Documentary Dossier : Audiovisual archives

Know Your Enemy: Damage and Decomposition

2007-04-12T18:57:00.000+01:00

BIGOURDAN Jean-Louis, COFFEY Liz, SWANSON Dwight. Know Your Enemy: Damage and Decomposition. In Film Forever. The Home Film Preservation Guide [Online]. [Accessed April 12th 2007]. Available at <http://filmforever.org>

[...]

3.4 CHEMICAL DAMAGE

Film components such as film supports (e.g., nitrate and acetate) and color dyes are inherently subject to chemical deterioration.

3.41 Nitrate Decomposition
Cellulose nitrate film base is prone to chemical decay over time. The condition nitrate films are in today is a direct result of the conditions under which they were stored, as well as how they were manufactured.

Nitrate decay is described in terms of 5 specific stages. These descriptive stages are a widely recognized standard.

Stage 1: Film has an amber discoloration with fading of the image. Faint noxious odor. Rust ring may form on inside of metal film cans.
Stage 2: Emulsion becomes adhesive and the film tends to stick together during unrolling. Faint noxious odor.
Stage 3: Portions of the film are soft, contain gas bubbles, and emit a noxious odor.
Stage 4: Entire film is soft and welded into a single mass, the surface may be covered with viscous froth, and a strong noxious odor is given off.
Stage 5: Film mass degenerates partially or entirely into a shock sensitive brownish acrid powder.

3.42 Acetate Decomposition: Vinegar Syndrome
Acetate base film is subject to the so-called vinegar syndrome. The term 'vinegar syndrome' is taken from the distinct odor that is given off by deteriorating acetate film. Vinegar syndrome results from a chemical reaction that takes place at the molecular level that can cause serious and irreparable damage to film. When combined with moisture, heat, and acids, the plastic support in the film begins to release acetic acid. The process is an autocatalytic one, meaning that once the degradation begins it starts to 'feed upon itself' and the deterioration process begins to snowball. When film reaches its autocatalytic point the acetic acid released by the film grows exponentially, and with it the potential problems for the film. Climate is an important determining factor in the deterioration because humidity affects the amount of water absorbed by the film and heat supplies energy for the chemical reactions. Even more important is the "micro-environment," a term used to describe the conditions inside the film can. Vinegar syndrome appears to be contagious, so any film suffering from it should be stored apart from "healthy" reels.

The vinegar smell is the most obvious indicator of decaying acetate film, but it is by no means the only one. The condition of the film can be evaluated by using acid detector strips (e.g., IPI’s A-D Strips); this approach provides an objective way to determine the state of preservation of the materials and their needs to be further stabilized. White powder on the edges of the film may indicate plasticizers loss. Because of the molecular breakdown of the plastic base, in advanced stages of deterioration the film becomes brittle and shrunken. Films with shrinkage of more than 1% could be damaged by projector mechanisms, so should not be projected.
There are techniques for re-dimensioning film (restoring it to a less-shrunken state), but these are temporary measures that can permanently damage the film and should only be done in a lab situation as a last-ditch method to enable a new negative or print to be made.

Acetate Decomposition—Advanced Stages of Decay
The typical pattern for acetate decay is:

1. Vinegar odor
2. Shrinkage
3. Cupping: the film retains a curve. It will not lie flat, but instead appears wavy.
4. Crazing: the emulsion cracks and the image appears as a crazy mosaic.
5. Appearance of white powder on edges (from binder deterioration, this is the plasticizer separating from the film).
6. Film becomes square on reel.
7. Film is no longer flexible and the emulsion flakes off from the base.

3.43 Color Fading and Decomposition
Color fading and other forms of chemical decomposition are usually the results of inherent problems in the manufacturing of the film, bad processing or poor storage conditions over the years. Generally there is nothing that can be done to reverse the process of color fade. However, you can stop further damage to the film by moving it into good storage conditions.

