Ways Film Archivists Promote Their Collections In The 21st Century – Infographic

Global Communities and Global Standards of Film Archivists

Global Communities

The International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF), based in Brussels, Belgium, was the first to focus on archiving films and has been around since 1938 making it an invaluable source since no other archive organization is as old or authoritative. “After over 80 years of experience in this field, FIAF has grown to be the most important global network of cinematheques and film archives” (International Federation of Film Archives). The main purpose of their Journal of Film Preservation (JFP) is to spread knowledge and information among archivists. Articles focus on historical films that have been recently discovered, interviews with active film archive professionals, advice on how to connect with others in the community, current industry trends as well as new technological advances. There are 195 countries in the world today and FIAF has affiliations from 79 making it one of the most important organizations for film archivists. They have the authority and power to make change for those willing to follow.

With the global community that we live in today, will free online distribution and exhibition of archived films be the future? Hanley studied every association part of the International Federation of Film Archives that has archived works published online and for free from the 79 countries around the world with the criteria that content is free of charge, open access with no geo-blocking based on country, available to view in full, and with permanent access (Hanley 2021). Hanley concluded that the majority of works available online for free that meet the criteria of this study are forgotten or unexplored films, which is due to complex copyright laws (2021). Film archives across the globe have done a great job in the past few years, especially during the pandemic, publishing content online and making it accessible to everyone (Hanley 2021). These online archives are often the first and only place people search for historical films and their information so what they choose to upload can have a huge impact on people’s knowledge on the general history of film (Hanley 2021). This focus on free access to forgotten or unknown films can provide the opportunity for more people to experience art that they were previously unaware existed and expand their cultural horizons. This aligns with the fourth characteristic of information communities which is the “ability to transcend barriers to information sharing” (Fisher & Bishop, 2015, p. 23). This study found that there was an exclusion of well-known historical films because those require a fee or subscription to view. Many famous, historic films have a paywall barrier which goes against a library’s views of open and free access. Copyright will continue to be the greatest challenge for the future as archives allow for open access to their collections.

Global Standards

The research done clearly shows that film archivists need better ways to document and share their knowledge to improve collections instead of having information located in the mind. Everything must be written down, so it is not lost forever. Film archives are complex because they contain many different assets and elements. To make things even more challenging, films are an art form that requires interpretation through cultural, political, and societal lenses (Hertzum 2003). In other words, the way one archivist decides to document, digitize, preserve, or keyword an asset may be different from somebody else depending on their interpretation which can vary based on location and personal beliefs. Films also rely heavily on emotions which are difficult to transcribe. Most film archives create their own database rules instead of relying on industry standards because those standards are too complex and often do not accurately reflect the content and context of the films themselves (Hertzum 2003). This makes retrieval complicated across the industry, especially internationally. Campagnoni concluded that film archives need to: make content accessible, write information and knowledge down so it becomes absolute, study the standards of libraries to improve cataloguing, and work together with other film archives to create global standards (2006). If they can adopt these changes and make standards, their collections will become more comprehensive, and more people will use them because they will be able to find what they seek and complete their information needs.

References:

Campagnoni, D. P. (2006). The preservation, care and exploitation of documentation related to the cinema: An unresolved issue. 18(3), 306–318. Film History. https://doi.org/10.2979/FIL.2006.18.3.306

Fisher, K. E., & Bishop, A. P. (2015). Information communities: Defining the focus of information service. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information services today: An introduction (pp. 20-26). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

Hanley, O. (2021). The best seat in the house? observations on online viewing and access to fiaf affiliates’ collections. (104), 87–96. Journal of Film Preservation.  https://www.proquest.com/openview/726ac436d4a3cf1645482cd84e4bfe5c/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=29010

Hertzum, M. (2003). Requests for information from a film archive: A case study of multimedia retrieval. 59(2), 168–186. Journal of Documentation. https://doi.org/10.1108/00220410310463473

International Federation of Film Archives. Journal of Film Preservation. https://www.fiafnet.org/pages/Publications/About-the-JFP.html

