home

= = ** Notes to everyone about our presentation, and research gaps we should fill: **
 * 1.) For our presentation, we should limit the number of films and video we show; however I do want to show at least a brief clip of a recovered orphan film, probably from the Rick Prelinger Archive. http://www.archive.org/details/prelinger Any thoughts on a particular one we should use? Or, filmpreservation.org has some sample clips, I think **

>Personally, I think the PPT is overdoing it and is just adding more stress to us. Just my opinion. ~Sara
 * 2.) I think we ought to put together a power point for the presentation, taking the material off our webpage. (so a picture can have its own individual slide) We’ll still show bits of the page, but I thought the powerpoints we saw today made the presentations look more professional and were easier to follow. Depends on how our page turns out though; if it looks really good, maybe we skip the PPT. **

>Can we please use the one about the Yukon films discovered in Dawson? ~Sara // "The story begins in 1896 and it takes place in a small hinterland of the Yukon called Dawson City just under the Artic Circle. In 1896, although it's a date we would often associate with the very early years of the cinema, in this story it's a case where by there were three prospectors adventurers who traveled to this outpost dipped their pens into the icy waters of a place called Rabbit Creek and discovered gold. Now within weeks of this gold find the word spread around the world. Hundreds and hundreds and thousands of people poured into the Dawson City territory the unemployed immigrants etc. and within two to three years over thirty thousand citizens populated this fairly outpost of civilization. Eighty year passed and the balloon town of Dawson City dwindles to about eight hundred. Not much was left and it was at this point that the Klondike National Historic Agency voted to restore its town to the turn of the century grandeur. So the began a restoration process, they had rebuilt a number of building one of which was called Girdie's diamond Salon and they were taking a construction crew, a back hoe to this vacant parking lot behind Girdie's Diamond Salon. // // Parking lot that had one point been a swimming pool, before that had been an ice hockey rink and before that had been simply a pit in the ground. In 1979 as the construction crew began to break ground they came across 538 reels of particularly frozen 38mm nitrate film. Now within weeks of this gold strike, word spread rapidly and many archivist and historians might remember the degree to which a variety of agencies including the AFI the National Film Archives of Canada and others quickly gathered together and to try and attempt to begin to think through how this restoration project might take place. What do we do with 538 reels of partially frozen nitrate film? There was actually a good bit of media and press attention too and there were a number of catchy headlines that caught peoples attention such as ones that is one of my favorites There's Film In Them There Hills. Now within the context of this symposium I think that the Dawson City collection kind of exemplifies the notion of orphan films that we have been talking about." // // -- //// Jennifer M. Bean, "Frozen in Time: Looking at the Dawson City Archive Collection, 1913-1919" //
 * 3.) There are a lot of cool stories out there about recovered orphan films and discoveries; we should pick at least one to talk about in our presentation. **

>I think we should talk about a specific large fire caused by Nitrate film: link to an article ~Sara
 * 4.) For the acetate and nitrate sections, we should only briefly touch on the preservation requirements/specs; we don’t want to just repeat Donia’s information. Let’s talk about specific examples of issues in those areas with regard to film. **


 * a. the nitrate section, you can talk about things like the Nitrate Film Interest Group, explain what that is http://www.flickr.com/people/nfig . You can also show the forum for discussion and discovery about nitrate film http://www.nitrateville.com . Any other interesting and relevant examples you can find…maybe touch on the few rare examples of preserved Charlie Chaplin nitrates, for example; or talk about the story of an orphan discovered that was nitrate **


 * b. the acetate section, we might focus on color a little bit more. What was the two-color practice that Sally mentioned; can we find any examples of films that used this technique, and explain what it was? **


 * c. We haven’t covered reformatting!!! what are the exact costs to reformat, and what options are archives using? Valerie’s topic reminded me of this. Is anything going digital, or are they just transferring to polyester? The National Film Preservation Foundation lists in the AMIA Newsletter the different archives awarded grants that year to preserve their AV materials. What have the institutes done with this money? Find an example of at least one **


 * d. An aspect we also haven’t covered that should briefly mention/research, is sound preservation. What happens to the audio that originally was made for the film? Some amateur films have the audio included on the tape itself. What is the process for including sound with the film—are they usually two different components? Need at least the technical info, even if we don’t go into depth about sound preservation itself which is a whole other topic **

Post your section paragraphs and sources here for the webpage: (Please note where on the web page you want the text and for sources, please provide the name of the link and the web link itself.)

