Preserving the Sights and Sounds
Preserving Sights and Sounds – Challenges in the Preservation of Television and Film Archives
By: Nicholas D. Eisengruber
Definition of Project
The goal of this project is to examine the logistics and challenges in long-term retention and curation of television and film audiovisual materials. Different parameters separate manuscript archives from audiovisual archives, and often institutions struggle in creating access and space for non-manuscript materials. An examination of the scholarly literature concerning the preservation of television and film archives includes storage, copyright, digital curation, and access. Today’s technological landscape also creates problems for aging or obsolete audiovisual mediums. There is a pressure to create easier digital playback options for these formats. Holdings which consist of formats like VHS, Betamax, U-Matic, et cetera mean that archives also must maintain machines that can adequately playback these materials.
Annotations
den Kamp, C.O. (2016). Too good to be forgotten: the copyright dichotomy and the public-sector audiovisual archive. International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives (IASA) Journal, 46, 33-41.
With the preservation and curation of audiovisual archives, the assumption is that institutions will provide these materials for future research purposes. There is the fear among archivists and researchers that United States copyright law could hinder archives’ ability to provide access to these audiovisual materials. If an archival institution holds the materials, but does not have the copyrights to these materials, access can be legally restricted. This publication details why copyright can limit the visibility of audiovisual materials and their overall research impact. After all, what is the point of preserving these materials if they cannot be examined?
Goh, E. (2014). Clear skies or cloudy forecast? Legal challenges in the management and acquisition of audiovisual materials in the cloud. Records Management Journal, 24(1), 56-73.
The legislation of cloud-based archives is still a matter that is up in the air. Discussing how cloud-based archives are not subject to current archival laws and legislation, numerous risks are mentioned. Without legislation, standards, and policies in place for cloud-based audiovisual materials, questions like ownership, availability, and copying become major issues. This article examines each of these issues and proposes alternatives for the archival profession to pursue in order to mitigate risks involved with cloud-based archives. By further researching maritime law and other extraterritorial jurisdictions, lawmakers can develop laws for the management and access to archival materials in the cloud. Currently, major risks concerning cloud-based data are ownership, copying, and moving data across borders. With a viable extraterritorial or international law system in place, these risks are eliminated.
Horwath, A. (2017). The old life. Reframing film “restoration”: some notes. Journal of Film Preservation, 96, 27-33.
Arguing that film archives are not simply just the ‘movie,’ Horwath said that the medium can be a part of the history of film. The technology that played movies in the 1920s is vastly different than today’s, and that technology should play a part in future research of 1920s films (rather than just the movie itself). This comes in direct contrast with most current scholarship, which acknowledges the role that digital curation can have on old formats and mediums. As an antithesis to modern preservation, this publication reiterates that films must be accessible in the way they were made. The argument made is that film restoration exists as an entire system, not just the preservation of the movie itself. Understanding how film worked in a particular era as opposed to ‘saving old films’ is the crux of the idealistic article. Certain problems that could limit this level of film preservation include eventual degradation of film itself, storage space, limited, antiquated equipment, et cetera.
McKernan, L. (2017). Audiovisual archives and the web. Journal of Film Preservation, 96, 35-39.
This article examines how digitally born audiovisual materials like YouTube videos impact archiving. YouTube maintains and gives access to millions of videos for free 24/7; this has led to an expectation about the availability of audiovisual materials online and archival institutions are playing catchup in order to provide the materials they hold. In addition, description and metadata on sites like YouTube pales in comparison to the articulate, standardized archival institutions. The author argues that ease of access between YouTube and a traditional archival institution can create tension. Oftentimes, film archives are restricted, unable to be played, or non-existent. Understanding the difference between an online video platform and film archives can hopefully allow for easier online audiovisual archiving.