Learning and Creative Uses of Film Archives in the 21st Century

Learning in the 21st Century 

The way people learn has evolved tremendously since the simple days of learning information in a one-room schoolhouse in the 19th century, yet how much has really changed with the way information is taught and learned today? “Learning is much more than accessing content” (Oblinger). With the advent of the internet and social media, information is out there and accessible at an exponential rate. We need the proper skills, tools, and training to be able to synthesize information effectively and quickly to keep up with the flow. In his book, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, Harari takes a deep look at education systems and their immediate need to be revamped. “Too many schools focus on cramming information into kids’ brains” (Harari 264). Schools focus too much on learning actual information and making students memorize dates and facts for tests instead of learning important life concepts and foundations that will be useful when they are older. Oblinger furthers this notion by sharing life-long skills such as the “ability to think critically and solve complex problems, work collaboratively, communicate effectively, and pursue self-directed learning or metacognition.” (2020) These are the skills necessary to advance in the 21st Century. Oblinger stresses the importance of lifelong learning to survive but Harari wonders if humans will be able to endure the stress of learning new technology and skillsets every few years over a lifetime (Harari 32). Parker’s (2013) interview with John Seely Brown, co-chairman of the Silicon Valley-based Deloitte Center for the Edge, found that skills only have half their use every five years which means a skill will become completely obsolete in ten years. In order to stay ahead, one must be constantly seeking new skills and following the trends. More than ever, people have been going to libraries for life & career advice and skills which has led information professionals to “become the help desk for the community” (Kenney). It is not just about helping people find information anymore, the role involves mastering technology to be able to teach and help others. This is the trend for librarians and information professionals.

Creative Uses of Film Archives in the 21st Century

Latsis and Ingravalle analyze the innovative work of several film archivists in Guest Editors’ Foreword: Digital Humanities and/in Film Archives which help give insight into how people can use and access the assets of film archives. Shane O’Sullivan promotes the use of film archives for student video essays; ‪María Antonia Vélez-Serna wants people to reassess film archive assets, such as microfilm, and consider archiving materials that were once considered low-quality as bad quality may be better than nothing; Paolo Simoni uses geolocation to create film databases based on where films were shot which may increase use; Lindsay Kistler Mattock studies a film’s crew, exhibitors, and audiences instead of documenting its known assets; and Simona Monizza uses historical short films to screen neglected art in theatrical settings to gain funding for digital preservation (Latsis & Ingravalle). The work of these and many other film archivists help show innovation in the field that promotes the use of learning and technology in the 21st Century. Their work gives users of film archives creative ways to use their materials, use even more metadata, keywords, and geolocation information to promote findability and showcase rare and unknown works to promote art and the spread of knowledge.

References:

Harari, Y. N. (2018). 21 lessons for the 21st century. Spiegal & Grau.

Kenney, B. (2015). Where reference fits in the modern library. 262(37). http://search.proquest.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/trade-journals/where-reference-fits-modern-library/docview/1712837050/se-2?accountid=10361

Latsis, D., & Ingravalle, G. (2017). Guest editors’ foreword: digital humanities and/in film archives. 17(xi+). https://link-gale-com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/apps/doc/A545622548/AONE?u=csusj&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=7f4f0162

Oblinger, D. (2010, October 7). A commitment to learning: Attention, engagement, and the next generation. EDUCAUSE Review. Retrieved April 9, 2022, from https://er.educause.edu/articles/2010/10/a-commitment-to-learning-attention-engagement-and-the-next-generation

Parker, A. (2013, April 8). John Seely Brown. Association for Talent Development. https://www.td.org/magazines/td-magazine/john-seely-brown

Information-Seeking Behaviors of Filmmakers Using Moving Image Archives

I have been researching Film Archivists and their information needs and behaviors thus far; however, I have missed a large piece of the puzzle. After an archivist preserves, manages, and documents a motion picture asset, what comes next? Who are the users that search for and retrieve it? Filmmakers, especially documentary filmmakers, are some of the most important users of film archives. More and more moving image content is being created and preserved at an exponential rate by libraries, cultural institutions, studios, and stock footage corporations, but there have not been many studies done to investigate this specific information-seeking process (Treat and Judkins, 2018). In “First there is the creative decision, then there is the dollar decision”: Information-Seeking Behaviors of Filmmakers Using Moving Image Archives, Treat and Judkins take a deep look inside filmmakers and their working relationship with film archivists.