Dublin Core analysis

TITLE : KNOW YOUR ENEMY: DAMAGE AND DECOMPOSITION

CREATOR : BIGOURDAN Jean-Louis, COFFEY Liz, SWANSON Dwight

SUBJECT : biological deterioration, chemical deterioration, mechanical deterioration

DESCRIPTION :
3.1 DETERMINING AGE
3.2 MECHANICAL DAMAGE
3.21 Tears
3.22 Perforation Damage
3.23 Scratches
3.3 BIOLOGICAL DAMAGE: MOLD, MILDEW, FUNGI
3.4 CHEMICAL DAMAGE
3.41 Nitrate
3.42 Acetate: Vinegar Syndrome
3.43 Color Fade

PUBLISHER : Film Forever

CONTRIBUTOR : Bob Brodsky and Toni Treadway (Editors)

David Cleveland and Robin Williams, East Anglian Film Archive
Don Radovich (Photographer)

DATE : 2002-11-19

TYPE : text

FORMAT : html

IDENTIFIER : http://filmforever.org

SOURCE : BIGOURDAN Jean-Louis, COFFEY Liz, SWANSON Dwight. The Home Film Preservation Guide [Online]. [Accessed April 12th 2007]. Available at <http://filmforever.org>

LANGUAGE : En

RELATION : Sponsored by Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA)

COVERAGE : International

RIGHTS :

The cultural challenge to globalisation : what is at stake for television archives?

2007-04-05T15:01:00.000+01:00

HOOG, Emmanuel. "The cultural challenge to globalisation : what is at stake for television archives?". In FIAT/IFTA. Second Asian seminar on audiovisual archives, Building up a national audiovisual memory : a day after day challenge, 9th May 2005, Kuala Lumpur [Online]. FIAT/IFTA, 2005 [Accessed April 5th 2007]. Available at <http://www.fiatifta.org/aboutfiat/news/old/2005/hoog_may_2005.html>

[...]Globalisation can be a good thing for archives.

What strikes me today is that all the archives in the world, in Malaysia or Algeria, just as in France or the United States, are faced with the same technological developments and the same issues: preservation, selection, access and the advent of digital technology, which has forced us to stop and think again, in terms of both technology and archive management. Migration is the only way. What technological choices should we make? How should we organise the migration of archived programmes? How should we reorganise archive collection, storage and access procedures? This is what we are going to address in this afternoon's workshop dedicated to digital archiving.

Being faced with the same questions means being able to share knowledge and good practices and work together to find the solutions. Our salvation lies in cooperation, international cooperation. We must not remain isolated. As an example, I would like to recommend you to join the International Federation of Television Archives (FIAT/IFTA), the top professional organisation in the world of television archives. IFTA brings together the world's biggest archive centres (such as BBC, CBS, CNN, CCTV, Doordarshan, France Télévisions, …) and top experts, and they are all determined to advance the cause of archives. It was IFTA, for example, that last October launched an Appeal to save the world's audiovisual heritage, an appeal that has already collected some 8,000 signatures in 87 countries and that will be officially presented to the United Nations next September. During the Asia Media Summit, there is a stand where you can sign the Call for the preservation of the world broadcast heritage...

Dublin Core analysis

TITLE: The cultural challenge to globalisation : what is at stake for television archives?

CREATOR: HOOG, Emmanuel

SUBJECT: Cultural diversity, culture, digitization, FIAT/IFTA, Globalisation, radio archives, television archives

DESCRIPTION: Explains why broadcast archives have a part to play in the debate about globalisation. Presents the dangers which threaten these archives and reveals how and why globalisation is an advantage for audiovisual archives.