[Top of webpage, the two quotes centered and in different font to start us off] [also up here, picture from the flickr site if they'll let us; or public domain pic with frame from an orphan film]
 * Meg:** Don't post any of this yet, Sara! I want to give Greg an idea of what I'm thinking, in case it makes better sense structurally to combine some of our information

//"The Library of Congress has documented that fewer than 20% of U.S. feature films from the 1920s survive in complete form in American archives; of the American features produced before 1950, only half still exist. For shorts, documentaries, and independently produced works, we have no way of knowing how much has been lost." --National Preservation Foundation website//

//"If there is a single division that separates most of the preservation issues discussed in this report, it is between two categories of films: those that have evident market value and owners able to exploit that value; and the other films, often labeled “orphans,” that lack either clear copyright holders or commercial potential to pay for their continued preservation. In practice, the former are primarily features from major Hollywood studios; the latter—numerically the majority—include newsreels and documentaries, avant-garde and independent productions, silent films where copyright has expired, even certain Hollywood sound films from now defunct studios. For these films the urgency may be greatest." -The Librarian of Congress in the 1993 report//


 * What steps have been taken to address the situation? Here is a brief timeline of historical responses (America is behind in the game!)**

-In 1988 the National Film Preservation Act is passed by Congress, and the National Film Preservation Board established -In 1991 the Association of Moving Image Archivists formally established as a professional organization (had previously been meeting since the 1960’s, but called themselves the Film and Television Archives Advisory Committee. Changed the name in 1990, formalized, and is now the largest of its kind—includes international members as well.) -In 1992 the National Film Preservation Act is renewed and modified to address the ways by which to preserve/handle film -In 1996 the National Film Preservation Foundation is established specifically for orphan films -In 1999 the first Orphan Film Symposium takes place. (It was originally called “Orphans of the Storm: Saving ‘Orphan Films’ in the Digital Age.” The conference was such a success that there was a sequel in 2001, beginning a phenomenon. The Seventh Orphan Film Symposium was held April 7-10, 2010.) -In 2005 the Family Entertainment and Copyright Act is passed, which includes The Preservation of Orphan Works Act.

‘Orphan film’ was originally a colloquial expression that replaced the 1980’s slogan of “Nitrate Won’t Wait!” It’s used to describe films that are either abandoned by their owner, have no clear copyright, or are essentially unknown outside of their repositories. It’s thought that in 1993, David Francis used the phrase in a public context when preparations were being made for the National Film Preservation Plan, and consequently the term made its way into the official report of the Librarian of Congress. Dan Streible calls the term “multipartisan,” and points out that one group adopted it to call for copyright reform. Over the past several years, it’s become mainstream—used in legislation, preservation efforts, and copyright changes.
 * Where does the term “orphan film” come from, and what does it mean?**

Orphan films make up the majority of our film heritage. - the Museum of Modern Art contains 13,000 films, more than half of which are orphan works unavailable to the public. (2 duke) - The cost of copying unique reels of pre-1951 nitrate film alone was estimated ten years ago to be $243 million. - Over 100 million feet of film remains unrestored. Studios hold only a small fraction of the endangered films. Most is held in large public archives. The 1993 figures show the Library of Congress holding over 150,000 titles, the UCLA Film & Television Archive 46,000, and the Museum of Modern Art 13,000. Untold numbers of films are scattered in private hands or small public collections – one expert estimates that some 1,750 separate small collections hold unique or difficult-to-find footage. (4)

They are a large part of our cultural heritage, vastly outnumbering the popular and commercially successful movies, and yet are at risk, since they fall outside the bounds of commercial film preservation efforts. According to the Orphan Film Symposium website, here’s a number of genres that may be considered orphan works:

“…public domain materials, home movies, outtakes, unreleased films, industrial and educational movies, independent documentaries, ethnographic films, newsreels, censored material, underground works, experimental pieces, silent-era productions, stock footage, found footage, medical films, kinescopes, small and unusual gauge films, amateur productions, surveillance footage, test reels, government films, advertisements, sponsored films, student works, [and so on…]”

[Specific examples of each genre:]

Copyright is a problematic element in film preservation. As film deteriorates, the mode of preserving the material is to reformat to a newer and more stable medium. Copyright laws, however, prevent such a transfer from being made. [Duke University 2005 publication Access to Orphan Films—quote]
 * Copyright and Film Preservation**


 * Legislation Passed to Aid in the Preservation of Orphan Films**


 * The Orphan Film Movement: Seven Symposiums to date**

**[For our nitrate section:** "Nitrate Film Interest Group" is a website devoted to identifying 'orphans' at http://www.flickr.com/photos/nfig/. "Nitrateville is a forum for discussing silent and classic film news at http://www.nitrateville.com/viewforum.php?f=1 **]** //Finished?:// NO

