Film Heritage Foundation to organize the first-ever online training in film preservation in September 2020 that too for free in association with the Brussels based International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF)

Jyothi Venkatesh

Beginning from September 2^nd to 19^th, the workshop will consist of 9 one-hour sessions inclusive of a 15-minute Q & A with experts from around the world on a wide range of topics related to film preservation with a focus on the impact of the pandemic on film heritage and its preservation.

Film Heritage in Crisis!

The pandemic has created a terrible crisis for film heritage in our part of the world: museums and archives have downed shutters; work from home has caused collections to deteriorate, sometimes irreparably, gathering heat, humidity and dust over months with no one to attend to them; layoffs, conservators on furlough and projects halted midway has become the norm as funds for the arts and heritage have dried up with no silver lining in sight. And to add it to all incessant rain, flooding, cyclones, record temperatures and humidity. It is a fight for survival and we realized that film archivists need to come together as a community to help each other to survive.The pandemic put paid to our plans to hold the 6^th iteration of the Film Preservation & Restoration Workshop India 2020 in Kerala, but with so many enquiries asking for help, we decided that even though we couldn’t conduct a physical hands-on training workshop this year, we would pioneer the new normal of online training in film preservation with the support of FIAF and a few of our wonderful faculty and experts from around the world.

Highlights

• First ever online training programme in film preservation for India and the subcontinent
• Special focus on impact of the pandemic and how to survive it
• Nine one-hour sessions between September 2^ndand 19^th, 2020
• Introduction of a new topic on the conservation of 3-D objects in film collections
• Sophie Hunter & Renee Kiefer of the soon to be launched 450-million-dollar Academy (Oscars) Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles will conduct a session.
• Registration is free!

Session Topics

• Film Digitisation for any Purpose – David Walsh
• Digital Preservation during a Global Emergency – Reto Kromer
• Welcome to the New Normal – Mick Newnham
• Finding a Place for Film Restoration in India and the Subcontinent – Davide Pozzi
• Introduction to Moving Image Cataloguing – Natasha Fairbairn
• Shout Out Loud – Mick Newnham
• Film Repair – Marianna de Sanctis
• The Preservation of 3D Film Collections – Sophie Hunter & Renee Kiefer
• The Effects of the Pandemic on India’s Film Heritage -  Shivendra Singh Dungarpur

Speakers

• David Walsh - Digital Preservation Consultant, Imperial War Museums / Training & Outreach Coordinator, FIAF
• Mick Newnham - Tutor at the Charles Sturt University and a Visiting Fellow at the University of Melbourne, Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation
• Reto Kromer - Head, AV Preservation by reto.chand Lecturer, Bern University of Applied Sciences
• Natasha Fairbairn – Information Specialist, British Film Institute and member of the FIAF Cataloguing and Documentation Commission
• Davide Pozzi – Director, L’Immagine Ritrovata
• Marianna de Sanctis – Head of Film Repair, L’Immagine Ritrovata
• Sophie Hunter – Objects Conservator, Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
• Renee Kiefer – Assistant Registrar, Permanent Collections, Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
• Shivendra Singh Dungarpur – Filmmaker and Founder Director of Film Heritage Foundation

Applications open on August 7, 2020.

Registration is free!

Please note:

• There will be a selection procedure as there are a limited number of participants that we can accommodate.
• The sessions will be in English.

To apply, please write to [email protected] with the following details:

Name:

Qualification:

Work experience / Current employment:

Name of the session(s) you would like to sign up for:

Schedule

Session 1: Film Digitisation for Any Purpose – David Walsh

An examination of the process of film digitisation and of the many pitfalls on the way. Film digitisation is complex, time-consuming and never perfect, and handling the resulting digital files can be hugely challenging. We shall consider the different paths that can be taken, looking at film selection, film scanners, digital storage, management and access, and why so many mass digitisation projects fail. The lessons learned will provide a solid foundation for planning digitisation at any scale.

Date: Wednesday, September 2^nd, 2020

Time: 6 p.m. (IST)

Session 2: Digital Preservation during a Global Emergency – Reto Kromer 

This one-hour lecture gives an overview on some aspects and requirements which need to be addressed before setting up a digital preservation facility.It will not only focus on proven solutions and the new possibilities that modern technology offers to the archivist, but also on the general limitations which the archives have to face today and in the foreseeable future. On one hand, there is, of course, the sanitation emergency that the new coronavirus causes during the still worsening pandemic; on the other hand, we should never forget the even more dramatic climate emergency, which is currently less often in the news, but no less dangerous in the long term.

The situation has certainly become much more complex on both levels during the last months, but quite possibly each and every individual can have more impact in improving things than ever before.We need both low-energy and low-technology solutions that are sustainable in the long-term and clearly safer working environments than as we have had in the past. We are probably at the crossroads of decisions that really will determine the future of our audio-visual heritage, as well as the impact our profession can choose to have or have not in the ongoing radical global changes. The current period is indeed unprecedented, yet crucial for humanity! A Q&A will round up the lecture for 15 minutes. 

