Procurement of video digitisation equipment
Lead Research Organisation:
UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIA
Department Name: Art, Media and American Studies
Abstract
Summary
This funding will allow the East Anglian Film Archive (EAFA) to considerably extend and accelerate its preservation of extremely at-risk video collections that represent invaluable research resources for a range of academic disciplines.
The East Anglian Film Archive (EAFA) is a regional film archive wholly owned by the University of East Anglia. Established in 1976, and part of the University since 1984, EAFA contains a collection of thousands of films and television programmes from 1896 to the present day, including unique collections from Anglia Television, BBC East, and the Institute of Amateur Cinematographers. The collection includes approximately 75,000 catalogue titles and 148,000 physical items in total in the vaults. It is estimated that EAFA has around 77,000 items on video including masters and duplicates. The archive became accredited in 2017 by the National Archives Archive Accreditation scheme.
Video is recognised as an at risk format by the British Film Institute and the film archive sector. Playback machines are old and becoming scarce and the physical video cassette is also at risk of degradation. There is a strategic need and urgency for EAFA to find a solution to digitise as much of its video collection as soon as possible. As computers and also colour grading machines have developed the Senior Technician at EAFA has been able to design a simple to use video digitisation suite able to digitise video using some new equipment together with older videotape machines.
EAFA has successfully designed and tested a video digitisation suite which consists primarily of modern equipment. There is no modern equivalent of a video player and as such film archives including the BFI utilise older video player machines within a video digitisation set up. Previously EAFA was able to digitise only ONE videotape at a time. It consisted of a fairly complex 'video desk' with a high failure rate. EAFA's new design is simple to fix and primarily modern equipment. Only the video machines themselves are old. Modern videotape machines cannot be purchased unlike film scanners which continue to be developed. Although EAFA has some of the equipment required it needs investment in new high specification PCs and colour grading monitors which will complete the newly designed digitisation suite. The archive wishes to set up 7 video digitisation suites so that mass digitisation can be carried out.
Access to moving image material on video will be beneficial to research. It will enable the archive to provide researchers with easier and quicker access to video material for projects. EAFA is a thriving research centre within UEA, with the archive collaborating with academics from across UEA on a range of funded research projects (UKRI/TNA/NLHF) and educational initiatives in areas including media history, digital heritage, screen education and medical humanities. These projects reflect the strengths of our collections in amateur filmmaking (including the international, award-winning Institute of Amateur Cinematographers collection) and regional television (BBC East / ITV-Anglia), but also EAFA's cutting-edge digital expertise and infrastructure.
This funding will allow the East Anglian Film Archive (EAFA) to considerably extend and accelerate its preservation of extremely at-risk video collections that represent invaluable research resources for a range of academic disciplines.
The East Anglian Film Archive (EAFA) is a regional film archive wholly owned by the University of East Anglia. Established in 1976, and part of the University since 1984, EAFA contains a collection of thousands of films and television programmes from 1896 to the present day, including unique collections from Anglia Television, BBC East, and the Institute of Amateur Cinematographers. The collection includes approximately 75,000 catalogue titles and 148,000 physical items in total in the vaults. It is estimated that EAFA has around 77,000 items on video including masters and duplicates. The archive became accredited in 2017 by the National Archives Archive Accreditation scheme.
Video is recognised as an at risk format by the British Film Institute and the film archive sector. Playback machines are old and becoming scarce and the physical video cassette is also at risk of degradation. There is a strategic need and urgency for EAFA to find a solution to digitise as much of its video collection as soon as possible. As computers and also colour grading machines have developed the Senior Technician at EAFA has been able to design a simple to use video digitisation suite able to digitise video using some new equipment together with older videotape machines.
EAFA has successfully designed and tested a video digitisation suite which consists primarily of modern equipment. There is no modern equivalent of a video player and as such film archives including the BFI utilise older video player machines within a video digitisation set up. Previously EAFA was able to digitise only ONE videotape at a time. It consisted of a fairly complex 'video desk' with a high failure rate. EAFA's new design is simple to fix and primarily modern equipment. Only the video machines themselves are old. Modern videotape machines cannot be purchased unlike film scanners which continue to be developed. Although EAFA has some of the equipment required it needs investment in new high specification PCs and colour grading monitors which will complete the newly designed digitisation suite. The archive wishes to set up 7 video digitisation suites so that mass digitisation can be carried out.
Access to moving image material on video will be beneficial to research. It will enable the archive to provide researchers with easier and quicker access to video material for projects. EAFA is a thriving research centre within UEA, with the archive collaborating with academics from across UEA on a range of funded research projects (UKRI/TNA/NLHF) and educational initiatives in areas including media history, digital heritage, screen education and medical humanities. These projects reflect the strengths of our collections in amateur filmmaking (including the international, award-winning Institute of Amateur Cinematographers collection) and regional television (BBC East / ITV-Anglia), but also EAFA's cutting-edge digital expertise and infrastructure.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Tim Snelson (Principal Investigator) |
| Description | Has influenced practices within The East Anglian Film Archive as acquisition of 7 X video digitisation stations has allowed the archive to train student volunteers to undertake digitisation and engagement projects within the archive (including as part of AHRC-funded follow on project with BBC). Also had wider impact on teaching for wider UEA students related to heritage and archiving. Ongoing digitisation of video content which is being made available to public. |
| Exploitation Route | Potential model (relatively low cost and low skill) for other archives in terms of in-house digitisation and volunteer projects. |
| Sectors | Culture Heritage Museums and Collections |
| Description | Had influence locally on practice within EAFA / UEA in terms of use of volunteers, interns, students in modules to undertake digitisation and develop future skills / career opportunities. Potential model (relatively low cost and low skill) for other archives in terms of in-house digitisation and volunteer projects. Resulted in further funding: Fast Forwarding Video Preservation and Digital Engagement (with BBC) |
| First Year Of Impact | 2023 |
| Sector | Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Description | Fast Forwarding Video Preservation and Digital Engagement |
| Amount | £25,813 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | AH/X00046X/1 |
| Organisation | Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 02/2022 |
| End | 08/2022 |