Analog the Sequel: An Analysis of Current Film Archiving Practice And Hesitance to Embrace Digital Preservation

Analog the Sequel: An Analysis of Current Film Archiving Practice And Hesitance to Embrace Digital Preservation

Archives

This article explores the reasons that many archivists overlook digital preservation when archiving films, particularly focusing on the risks of digital preservation compared to its physical counterpart. Current methods of film preservation are highly comprehensive. The industry uses strict guidelines on the selection, funding, maintenance and accessibility of archived films. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a leading non-profit organization in film preservation, sets many of these standards and explains that there are too many disadvantages in digitally preserving films to make any investments into it. One of the biggest problems that is present is the rapid obsolescence of digital files. Using 35mm cold film stocks, preservationists and archivists are able to safely keep films for over one hundred years, which is a lifespan that most digitally preserved films cannot match. In addition to this, many archives struggle with the storage of digital files. Films, especially ones with high quality, can take an immense amount of storage, and this can be exacerbated when keeping multiple copies of one film. Archivists also struggle with the cost of digitally preserving films. The standards for this practice are in their infancy, and many are hesitant to provide any investments to it, especially since the current methods work so well. However, Conrad warns that this refusal to address these problems will only delay the realities of the industry, as more and more films are not able to be properly preserved with physical methods.

Conrad, Suzanna

2012

Rahman, Sabiha

Journal Article

Conrad, Suzanna. "Analog the Sequel: An Analysis of Current Film Archiving Practice And Hesitance to Embrace Digital Preservation." Archival Issues 34, no. 1 (2012): 27-43. www.jstor.org/stable/41756160.