Re: Preservation guide for filmmakers

From: 40 Frames (email suppressed)
Date: Wed Jan 11 2006 - 18:45:10 PST


>What are your most pressing questions about preserving your work?

I'd love to see a list of film vaults and a scale noting the storage
cost at each location.

Filmforever.org talks about storing canned elements (double-bagged in .5
mil thick plastic) in a commercial freezer. I'd like to get more
information on temperature and humidty control in storage rooms. Are there
dehumidifiers that archivists would recommend for home storage? The
suggests I usually hear is to store elements offsite, however this
suggestion is often made without consideration of the costs.

> Have you even thought about this?

Filmforever.org was the place I found most of my information.

> If you have thought about it but haven't done anything,
> what's holding you back?

I'd like to store films offsite but the cost concerns me.

> Where are your films? This includes originals, tracks, prints
> and printing masters? Do you even know?

Neg and reversal rolls (all B/W), prints, mag tracks are in storage room
adjacent to our work space. It stays cool most of the year, but summer
gets bad. For this reason I micro-climatized the important elements. All
original elements are stored in 1000' metal, coated Kodak cans, packed
with Molecular Seives and the cans are taped close. I monitor the
temperature and humidity (out of curiosity) but there's really not much I
can do about this right now. Since the storage room is roughly 4'x10', I
have considered buying a dehumidifier (as mentioned above) but haven't
done the research. I figure there's one that archivists might recommend.

> Perhaps there is already a guide like this that I don't know about?
> I'd be happy NOT to write this so if you know of something, please
> let me know.

People have already listed other resources, but it sounds like you could
taylor your information resource to a certain group of makers, though
filmforever.org does a pretty good job of this.

Alain

================
40 FRAMES
Alain LeTourneau
Pamela Minty
425 SE 3rd, #400
Portland, OR 97214
United States

+1 503 231 6548
email suppressed
http://www.40frames.org

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