Treat and Judkins start by analyzing the limited research that has been done with moving image archives, which has focused on general still image and basic audio-visual research. They argue that there has been too much research on scholars and no emphasis on filmmakers themselves who make up the majority of a film archive’s users (Treat and Judkins, 2018). The lack of understanding for “who is using our moving image collections and for what purposes could also hinder the acquisition of funding for the preservation of these materials” (Treat and Judkins, 2018). Without properly tracking who is using the collections and what for archivists are missing out on so much potential revenue for licensing assets and funding for future preservation projects.

In order to help filmmakers and film archivists better understand each other, Treat and Judkins created a research project to document the information needs of filmmakers. Through online surveys, they found ten qualified filmmakers with backgrounds as producers, directors, and footage researchers, then conducted in-depth phone interviews with specific information-seeking questions. “All participants reported that their information-seeking processes typically begin by identifying a project’s visual requirements and creating a footage wish list or timeline” (Treat and Judkins, 2018). After establishing production needs, most begin with an online search to see what materials and resources may be available quickly and digitally, they consult with people and sources they already know or have worked with in the past and look at the end credits for films of similar scope to see where they got their footage (Treat and Judkins, 2018). Filmmakers enjoy working directly with archivists because they understand the value of their knowledge and ability to find materials that are not readily available; however, they generally have a 9-5 schedule which contrasts greatly with the life of a filmmaker who may work at all hours of the day to finish a film (Treat and Judkins, 2018). This availability is one of the main problems that arise. Archivists need to find a way to be able to meet the difficult production timelines of filmmakers, but filmmakers also need to make sure they give archivists enough time to properly locate and provide an asset. Once they find an asset they may want to use “another obstacle and potential source of tension is the cost associated with accessing and licensing archival moving image collections” (Treat and Judkins, 2018). So many film archives have complicated rights usage which makes it difficult for both parties to understand what they can actually use. To make things more frustrating, filmmakers are frequently paying to digitize and locate materials that are not readily available and without even seeing the footage which can lead to large costs and unusable content (Treat and Judkins, 2018). Many filmmakers also claim it is difficult to “independently review collection materials due to a lack of adequate descriptions or availability of online content (Treat and Judkins, 2018). Film archivists need to better describe and document their materials so that it is easier to find and also make it available online for ease of access so it may be viewed at any time. This could ease some of the work in the queue making turnaround shorter and leave archivists with more time making assets available digitally.

Treat and Judkins found that although the underlying information-seeking behaviors of filmmakers as they search film archives are similar to everyday seeking behavior, archivists need to better understand the non-linear timelines and varying budgets that filmmakers are given to better serve their needs. Based on their findings, they ended the article with a list of ways film archivists can better serve filmmakers and create a better working relationship:

Manage expectations.

Understand rights management issues related to your collections.

Create policies and procedures for licensing materials from your collections.

Create policies for attribution and citation of your moving image collections.

Provide description and search tools that increase discoverability.

Educate yourself in the terminologies and procedures of the filmmaking community.

Promote the use of your collection.

-Treat and Judkins, 2018

These suggestions can be applied to almost any information-seeking community and the need to make information easier to obtain: Understand and get to know your user, allow public access to your collections, provide appropriate keywords for findability and make sure people know you exist.

This article helped me understand the working relationship between film archivists and filmmakers and their need to understand and work together to properly serve one another. If archivists can do a better job at listening and anticipating the needs of filmmakers, they can better organize their collections and acquire more money and funding at the same time. If filmmakers can give archivists better communication and articulate their timelines ahead of time, they can receive the best possible footage in a timely manner. Not only is this understanding important between these two groups, but it can also be applied to any type of information relationship.

When the article was written, Laura Treat was the Moving Image Preservation & Digitization Librarian at the University of North Texas and is now the Curator of Moving Image Collections, Film & Media Studies Librarian at UC Santa Barbara and Julie Judkins was the Assistant Head of Special Collections at the University of North Texas Libraries and is still at the position. The article makes use of forty-seven references which include information sources that we have been studying like Dervin as well as other film archive sources that may be useful in the future like those from American Archive.

