“Film archivists are the librarians of the film industry” (Screen Skills). Film archivists have the unique role of ensuring all assets of a film are properly preserved and restored so they may endure the hands of time and can be retrieved for the future. Only ten to fifteen percent of the films that were created between 1895 up until the first pictures made with sound in 1927 are known to have survived (Frymus et al., 2021). Little thought was given to preservation for the first thirty or so decades of the motion picture industry. They were a cheap form of entertainment with no sound, basic plot lines and were never intended to be watched again. The lack of preservation can never be undone but a hard-working group of film archivists can ensure that it never happens again.
I have found that there are two types of film archivists: those concerned with preserving the historical films of the past and those preserving and storing the assets of films made in the present. Both types need to understand the technologies involved with making a film today; however, those dealing with historical films also need to understand how old films were made in the past so they can properly handle, preserve, and digitize its assets to be viewed in our digital world. For the purpose of my research, I will focus on film archivists who preserve the past since they need a combination of historical and modern knowledge.
Information Needs of Film Archivists
One of many organizations that preserves film is the Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA). They help with the “acquisition, preservation, description, exhibition, and use of moving image materials” (AMIA). This large community can work and consult alongside many other associations and archivists in the field and expand their knowledge within their own community. They can stay current with the latest technology and trends by creating and sharing information through internet resources such as journals and newsletters and by verbal communication among peers.
Libraries and museums such as the brand-new Academy Museum of Motion Pictures are another important resource to get information about a film, its cast & crew, where it was made, what equipment was used to create it, or general film history. There are even film specialty libraries such as the Louis B. Mayer Library created by the American Film Institute whose entire collection of materials is film-based.
Databases provide comprehensive information for film archivists such as the American Silent Feature Film Database created by the Library of Congress. Their collection contains “searchable information for nearly 11,000 U.S. feature films…for which film elements are known to exist” (The Library of Congress). This got me thinking about films that exist versus films that are thought to be lost. According to Silversides & Stewart (2018), most film restoration and preservation has “focused on survival by quantifying what currently exists in public and studio archives. The field does not have a formal definition of what it means for a film to be ‘lost,’ and most texts use the term without defining it” (p 136). Lost can have many definitions. A film is considered lost if no assets are publicly accessible; however, it may exist in a private collection but not publicly retrievable so still considered lost (Silversides & Stewart, 2018). This creates a barrier to accessibility within this community. Nobody truly knows if a film is lost forever because there is an incredible number of unarchived private collections that may not be properly stored and cared for (Silversides & Stewart, 2018). Private collections could be a valuable source for archivists if the owner chooses to provide access to the collection. Hopefully, more private collectors will consider having their collections professionally appraised and documented.
Another valuable database to consult is The Amateur Movie Database (AMDB). This database is different because it was created and designed by amateur film hobbyists focusing on films that are not readily available or accessible to the general public (Tepperman, 2017, p.106). This shows how serious leisure fans can be an asset to working professionals in the industry.
The Internet is important because websites such as IMDb, the internet movie database, provides quick information and overviews of all films ever created. Internet searches can provide quick information or can be used as a gateway directory leading to more resources. Large collections of film and video libraries are also available online, especially with content from YouTube to streaming such as Netflix. This can be important to see what is currently available or where there is a gap in the market. Also on the worldwide web, are forums and fan communities which can be valuable to see if a certain film has a large fanbase. This could determine whether the costs of a film restoration would be profitable or not.
Perhaps the largest source of information for film archivists would be the major film studios themselves. They would have the most resources and be an authority for films and their entire assets. This information would only be available for professionals; however, most film archivists would need to be certified anyway. The studios would also serve as the best way to share information. They could promote restoration work with their big budgets and large number of followers.
Information Behaviors of Film Archivists
Researching the information needs of film archivists has led me to study their information behaviors during the process of information-seeking. To document a historical film, archivists would first need to see what elements still exist leading to a feeling of anticipation and uncertainty. This mirrors stage one in Kuhlthau’s six stages as outlined in Inside the Search Process. They ‘initiate’ a search in the archives for the original feature film stock, audio tracks, marketing, and promotional materials, unused footage, scripts, photographs, costumes, props, memorabilia, and many other assets (Kuhlthau, 1991, p. 366). Stage two involves ‘selecting’ and identifying which elements are worth considering for preservation while becoming more optimistic that there is enough material available that it is worth saving (Kuhlthau, 1991, p. 366). Stage three involves ‘exploring’ the findings where the archivist may become frustrated that many elements have become lost or cannot be located based on what is known about the film (Kuhlthau, 1991, p. 366-7). If a film does not have enough of the elements intact, they may decide it is not worth the costs or efforts of preservation. Stage four involves ‘formulating’ where confidence once again increases, and it is clear how to proceed (Kuhlthau, 1991, p. 367-8). Stage five involves ‘collecting’ all materials and putting them together whether this is digitizing all elements or properly documenting them for storage (Kuhlthau, 1991, p. 368). The sixth and final stage would be ‘presenting’ the final product which could be streaming a restored film online or in a theater leading to a sense of satisfaction about a job well archived (Kuhlthau, 1991, p. 368). These six stages help describe the emotional process of a film archivist as they seek information to document and restore a film since thoughts and feelings are just as important as physical actions (Kuhlthau, 1991, p. 363).
Film archivists have vast information needs and there are many resources available both professionally and by amateurs on the web which can help aid in their search. Private collections are an important, but inaccessible resource which makes knowing whether a film is truly lost or not almost impossible. Film archivists display the typical behaviors seen during their search process with feelings of uncertainty in the beginning to satisfaction while presenting their finished work out into the world.
References:
The Association of Moving Image Archivists. Overview. https://amianet.org/about/overview/
Frymus, A., Antoniazzi, L., & Carr, L. (2021). Introductory essay: silent film historiography, digital technology and the archive. Studies in European Cinema. 18(3), 189–194. Intellect Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1080/17411548.2021.1957624
Kuhlthau, C. C. (1991). Inside the search process: Information seeking from the user’s perspective. Journal of the American Society for Information Science. 42(5), 361-371. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-4571(199106)42:5<361::AID-ASI6>3.0.CO;2-%23
The Library of Congress. American Silent Feature Film Database. https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/preservation-research/silent-film-database/
Screen Skills. What does a film archivist do? https://www.screenskills.com/job-profiles/browse/film-and-tv-drama/post-production/archivist/
Silversides, B., & Stewart, C. (2018). Secrets of the night: the discovery and preservation of a “lost” silent film. Moving Image. 18(2), 132–141. https://doi.org/10.5749/movingimage.18.2.0132
Tepperman, C. (2017). The amateur movie database: archives, publics, digital platforms. Moving Image. 17(2), 106–110. https://doi.org/10.5749/movingimage.17.2.0106