The entertainment industry has a long history dating back to the 19th century. Including historical events and technical advancements, there are thousands of essential film roles. With hundreds of films holding such value, preserving as much as possible for future generations makes sense. As filming evolves, so do the methods we can use to keep these media pieces in good condition. Let’s go through film reels and learn about these methods and what new methods exist.

Film Reels and Tapes

Older films would decay within years if not properly stored for many reasons, including nitrate degradation and color dye fade. Currently, only 20% of U.S. feature films from the 1910s-20s survive in their complete form. Thankfully, several archive organizations are devoted to preserving films and have developed several methods. One is the National Film Preservation Foundation, a nonprofit organization established in 1997. The NFPF has collaborated with many organizations, including the Library of Congress’s National Film Preservation Board.

One of the oldest forms of film preservation is storing the reels in cold and moderate humidity environments. The film’s nitrate, acetate, and color materials require cold and long-term storage, one of the main reasons studios store films in metal containers within salt mines.

Digital Archive

In 2000, films started using digital cameras, and as the technology grew, it became the norm by 2013. Today, most film productions use digital cameras, leading to many more advancements. One of these achievements is having a vast digital archive for entertainment and historical purposes. Eventually, this led to multiple fundamentals for preserving digital files and media known as Refresh, Migrate, or Emulate. Margot Note’s article explains that these processes move data to different means to keep it from becoming obsolete.

But as media goes digital, where does that leave the media created with original filming methods? Fortunately, the development of film scanners allows filmmakers to convert film reels into a digital format. Unfortunately, this is a very costly process, roughly around $300 or more when looking through the whole process.

Closing thoughts

There is much more to do with preserving media, from film reels to digital archives, not only with several devoted organizations but with the significance of archiving media. We must do our best to archive as much of our filming history as possible for entertainment and education. Past films, including science/historical documentaries, have taught us much, including progress. Learning from the past shows how we have progressed as a society and in our technological growth. As we look back on preserved achievements, let’s look forward to the future.

https://theableshow.com/methods-of-preserving-media/

Sources:

https://klaq.com/thousands-of-priceless-movie-reels-are-kept-in-a-salt-mine-in-mo

https://www.filmpreservation.org/about/about-the-nfpf

https://lucidea.com/blog/three-fundamental-digital-preservation-strategies/