Folks this Is a bunch of info I have written so far. More to come! Examples of Film Preservation taking incredible importance: Britain in the 1920s: Despite the recognition of the value that films had to society, the industry saw little point at a financial perspective to do so. Unfortunately this would prove to be a drastic error, as not only was film unrecognized for its importance but also that many of them were composed of unstable materials. This includes the highly flammable nitrate film, which understandably required special technical care, which only a purposely set up central agency along the lines of the British Museum could be provided on a systematic and permanent basis. This was quite different from the Copyright Act of 1911, which required book publishers to produce a copy for the British Museum Library to preserve, emphasizing the insignificance the country on the whole felt about film and cinema. Indeed, the sad fact of the matter was that it was not financially sound to fund an archive that would ensure the quality and safety of the films for future generations, at least by a commercial standpoint. As such, many films would be lost to the decay of time. Such actions were not uncommon among, and indeed American Filmmakers would take an even longer time to recognize Film Preservation value, the organization taking effect in the 1980s, which resulted in even more disastrous situation. Eventually in 1932 the concept of a Nation Film Library was brought into being, thanks in part to the British Government’s recognition of the value of film documentaries taken during the First World War. At first it was given restricted financing by the government, and they warned the institution to do only what was possible in the budget. As time progressed, however, it became apparent how valuable the services that this library could provide and it expanded its purpose. This was thanks in part to the educationalists and scientists who recognized the opportunity this offered them, a method to show the country the importance of film preservation, and departments like a film repository and a reference library for students and a loan library for teachers were created. Naturally, the project suffered setbacks As previously mention, the United States has not had an overall success with film preservation until recently in the 1980s, but there are exceptions to this rule, as can be seen with the George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film. It opened in 1949 and is known to be one of the leading organizations regarding conservation.
 * Greg:**

//Finished?: Almost//


 * Stephanie:**

//Finished?://


 * Sara:**

Finished: yes.
PROPOSED OUTLINE FOR 439 FINAL PROJECT WEBPAGE :

=Introductory Guide to the Preservation of Film Reels: Orphan Film/ [The Movement]=

Section 1

 * What are orphan films?
 * Why the need for preservation of orphan films?
 * Description of ownership and copyright
 * economic feasibility
 * Initial Resources for Research:
 * [|Association of Moving Image Archivists]
 * []

Section 2

 * Beginning of film- Edison
 * When did we switch from B/W to Color film?
 * History of Nitrate Film
 * Moments of change (1948-1952)
 * History of Acetate Film
 * Moments of change

Section 3

 * How to preserve Nitrate and Acetate film
 * Present day practices of movie studios, libraries, and archives
 * Nitrate Film
 * Spontaniously combusts-keep in cool storage
 * Storage, environmental controls
 * Here is a link to an article about Nitrate Film
 * **This is from the week 7 Moodle Forum, but might be cool to have on our webpage: Samuel L. Jackson narrates the bit about how dangerous nitrate film is:**media type="youtube" key="2xMX7eFGdS0" height="229" width="288"
 * Here is the embedding information for a webpage:     **
 * Acetate Film
 * Color film
 * color fading
 * vinegar syndrome
 * storage, environmental controls
 * economic feasibility
 * [|This IPI Institute article is also a very good resource]

Section 4

 * Future of film preservation
 * Orphan Film Movement

Potential Resources for Overall Research:
[]

**Instructions:**

 * Click on the edit button above to put your own content on this page.

**Project Information from syllabus (just in case you want to refer to it):**
//1: Describe your project in detail// //2: The final project// || //Not assessed// 40% || Part 1: 19 March Final plan: 23 April || Working as part of a group of three or four students, you will select a topic in the field of preservation that interests you. A list of topics will be provided during class to give you some guidance. **The topic you select must be approved by the instructor, in writing, by 5 March (Uhhh....I don't think we did this...) .** A project plan in outline form is due 19 March.
 * Term Project

You may select one of two means to present the information on your chosen topic: 1. Prepare a brief introductory guide to your topic in the form of a web site. It should be intended for an audience of information professionals in the U.S. Your ability to author a web site will not be assessed. 2. Edit and expand a Wikipedia page on your chosen preservation topic. Information must be accurate and include citations. A print-out of the original Wikipedia page must be included with the final project.

The criteria used to assess your work will be based primarily on your understanding of the topic, especially what you decide to present as the significant information in an introductory guide. Assessment will focus on such criteria as: coverage of the topic; demonstration of graduate-level analysis and synthesis; extent and quality of your observations; clarity of your description; relevance of the resources you select; satisfactory range of reading and research; and correct acknowledgment of sources.