PUBLISHER: FIAT/IFTA

CONTRIBUTOR:

DATE: 2005-05-09

TYPE: text (position paper)

FORMAT: html

IDENTIFIER: http://www.fiatifta.org/aboutfiat/news/old/2005/hoog_may_2005.html
SOURCE:

LANGUAGE: En

RELATION:

COVERAGE: International

RIGHTS: © FIAT/IFTA

Glossary

2007-04-02T17:53:00.000+01:00

Audiovisual archives
"Archives in pictural and/or aural form, regardless of format including related textual documents."
Source : Glossary of terms related to the archiving of audiovisual materials
http://portal.unesco.org/ci/fr/files/7746/10448729330glossary.pdf/glossary.pdf

Archives audiovisuelles
"Documents sous forme d'enregistrements sonores et d'images en mouvement."
Source : Glossaire du Portail international Archivistique Francophone (PIAF)
http://www.piaf-archives.org/sections/formation/module_01/glossaire/

Digital preservation
"The process of maintaining, in a condition suitable for use, materials produced in digital formats, including preservation of the bit stream and the continued ability to renderer display the content represented by the bit stream."
Source: Online Dictionary for Library and Information Science
http://lu.com/odlis/

Archivage numérique ou archivage électronique
"Mode de conservation et d'organisation des archives sous une forme et dans une disposition qui permettent leur exploitation directe par des outils informatiques."
Source: Glossaire du Portail international Archivistique Francophone (PIAF)
http://www.piaf-archives.org/sections/formation/module_01/glossaire/

Audiovisual heritage
"[...] “national audiovisual heritage” which can be defined to include the generality of moving images and sounds which document and express a nation as a place and people, and which influence its culture and society, regardless of where they originate."
Source : Unesco instrument for the safeguarding and preservation of the audiovisual heritage : CCAAA issues paper
http://www.ccaaa.org/ccaaa_heritage.pdf

Patrimoine audiovisuel
"Le patrimoine audiovisuel comprend, sans que la liste soit limitative :

- les productions de son enregistré, productions radiophoniques, productions cinématographiques, productions télévisuelles ou autres, comprenant des images en mouvement et/ou des sons enregistrés, que ces productions soient ou non essentiellement destinées à la diffusion publique ;

- les objets, les documents, les œuvres et les éléments intangibles ayant un rapport avec l’audiovisuel, qu’ils soient considérés d’un point de vue technique, industriel, culturel, historique ou autre, notamment les documents se rapportant aux industries du film, de la télé et radiodiffusion et de l’enregistrement du son tels que la documentation, les scénarios, les photographies, affiches, les documents publicitaires, les manuscrits et les artefacts tels qu’équipement technique et costumes;

- les concepts tels que la perpétuation de savoir-faire et d’environnements en voie de disparition associés à la reproduction et à la présentation de ces documents ;

- les documents non-textuels ou graphiques, tels que les photographies, les cartes, les diapositives et autres œuvres visuelles, sélectionnés pour leur valeur propre."

Source : EDMONDSON, Ray. Philosophie et Principes de l’archivistique audiovisuelle [Online]. 2nd edition. Paris : Unesco, 2004, 82 p. [Accessed April 1st 2007]. Available at http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001364/136477f.pdf

Digitization
"The conversion of analogue information into a digital form."
Source : Glossary of terms related to the archiving of audiovisual materials
http://portal.unesco.org/ci/fr/files/7746/10448729330glossary.pdf/glossary.pdf

Numérisation
"Procédé électronique de reproduction d'un document d'archives sous forme de document électronique."
Source: Glossaire du Portail international Archivistique Francophone (PIAF)
http://www.piaf-archives.org/sections/formation/module_01/glossaire/

Preservation
"Prolonging the existence of library and archival materials by maintaining them in a condition suitable for use, either in their original format or in a form more durable, through retention under proper environmental conditions or actions taken after a book or collection has been damaged to prevent further deterioration."
Source : Online Dictionary for Library and Information Science
http://lu.com/odlis/

Conservation
"[…]On peut donc dire que la conservation recouvre l’ensemble des tâches nécessaires pour pérenniser l’accessibilité des documents audiovisuels en ayant maintenu au mieux leur intégrité.