Sarakakis, K., Kolokytha, O., & Rozgonyi, K. (2016). Copyright (and) culture: the governance of audiovisual archives. Info: The Journal of Policy, Regulation, and Strategy for Telecommunications, Information, and Media, 18(6), 42-54.
Coming from a European perspective (thus under the legislation of the European Union primarily), this article examined how copyright governs the availability and research probability of audiovisual archives. While the EU is a proponent of access, the laws concerning archival materials inhibits the ways in which researchers can understand the material. This article is important due to its non-US perspective. Copyright law in the United States is not a global entity; access and availability differ amongst countries and political entities. Therefore, an understanding of how copyright can limit availability of audiovisual materials outside the U.S. can help compare and contrast what laws work, and which inhibit future research.
Science and Technology Council. (2007). The digital dilemma: strategic issues in archiving and accessing digital motion picture materials. Hollywood, CA. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved from: http://www.oscars.org/science-technology/sci-tech-projects/digital-dilemma
A large study by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, this article dives deep into how digital curation and preservation is not the utopia of archiving. An understanding of what limitations digital preservation have on archives can help current and future professionals draft standards, practices, and even technologies to best fit the profession as a whole. Presenting arguments about digital storage and the advantages/disadvantages of saving everything, this publication puts in perspective where film preservation currently stands (generally).
Science and Technology Council. (2012). The digital dilemma 2: perspectives from independent filmmakers, documentarians, and nonprofit audiovisual archives. Hollywood, CA. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved from: http://www.oscars.org/science-technology/sci-tech-projects/digital-dilemma-2
A follow-up study to the original Digital Dilemma, this article examined how ‘fringe’ members of film archive their materials. Without big budgets or efficient preservation policies, smaller institutions have problems with film preservation. Access, storage, and saving copies are all problems that require money. Often independent filmmakers, documentarians, and nonprofit archives cannot afford to undertake long-term preservation projects. This study presented these problems and gave potential solutions for institutions that are budget strapped. Having a digital preservation policy in place can help alleviate unexpected challenges in film preservation. This policy should have steps in place that the institution can take to ensure proper protocol and handling of the archival materials is followed at all times.
Tarr, K., & Shay, W. (2013). How film (and video) found its way into “our nation’s attic”: a conversation about the origins of audiovisual collecting and archiving at the Smithsonian institution. The Moving Image: The Journal of the Association of Moving Image Archivists, 13(1), 178-184.
In understanding the current landscape in film archives, it is imperative to know the history of audiovisual archives. Knowing and learning the lessons of early film archives can help modern digital curators draft standards and practices that have a higher chance of overall success. For instance, cold storage, and separate audiovisual archival space are lessons learned from the early days of film archives at the Smithsonian. Examining this article puts in perspective why certain policies have been adopted and why earlier methods of preservation are no longer valid.
Tyree, J.M. (2015). Movie madness: mostly lost 4 workshop. Film Quart, 69(2), 47-54.
This article detailed that despite best efforts, some materials are simply lost forever. In examining silent film era preservation methodologies, early preservation methods are described. These descriptions help researchers understand why so many of the films from the silent era are now lost. The article also details restoration efforts of films that have survived; archives have made efforts to provide access to these films and provide research opportunities with complete restorations. While many silent era films will never be recovered, this article dictates the steps taken by archivists to restore, preserve, and maintain early films.
Walsh, D. (2014). Digital preservation for film archives and the OAIS. Journal of Film Preservation, 90, 19-26.
Using universal archival software can be a challenge for film archivists. There are methods and terminologies that are applicable only to the archival process of film. Through examination of the Open Archival Information System, this article presents methods for film archivists to utilize software like OAIS. The publication dictated how film archivists utilized technologies to best maintain film for long-term retention and preservation. This is important, because it is a showcase as to the differences between manuscript and film archives. Yet, it also lays out how universal archival software can be manipulated for use in film archives. This promotes cross-compatibility with manuscript and film archives, lessening isolation and subgroups within the profession.
