quality document and photograph scanning practical for offices and homes.
- Optical character recognition (OCR) enabled scanners to convert printed text into editable, searchable digital documents.
- Modern scanners include sheet-fed, handheld, film, 3D, and mobile-camera systems, with cloud integration and artificial intelligence improving speed and accuracy.
Source
This History of Scanners timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.
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