Date: Thursday, September 3^rd, 2020

Time: 6 p.m. (IST)

Session 3: Welcome to the New Normal – Mick Newnham

When it is safe to resume work on a film collection where to start? This session will cover some basic areas to assess the state of the collection after a period where close management has not been possible due to the COVID pandemic and some steps that may be taken to help re-establish a preservation strategy.

Date: Friday, September 4^th, 2020

Time: 6 p.m. (IST)

Session 4: Finding a Place for Film Restoration in India and the Subcontinent – Davide Pozzi

This session will give an overview of the most important issues related to film restoration from both an operative and ethical point of view and describe step by step the workflow of a film restoration project, from the film inspection and repair to the final film mastering. Given that film restoration is still to find a foothold in India and the subcontinent, the session will also examine the challenges of restoring films in India and its neighbouring countries and suggest a road map to building infrastructure and resources for restoring the classic cinema of these countries.

Date: Tuesday, September 8^th, 2020

Time: 6 p.m. (IST)

Session 5: Introduction to Moving Image Cataloguing – Natasha Fairbairn

The session will look at essential considerations for moving image cataloguing, covering key concepts such as levels of cataloguing, dependencies, cataloguing standards, sources of information, terminologies, relationships, identifiers, and intellectual assessment relating to content and subject. It will also consider tools for cataloguers, giving an overview of the types and availability of cataloguing tools and covering aspects such as principles, controlled vocabularies, data models and structures (particularly EN 15907), and the FIAF Moving Image Cataloguing Manual.

Date: Wednesday, September 9^th, 2020

Time: 6 p.m. (IST)

Session 6: Shout Out Loud – Mick Newnham

Advocacy has never been more important to the survival of film collections. The world has changed and will keep changing as a result of the pandemic. It is critical to ensure that cultural roots are not lost as an innocent casualty. What can we do to make sure our culturally important collections are not forgotten in the recovery phase of the pandemic? This session will look at how some archives have been promoting their collections despite having regular access shut down and explore some ways to give your collection a voice and shout out loud.

Date: Thursday, September 10^th, 2020

Time: 6 p.m. (IST)

Session 7: Film Repair – Marianna de Sanctis 

Film repair is the important preliminary step of film for any digitization or duplication process. It has to be done properly and in respect of original film materials. The session will look at different kind of physical damages common to film and the types of manual repair to deal with the damage including choosing the right materials and strategy to obtain the best result. 

Date: Friday, September 11, 2020

Time: 6 p.m. (IST)

Session 8: The Effects of the Pandemic on India’s Film Heritage– Shivendra Singh Dungarpur

While the pandemic has affected every aspect of human existence, in the race for survival, the arts and its institutions are teetering on the edge and film preservation in India, which has only recently found a footing, is facing a tremendous setback. The session will discuss the serious challenges to the preservation of our film heritage in the context of India and the subcontinent that the pandemic has raised and explore how to tackle these challenges and survive the crisis.

Date: Saturday, September 12, 2020

Time: 6 p.m. (IST)

Session 9: The Preservation of 3D Film Collections - Sophie Hunter & Renee Kiefer

This workshop is an introduction to taking care of a 3-dimensional film collection with long-term preservation in mind. It will review the process the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures follows to document 3D artifacts in the database, how to assign accession numbers to objects with multiple components and how to physically attach the labels to the objects. The workshop will also review some of the key factors to consider for storing 3-dimensional film collections safely, such as managing the environment, creating storage mounts, and some basic cleaning methods.

Date: Saturday, September 19, 2020

Time: 10.30 a.m. (IST)

Film Heritage Foundation is a not-for-profit organization set up by Shivendra Singh Dungarpur in 2014. It is dedicated to supporting the conservation, preservation and restoration of the moving image and to developing interdisciplinary programs to create awareness about the language of cinema.A member of the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF) since 2015, Film Heritage Foundation is the only non-governmental organization in the country working in the field of film preservation.

Shivendra Singh Dungarpur is an award-winning filmmaker, producer, film archivist and restorer. He is the founder of Film Heritage Foundation, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of India’s cinematic heritage. Shivendra was elected to the Executive Committee of the International Federation on Film Archives (FIAF) in 2017.

Under the banner of Dungarpur Films he has directed and produced close to 800 commercials. He made his first feature documentary “Celluloid Man” in 2012 that won two National Awards and travelled to over fifty festivals around the world. His second documentary “The Immortals” (2015) premiered at the Busan International Film Festival and won the Special Jury Award for the Best Film at MIFF 2016.  His third documentary titled “CzechMate – In Search of Jiri Menzel” is a seven-hour epic that is an in-depth exploration of the Czechoslovakian New Wave.