Information for Community Archives: Moving Images

Information for Community Archives

Moving Images / L. Lorch

PRELIMINARY DRAFT

As an archival medium, moving images have value as important educational, historical, and cultural resources. Whether they come in the form of feature films, home movies, or VHS or Beta tapes, moving images are important to preserve. But p reserving and making accessible moving image archive, including film, television, video, and digital formats, presents many challenges to archivists. Before an archive acquires moving image materials, consider the expenses involved, the extreme vulnerability and fickle nature of the materials, and the difficulty you might encounter locating obsolete playback machines.

As non-paper, machine-based records, moving image archive are typically more expensive to preserve than traditional paper-based archive. They require much stricter levels of climate control. It is suggested that the archive investigate outsourcing, to a company that specializes in preservation quality work, any preservation and viewing copies (such as a DVD copy) of moving images in the collection. Using playback and recording equipment that is not in pristine shape can literally destroy your moving image. The expense of maintaining and the knowledge to run many different types of playback equipment is not feasible for a small archive that does not specialize in moving images. Unlike paper the instability of the various types of moving image media requires spending funds to conserve and then convert the material to a usable and stable format.

Motion picture film has been manufactured in several formats with a variety of chemical bases throughout its history. Cellulose nitrate was used for motion picture stock from the end of the 19 th century until 1951. If you acquire film from this period you want to make sure it is not nitrate film, which can spontaneously combust. One way to identify nitrate film by the “nitrate film” written in small letters on the edge of the film from the mid 1920s onward and is almost exclusively 35mm. Cellulose diacetate and cellulose acetate were used in the first half of the 20 th century. You are most likely to come in to contact with cellulose triacetate, which was used beginning in 1948 and is still used today. While there are several obsolete film widths, the most common film gauges are 8 mm, 16 mm, 35 mm, and 70 mm.

Magnetic recordings like VHS videotape also have been manufactured in a number of formats. Base materials include triacetate, acetate, PVC and have been produced in widths including but not limited to 4mm, 8mm, ? inch, ¼ inch, 1 inch, and 2 inches.

If acquiring moving image materials, retain the original item and its hardware so that if possible it can be seen and heard as it was originally created. Next , identify and concentrate on conservation issues affecting the original. Preservation issues are numerous and include such silly-sounding terms as “sticky shed,” “vinegar syndrome,” and “silvering.” Identification of these problems may require assistance from a professional knowledgeable in moving image preservation.

If no preservation issues are present or preservation has been performed, a suitable environment for preservation must then be maintained. Storage climate should be suitable for the medium. Magnetic recordings should be stored at a constant 65° and 40% humidity. New, not old, triacetate film should be kept at 65° and 35% humidity. A rule of thumb for most archive including moving images is that generally the less light, the better. Film should be stored flat. Tape should be stored vertical. Tape storage also should be kept dust free and away from any magnetic fields.

Moving image archivists admit there can be no true expert to the field because technology and other factors change so frequently. All repositories must recognize the scope of their ability to act as good stewards of the material. If a repository feels that cannot preserve an artifact you might consider suggesting the materials under question be offered to a repository with more knowledge and resources to adequately preserve for future generations the items. Among the many questions you should ask before accepting moving image materials are : can the technology can be supported? Can the material be preserved and stored properly? And will you be able to make the material accessible to the community?

Archival listservs are routinely inundated with queries by professionals and non - archivists seeking advice on a particular problem or a specific medium. And that may be the best advice of all – to stay in touch with other professionals working daily with moving image media. Aside from staying in touch with their colleagues, non archivists and professionals alike should also learn about the technology and the media. A good starting point, for more detailed information on moving image materials, is the Association of Moving Image Archivists website at http://www.amianet.org .

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