References:

Treat, L., & Judkins, J. (2018). “First there is the creative decision, then there is the dollar decision”: information-seeking behaviors of filmmakers using moving image archives (Vol. 81, Issue 2, pp. 373–393). Society of American Archivists. https://doi.org/10.17723/0360-9081-81.2.373

Harari, Y. N. (2018). 21 lessons for the 21st century. Spiegal & Grau.

21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari provides important insight on the current issues and struggles facing humanity living in this modern age. Some of the difficult topics include technology, community, politics, war, religion, and education. Data and information are the main threads throughout each topic. “Those who own the data own the future” (Harari 73). Harari points out that data cannot be regulated since there is such an abundance, it cannot be stored in any one place, and it can be instantly copied (Harari 80). Computers and artificial intelligence are tracking everything we do but nobody knows where the data ends up, how it is being used or who controls it. Harari predicts that data will become more valuable than land and industry itself, and even politics will not have the ability to step in and control it (Harari 78). If this is the case what will happen to the political climate? Perhaps this is what we are already seeing with the deep polarization of the United States and the entire world.

We have focused our studies so far on learning about Information Communities and their need to adapt to the internet and the online world by exploiting and using technology to exchange information (Fisher & Bishop, 2015, p. 23). Harari argues that we should focus on the complete opposite by stating “a community may begin as an online gathering, but in order to truly flourish it will have to put down roots in the offline world too” (Harari 88). Companies like Facebook have certainly brought people from around the world together but what happens to an online community if a dictator denies access to its people (Harari 88). How will these online communities continue to share information if their technology or the power grid no longer exists? Will the online communities themselves cease to exist? Online communities should prepare ways to communicate as a backup. He also writes that physical communities have a depth that virtual communities cannot match” (Harari 88). This has made me reconsider the importance of online communities versus those in the real world. We focus so much of our time and energy using our phones and staying connected through social media, but maybe it is time we go back to forming more real-world gatherings. That is not to say online communities are not important but maybe we can create an equal balance between the online and offline world.

Another focus of the book is on truth. Social media has also played a great role in the spread of misinformation or ‘fake news’. As laid out by Marcia Bates “people are willing to commit very little energy and effort to seeking information” (Bates, 2017). As we have seen, people want to access information with the least amount of effort so even though the news on social media may be inaccurate, most people will not take the time to verify so it becomes fact to them and they share it online or directly with their family and friends. Harari takes this even further by saying that information and the truth have become so complex and distorted that even if you try to find the truth it will become difficult to verify that it is truth (Harari 230). This leads to a bigger question: Where can we go to get real information?

“If you want reliable information, pay good money for it. If you get your news for free, you might well be the product” (Harari 248). People not only want easy access to information, but they also want free information. Most people are not willing to spend money to read accurate and factual information. This is one of the reasons newspapers have had trouble surviving. They were slow to adapt to the digital age and it is hard to get those subscribers back with digital subscriptions. Harari claims that some of the only true information sources come from “peer-review articles, books published by well-known academic publishers, and the writings of professors from reputable institutions” (Harari 249). This is where we as librarians and the keepers of information must come in. We must find ways to make information easy to access and make it free so that truth can finally be free. It must be so accessible that people will turn to us instead of Google.

In discussing the behaviors of individuals during the search process, Bates coined the term ‘berrypicking’ in that people gather their information from many different sources and take bits and pieces which then becomes their knowledge. (Bates 2017). This mirrors Harari’s claims that people sort and categorize information based on its importance, then process that information which creates “a broad picture of the world” (Harari 265). We intake an overwhelming amount of information every day and only keep what is important to us since we cannot use it all. This also relates to Brenda Dervin’s sense-making theory that states that there is an “inherent intertwined connection between how you look at a situation and what sense of it you are able to construct of it” (Dervin, 1998). Ever since the Internet came out there has been a ‘flood of information’ at our fingertips making it even more important to quickly process and filter information. What will happen if the flow of information does not loosen? Will we drown in an endless sea of information?

Harari also looks at education systems and their immediate need to be revamped. “Too many schools focus on cramming information into kids’ brains” (Harari 264). Schools focus too much on learning actual information and making kids memorize dates and facts for tests instead of learning important life concepts and foundations that will be useful when they are older. As technology changes at an alarming rate, how will children let alone adults keep up with these changes? Will humans be able to endure the stress of learning new technology and skillsets every few years over a lifetime? (Harari 32). I believe this is one reason so many people are burnt out from their jobs and have chosen not to go back to work. They are trying to figure out what their next steps will be.