Elle peut se rapporter à un grand nombre d’opérations, de principes, de comportements, d’équipements et d’activités. La conservation englobe, par exemple, la préservation et la restauration d’un support, la reconstitution d’une version définitive, la copie et le traitement du contenu visuel et/ou sonore, la maintenance des supports dans des conditions de stockage appropriées, la réinvention ou l’imitation de procédés techniques obsolètes, d’équipements et de cadres de présentation, la recherche et la collecte d’informations pour mener à bien ces activités…"

Vinegar syndrome
"An autocatalytic selfdecomposition process of acetate cellulose under the evaporation of acetic acid. Affected thus far are mainly films, but the presumption is that all cellulose acetate based materials will go through the same process."
Source : Glossary of terms related to the archiving of audiovisual materials
http://portal.unesco.org/ci/fr/files/7746/10448729330glossary.pdf/glossary.pdf

Syndrome du vinaigre
"Décomposition des bandes magnétiques en acétate de cellulose engendrée par l’hydrolyse. Ce processus libère de l’acide acétique, responsable de l’odeur caractéristique de vinaigre. Lorsque le syndrome du vinaigre s’est déclaré, la décomposition de la bande progresse de manière significative car l’acide acétique accélère l’hydrolyse de l’acétate de cellulose. Ce problème est rare dans le domaine des bandes vidéo, plus courant pour les films et pour les enregistrements sonores sur bande magnétique séparés des films (bandes Sepmag)."

Source : RAUH, Félix. Memoriav Recommandations Vidéo : la sauvegarde de documents vidéo [Online]. February 2006, 32 p. [Accessed April 2nd 2007]. Available at http://fr.memoriav.ch/dokument/Empfehlungen/empfehlungen_video_fr.pdf

UNESCO instrument for the safeguarding and preservation of the audiovisual heritage: CCAAA issues paper

2007-03-29T18:54:00.000+01:00

Coordinating Council of Audiovisual Archive Associations (CCAAA). Unesco instrument for the safeguarding and preservation of the audiovisual heritage. In CCAAA [Online]. April 1st 2005 [Accessed March 29th 2007]. Available at <http://www.ccaaa.org/ccaaa_heritage.pdf>

The Coordinating Council of Audiovisual Archive Associations (CCAAA) proposes the establishment of new UNESCO instrument as a framework to encourage the preservation of audiovisual heritage.
Audiovisual media in all its formats – films, radio and television programs, audio and video recordings, ‘new media’ – are the documents most characteristic of the 20th and 21st centuries. Their cultural influence and informational content is immense, and rapidly increasing. Transcending language and cultural boundaries, appealing immediately to the eye and the ear, to the literate and illiterate alike, they have transformed society by becoming a permanent complement to the traditional written record. Their content cannot be reduced to written form, and its integrity is closely tied to the format of its carrier – be it film, magnetic or optical media.
Most audiovisual media are inherently fragile. Since they are not human-readable, both their survival and accessibility are also vulnerable to rapid technological change. Preservation needs to be guided by specialised skills and structures, supported by appropriate national legislation.
Much of the world’s audiovisual heritage has been irrevocably lost through neglect, destruction, decay and the lack of resources, skills, and structures, impoverishing the memory of mankind. Much more will be lost if stronger and concerted international action is lacking...

Dublin Core analysis

TITLE: UNESCO instrument for the safeguarding and preservation of the audiovisual heritage: CCAAA issues paper

CREATOR: Co-ordinating Council of Audiovisual Archives Associations (CCAAA)

SUBJECT: Coordinating Council of Audiovisual Archive Associations (CCAAA), instrument for the preservation of the audiovisual heritage, Recommendation for the Safeguarding and Preservation of Moving Images, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

DESCRIPTION: Shows the need of creating a new UNESCO instrument for the Safeguarding and Preservation of the Audiovisual Heritage.

PUBLISHER: Co-ordinating Council of Audiovisual Archives Associations (CCAAA)

CONTRIBUTOR:

DATE: 2005-04-01

TYPE: text

FORMAT: PDF

IDENTIFIER: http://www.ccaaa.org/ccaaa_heritage.pdf

SOURCE:

LANGUAGE: En

RELATION: has format: http://www.ccaaa.org/ccaaa_heritage.doc

COVERAGE: International

RIGHTS:

UNESCO World Day for Audiovisual Heritage – Feasibility study launched

2007-03-13T21:30:00.000+01:00

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). UNESCO World Day for Audiovisual Heritage – Feasibility study launched. In United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization [Online]. Paris, June 1st 2006 [Accessed March 13th 2007]. Available at <http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=22265&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html>

Extract

[...] Sound recordings and moving images in any form are vulnerable, and easily discarded or deliberately destroyed. Too much of the world’s 20th century audiovisual heritage is now lost, and much more is slipping beyond recovery because of neglect, natural decay and technological obsolescence. Unless public awareness of the importance of preservation is increased, this trend will continue.