You must submit your work electronically: for example, files in HTML, the URL of the Web site, or the URL for the Wikipedia entry. During class on 23 and 30 April, each group will give a brief presentation about their project, describing its scope and pointing out its main features. The order in which groups will present will be determined after Spring Break.

=__**Notes:**__=

Greg's Thoughts:
Hey guys! I found more information regarding film preservation and its history. Looking for the history of film preservation is harder than I expected, but ther is information out there. At the very least I found information that you guys will find useful. [] [] [] [] [] The link below is found on the Film Foundation Website. I having difficultly uploading it, but it has Martin Scorsese and Clint Eastwood (among others) discussing the importance of Film Preservation. Here's the link: http://www.film-foundation.org/common/11004/education.cfm?clientID=11004&sid=3&ssid=8

Greg's Thoughts:
Hey guys. I found some cool PDFs regarding the history of Film and Preservation, including an interview. Gives these a try.

__//**Nitrate Film**//__
Sara's Notes: Here is a link to an article about Nitrate Film > Association of Moving Image Archivists > Image Permanence Institute > National Film Preservation Foundation > National Park Service > Northeast Document Conservation Center I read (somewhere on the film site that Conn posted in discussion week 7) that Nitrate film was used until 1948 and then was phased out over a 4 year period until 1952. *Yes--nitrate was copied onto "Safety Film", or acetate, which turned out not to be so safe after all
 * The bibliography of this article provided a link to an article about a fire caused by nitrate film that then caused new standards for storage to be developed.
 * The Library of Congress lost a good portion of Nitrate Films in 1987 due to fire.
 * Any film negatives from time period of 1890–1950 has nitrate in it.
 * Nitrate motion picture film should be stored in vented film cans to allow gases to escape, not build up.
 * Nitrate film should be stored at below freezing temperatures in a frost-free freezer (A one time cost for an institution- more cost effective than payments to an off-site storage facility.). The films should be packaged correctly (the article explains how in more depth).
 * Freezers should be checked at least once a month for humidity and temperature changes.
 * Access issues: access more limited. Materials must be acclimated before after being in the freezer.
 * Resources for Film Preservation Information:

From National Film Preservation Foundation:
In 2002 making a new master and viewing print of a black-and-white seven-reel silent feature cost about $32,000, assuming that no special restoration work was required. Making a preservation copy of a sound feature costs even more. "The Library of Congress has documented that fewer than 20% of U.S. feature films from the 1920s survive in complete form in American archives; of the American features produced before 1950, only half still exist. For shorts, documentaries, and independently produced works, we have no way of knowing how much has been lost." NFPF   "In spite of nitrate's inherent tendency to self-destruct, the natural aging process can be greatly slowed down by low-temperature storage."


 * Storage of nitrate film:

Notes from http://0-search.ebscohost.com.library.simmons.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lih&AN=48001469&site=ehost-live:

http://www.pictureshowman.com/images/articles/Articles_graphics/NAVCC/Nitrate_film_vaults.jpg
 * "Storing nitrate film at room temperature violates fire codes, is a danger to other collections and staff, and will not preserve the original film."
 * "Rehouse nitrate sheet film in buffered archival envelopes and archival boxes. The ideal is one negative per envelope. Any envelopes or boxes that nitrate film is removed from cannot be reused for other materials."
 * "Vented film cans are recommended for storage of nitrate motion picture film. They allow gasses to escape, rather than build up inside the can."
 * "Storing the film at below-freezing temperatures is necessary to stop chemical deterioration, prolong the life of the film, and buy your organization time to plan for reformatting and digitization of the material."
 * <span style="font-family: Helvetica,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;">"The cooler the better, with RH not lower than 20% or higher than 50%" ( http://www.imagepermanenceinstitute.org/shtml_sub/acetguid.pdf).

http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0f9g0ui435gCJ/610x.jpg

<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 17px;">(ABOVE)--"Deborah Stoiber opens a film canister containing a portion of the original film negative from the movie Gone With The Wind at the [|George Eastman] House[|Louis B. Mayer] Conservation Center in Chili, N.Y., Thursday April 24, 2008."

Notes from http://motion.kodak.com/US/en/motion/Support/Technical_Information/Storage/storage_nitrate.htm:
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;">"If you store it in large quantities of about 5,000 feet or more and in non approved storage cabinets without proper ventilation, it becomes a fire hazard."