Harari’s book was a great thought-provoking guide to life in the 21st century. It provides ideas into how we need to change and adjust to living in a state where big data and artificial intelligence is beginning to change and alter life. It also serves as a cautionary tale that we need to take care of each other as a global community and focus less on our national identities. “Most of our views are shaped by communal groupthink rather than individual rationality, and we hold on to these views due to group loyalty” (Harari 223). Even though most of our beliefs are aligned with the information communities that we belong to, we must become culturally tolerant, less selfish, and search deep down for humility. This seems to be the direction of Library and Information Science with more programs focusing on cultural competency. Patricia Overall defines cultural competency as “becoming more knowledgeable about diverse cultures and using this information in ways that lead to greater understanding of diverse populations” (Overall, 2009). The more we take the time to understand different cultures, the more we can help create access and spread the most authentic and valuable information. This might be one of the only ways to bring the world together in the age of misinformation.

References:

Bates, M. J. (2017). Information behavior. In J.D. McDonald & M. Levine-Clark (Eds.), Encyclopedia of library and information sciences (4th ed., pp. 2074-2085). CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1081/E-ELIS4

Dervin, B. (1998). Sense-making theory and practice: an overview of user interests in knowledge seeking and use. Journal of Knowledge Management. 2(2), 36–46. https://doi.org/10.1108/13673279810249369

Fisher, K. E., & Bishop, A. P. (2015). Information communities: Defining the focus of information service. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information services today: An introduction (pp. 20-26). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

Harari, Y. N. (2018). 21 lessons for the 21st century. Spiegal & Grau.

Overall, P. M. (2009). Cultural competence: a conceptual framework for library and information science professionals. The Library Quarterly: Information, Community, Policy, 79(2), 175–204. https://doi.org/10.1086/597080

Information Needs and Behaviors of Film Archivists

“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

Film Archivists

Hanson, K. (2015). You Are The Star Mural in Hollywood, California.

I graduated from Columbia College in Chicago with a Bachelor of Arts in Film & Video in the Spring of 2011. I had always loved the film industry and thought that would be my future. A decade later, after a pivot into a photography career, I realized maybe it was the preservation of film which I had loved all along rather than the modern-day movie-making process. This has led me to research the Information Community of Film Archivists to find out who they are, what information needs they have, where they look for information and study their behaviors to preserve the art of cinema.

Hanson, K. (2021). Camera used to film 'Gone With The Wind & The Wizard of Oz' from the Hollywood Heritage Museum.

The main role of a Film Archivist is to help compile, document, store, and preserve all sources of film and video from the invention of the movie camera to the present. Film history would be a great skill to have since archivists deal with the historical aspects of the film industry; however, it is also important to know the latest technology since they also catalog the many assets of even the latest motion pictures released. As laid out by Gracy (2013), “the first film ‘libraries’ were not designed to be archival institutions; their primary purpose was to support commercial exploitation of motion picture products, specifically production, distribution, and exhibition of films” (pp. 371-2). Film preservation originally had little to do with saving the past: it was about securing the present for marketing and distribution. I had always associated film archiving with dealing in the past, so this was a new concept for me to grasp. This led me to think about Fisher and Bishop’s Five Characteristics of Information Communities and how they relate to film archives and archivists.

The first characteristic by Fisher and Bishop (2015) is the “emphasis on collaboration among diverse information providers” (p. 22). The film industry is perhaps one of the most collaborative industries that exist. It takes a hard-working crew of directors, producers, cinematographers, editors, cast and so many others to create a film. Preserving film takes an equal number of dedicated specialists to document each element from the images to the sound design. Without properly cataloging a film and each of its assets it loses its original meaning and artistic intent (Campagnoni, 2006).

The second characteristic is the “capacity to form around people’s needs to access and use information” (Fisher & Bishop, 2015, p. 22). The main purpose of archiving films would be to preserve them for future generations and allow for accessibility. Preserving film is important for the sake of archiving but allowing people to view and access is a greater benefit. This allows people to view, engage and promote films as an art form. 