Therefore, in response to a proposal by the Czech Republic in October 2005, UNESCO’s General Conference approved the proclamation of 27 October as the annual World Day for Audiovisual Heritage. The World Day for Audiovisual Heritage can be a means of building global awareness of the various issues at stake in preserving the audiovisual heritage. In accordance with normal practice, a feasibility study has been commenced to test the objectives, practicalities, costs and expected results of such an annual commemoration...

Dublin Core analysis

TITLE: UNESCO World Day for Audiovisual Heritage – Feasibility study launched

CREATOR: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

SUBJECT: feasibility study, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), World Day for Audiovisual Heritage

DESCRIPTION: Announces the creation of a feasibility study about a "World day for audiovisual heritage". Presents the aim of this feasibility study and the stakes of the World day for audiovisual heritage.

PUBLISHER: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

CONTRIBUTOR:

DATE: 2006-06-01

TYPE: text

FORMAT: html

IDENTIFIER: http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=22265&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

SOURCE:

LANGUAGE: En

RELATION: references http://www.fiatifta.org/aboutfiat/news/old/2006/docs/Questionnaire.doc

COVERAGE: International

RIGHTS: © Copyright UNESCO. All Rights Reserved

Call for the Preservation of the World Audiovisual Heritage

2007-03-08T15:46:00.000+01:00

FIAT-IFTA. Call for the Preservation of the World Audiovisual Heritage. In FIAT/IFTA [Online]. October 2004 [Accessed March 8th 2007]. Available at <http://www.fiatifta.org/aboutfiat/policy/petition/index.php>

Extract

[...]
Continuing the action led by UNESCO and the Council of Europe, the International Federation of Television Archives (FIAT IFTA), on the occasion of its 27th annual conference, appeals for the attention and vigilance of all to :

Alert, mobilize and urge the authorities concerned to understand the seriousness and urgency of the impending threats to the audiovisual heritage of the nations of the world;

Implement preservation policies and migration plans for these archives ;

Define the priority criteria by which preservation action must be taken ;

Develop cooperation among states to facilitate the implementation of joint solutions for safeguarding and digitization;

Encourage knowledge transfer through expert missions and training;

Apply immediately measures recommended by FIAT IFTA to stop the loss of these treasures and encourage support operations in the least developed countries...

Dublin Core analysis

TITLE: Call for the Preservation of the World Audiovisual Heritage

CREATOR: International Federation of Television Archives (FIAT/IFTA)

SUBJECT: audiovisual heritage, call, International Federation of Television Archives (FIAT/IFTA), preservation

DESCRIPTION: This is a call to the international community to take action for the preservation of the world's audiovisual heritage, launched by FIAT IFTA at the 27 ^th Conference in Paris on 15th-19th October 2004.

PUBLISHER: International Federation of Television Archives

CONTRIBUTOR:

DATE: 2004-10

TYPE: text

FORMAT: html

IDENTIFIER: http://www.fiatifta.org/aboutfiat/policy/petition/index.php

SOURCE:

LANGUAGE: En

RELATION: is version of "Appel pour la sauvegarde du patrimoine audiovisuel mondial"
is version of "Petición para la preservación del patrimonio audiovisual mundial"

COVERAGE: International

RIGHTS: © FIAT/IFTA

Ina - Institut National de l'Audiovisuel

2007-02-08T19:41:00.000+01:00

GESLIN, Yann. Ina - Institut National de l'Audiovisuel. In CASPAR Preservation User Community [Online]. 2006 [Accessed February 2nd 2007]. Available at <http://www.casparpreserves.eu/Members/InaGrm>

Extract

At the heart of the French audiovisual sector, Ina collects, safeguards, digitises, restores and distributes French television and radio archives - over 60 years of radio and 50 years of TV programmes. With 2,5 millions hours of radio and television in stock, and more than a million photos, Ina's archives are among the world's biggest. Serials, TV films, documentaries, news bulletins and programmes, sports, entertainment, interviews, radio plays, concerts… and, of course, Ina's regional archives, constitute an exceptional resource for production, broadcasting, publishing, but also research and education...