The third characteristic is the “capacity to exploit the information-sharing qualities of emerging technologies” (Fisher & Bishop, 2015, p. 23). Film archivists need to understand how a film was made in the past to use the technology of the present. When films went from analog to digital in the early twenty-first century, technology had evolved at an accelerated rate. Today, so many people stream their content which makes it a priority to make films accessible digitally by streaming.

Hanson, K. (2019). Film Projector from the historic United Artists Theatre in Los Angeles.

The fourth characteristic is the “ability to transcend barriers to information sharing” (Fisher & Bishop, 2015, p. 23). Digital technology allows for a worldwide network. People from any country can now have access to films that would have been originally difficult to obtain. Even as little as twenty years ago, it would have been difficult to obtain a copy of a foreign film that is now instantly available with the click of a button and transcribed in any language with captions.

The fifth characteristic is the “capacity to foster social connectedness” (Fisher & Bishop, 2015, p. 23). Films have always brought people together whether people go to the movies with family and friends or watch together online during a zoom meeting. Films often depict the struggles and hardships people endure and seeing the same themes in foreign languages can help unite and make the world a smaller place.

Film archivists certainly show each of the Five Characteristics of Information Communities as laid out by Fisher & Bishop. A typical gateway degree for this field itself is a master’s degree in library and information science. I look forward to studying film archivists and their information needs and uses as they preserve the array of assets and the relationship between historical knowledge and its role in the technology of today. In Information Behavior, Bates (2017) states that “with the excitement generated by each new technology, the relatively stable underlying human behaviors and reactions were sometimes forgotten” (Bates, 2017). It will be interesting to see if this applies to films. The excitement of the first black and white films must have had the same effect as a modern-day blockbuster. Perhaps films have a timeless quality that is endeared no matter when or how it was made.

Hanson, K. (2016). Marilyn Monroe's Dressing Room at The Hollywood Museum.

References:

Bates, M. J. (2017). Information behavior. In J.D. McDonald & M. Levine-Clark (Eds.), Encyclopedia of library and information sciences (4th ed., pp. 2074-2085). CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1081/E-ELIS4

Campagnoni, D. P. (2006). The preservation, care and exploitation of documentation related to the cinema: An unresolved issue. Film History. 18(3), 306–318. https://doi.org/10.2979/FIL.2006.18.3.306

Fisher, K. E., & Bishop, A. P. (2015). Information communities: Defining the focus of information service. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information services today: An introduction (pp. 20-26). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

Gracy, K. F. (2013). The evolution and integration of moving image preservation work into cultural heritage institutions. Information & Culture. 48(3), 368–389. https://doi.org/10.7560/IC48304

Photography as Information Community

Hello everyone! I am Kyle Hanson and have spent the last ten years out of college as a photographer in Orange County, California. I primarily focus on landscapes and historical places but especially love photographing sunsets, the Mojave Desert, American Southwest, National Parks, and National Historic Landmarks.

In my years as a photographer, I have noticed so much has changed in the last decade due to climate change. I have not discovered a mountain range that has not been blackened by ash, a beach without erosion, or a landscape that has not lost plants or wildlife due to severe drought. Many historical sites and structures have also disappeared from the same natural disasters or have been lost due to budget cuts and lack of funding for preservation.

With these changes, I have come to realize I have unintentionally become a documentary photographer. A typical documentary photographer documents events as they occur but my photos seem to tell a story of what was over time. Whenever I take photos now, I photograph as if it is the last time I will see a place because it might never look the same.

This has led me to pursue my Master of Library and Information Science. I want to help libraries, museums, historical societies, and company’s document, archive, and preserve their information just as I do with my personal photography.

I am proud to be in a community of documentary photographers. One of the best parts of being a photographer in this modern age is the instant gratification of my work being seen and shared on social media across the world. This helps make the world a smaller place and creates a sense of community with the “ability to transcend barriers to information sharing, and capacity to foster social connectedness” (Fisher & Bishop, 2015, p. 23).

References:

Fisher, K. E., & Bishop, A. P. (2015). Information communities: Defining the focus of information service. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information services today: An introduction (pp. 20-26). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.