Dublin Core analysis

TITLE : Ina - Institut National de l'Audiovisuel

CREATOR : GESLIN, Yann

SUBJECT : Audiovisual archives, Audiovisual memory, digitisation, France, Institut National de l'Audiovisuel, preservation

DESCRIPTION : Presents the missions and the activities of the "Institut National de l'Audiovisuel"

PUBLISHER : Cultural, Artistic and Scientific knowledge for Preservation, Access and Retrieval (CASPAR)

CONTRIBUTOR :

DATE : 2006

TYPE : Text

FORMAT : html

IDENTIFIER : http://www.casparpreserves.eu/Members/InaGrm

SOURCE :

LANGUAGE : En

RELATION :

COVERAGE : France

RIGHTS : CASPAR Project ©

World heritage in danger : audiovisual memory fades away in silence

2007-02-08T15:33:00.002+01:00

HOOG, Emmanuel. "World heritage in danger : audiovisual memory fades away in silence". In FIAT/IFTA. FIAT/IFTA World Conference 2004 : Safeguarding our audiovisual heritage, a world challenge, 15th-19th October 2004, Paris [Online]. FIAT/IFTA, 2004 [Accessed February 2nd 2007]. Available at <http://www.fiatifta.org/conferences/conferences/past/paris_2004/16_oct_hoog_eng.html>

Extract

The Annual Conference of the International Federation of Television Archives, held in Paris from October 15th to 19th, will be the largest gathering of audiovisual memory managers on the planet. The challenge: safeguarding the images and sounds that testify - at least as much as the written word - of our era. 80% of the world's archives are endangered. This holds true for rich countries like the United States, whose leaders, unaware, refuse to take interest in the preservation of their audiovisual heritage, not deemed financially viable. This is also the case in developing countries, due to the cost of these operations. Can we stand by and allow the audiovisual heritage of the twentieth century to fade away forever?
[...]
Listing what we risk losing is impossible. Not all the regions of the world are struck with the same intensity. In addition to the digital divide often described , there is also the rupture of memory. Main regions at risk: South America, Africa, the Near East and South-East Asia. Many countries such as the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Germany and Sweden are implementing safeguarding programmes . Conversely, the poor countries of the South are losing entire chapters of their audiovisual archives . Cultural diversity is in danger. For although audiovisual heritage is above all an indispensable crucible, a guarantee of identities and history, it is also the mirror of our societies, of our daily life, our passions and our emotions...

Dublin Core analysis

TITLE : World heritage in danger : audiovisual memory fades away in silence

CREATOR : HOOG, Emmanuel

SUBJECT : audiovisual heritage, deterioration, digitization, International Federation of Audiovisual Archives (FIAT/IFTA)

DESCRIPTION : Defines what threaten our audiovisual heritage, shows the stakes of digitization and presents the actions conducted in the world to stop this threat.

PUBLISHER : International Federation of Television Archives (FIAT/IFTA)

CONTRIBUTOR :

DATE : 2005

TYPE : Text (Position paper)

FORMAT : html

IDENTIFIER : http://www.fiatifta.org/conferences/conferences/past/paris_2004/16_oct_hoog_eng.html

SOURCE : FIAT/IFTA World Conference 2004 : Safeguarding our audiovisual heritage, a world challenge

LANGUAGE : En

RELATION : is Version of "Une mémoire audiovisuelle qui s'estompe en silence" (French)

COVERAGE : International

RIGHTS : © FIAT/IFTA