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On-site freezer bank:
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: normal;">"An average frost-free freezer unit is adequate and appropriate for storing small quantities of nitrate film."
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">"Two convenient features to look for are castors and adjustable shelves."
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Freezer units on castors will be easier to move."
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Adjustable shelves make it possible to store different-size boxes and maximize space in the freezers".
 * <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Check freezers monthly

<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> Here is an interesting Youtube video on nitrate film storage conditions: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iN1_zEjOQ6o and the embedding information: <object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/iN1_zEjOQ6o&hl=en_US&fs=1&"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/iN1_zEjOQ6o&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"> media type="youtube" key="iN1_zEjOQ6o" height="227" width="384" This video also explains the need for facilities like this to help preserve nitrate film, especially Americansilent-era films, of which only about 15% survive.
 * Putting nitrate film in the freezer:
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Once packaged, film can be placed directly in the freezers.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: normal;">"To manage the transition of the film to its new location, number the freezers and the shelves inside of each freezer."
 * Acclimation room
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"To prevent staff from opening the freezers to search for a collection, put a list of the collections contained in each freezer on the outside of the door."


 * Scan and reformat nitrate film materials--in other words, make copies of them! <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; line-height: normal;">Nitrate film generally will only last between 40 and 80 years (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1310/is_1984_August/ai_3372424/).


 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">Scanning of film is expensive and time-consuming but can be done.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">//"The Interpositive/Duplicate Negative Process.// The most versatile duplication process produces a film interpositive and duplicate negative. The original negative is contact printed onto a sheet of film and processed. This yields a positive image on film, an interpositive. The interpositive is contact printed to produce a duplicate negative. This process can produce the most accurate duplicate negatives modern films are capable of producing... An interpositive is an archival copy that can be used to make as many duplicate negatives as needed. The original negative can remain in storage, or if deteriorating can be destroyed" (http://www.nedcc.org/resources/leaflets/5Photographs/01ShortGuide.php).


 * What to look for in terms of deterioration of nitrate film:

//Notes from http://motion.kodak.com/US/en/motion/Support/Technical_Information/Storage/storage_nitrate.htm://
 * "The nitrate film you have in storage may be middleaged, but if it was properly stored, it may be quite usable. However, if it was neglected, it may be showing signs of early deterioration. One way to determine the extent of deterioration is to look at the color of the base. If it's yellowish, or even amber, sulfiding has begun because of silver in the emulsion and some yellowing of the gelatin. The confirming test is to see if the film base is brittle and breaks easily on being bent in half, especially with the emulsion side out. At this stage, the gelatin is probably soft enough to dissolve readily if the film is wetted."
 * "If these symptoms of decomposition are found, handle the film with care and keep it dry. Duplicate it soon after inspection, drying, and cleaning, because buckled film and sticky gelatin may make duplication later more difficult or perhaps impossible."


 * Here are some pictures of nitrate film in various stages of decomposition:

This reel of nitrate film still looks pretty good: <--This is actually an image of safety acetate film.

//www.lva.virginia.gov/public/archivesmonth/2003/webexhibit/Images/movie.JPG&imgrefurl=http://www.lva.virginia.gov/public/archivesmonth/2003/webexhibit/conserv_preserv.htm&usg=__gIL27VbHpg2tZV1Awc2z7Is88Zo=&h=240&w=300&sz=20&hl=en&start=14&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=6pvUMsAndWCK7M:&tbnh=93&tbnw=116&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dnitrate%2Bfilm%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Den%26tbs%3Disch:1 <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10px;">Reel of motion picture film- Laurel and Hardy's "They Go Boom" (1929) __//

__// <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">http://www.cinecon.org/cinecon_filmpreservation.html

http://www.pictureshowman.com/articles_restprev_nitrate.cfm

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">http://www.pictureshowman.com/articles_restprev_nitrate.cfm //__

__//**Acetate Film**//__

 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">http://www.imagepermanenceinstitute.org/shtml_sub/acetguid.pdf


 * Motion Picture Acetate Film: In general, cinema and amateur roll films marked ìSafetyî are likely to be acetate, regardless of format or age. Thus, collections of cinema film will consist largely of acetate (apart from 35mm cinema films made before 1951, which will be nitrate). **

**Color film preservation:**

 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Color fading is caused by spontaneous chemical changes in the image dyes of color films
 * Today's films are more stable; significant fading will occur in about 40 years at room conditions
 * ANSI Standard says maximum of 35 degrees F for long term storage of color film.

Vinegar syndrome: happens in acetate-cellulose based materials <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">( <span style="color: #ff00ff; font-family: 'Lucida Grande',helvetica,sans-serif; white-space: pre;">http://0-search.ebscohost.com.library.simmons.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lih&AN=48001470&site=ehost-live)
 * The symptoms of vinegar syndrome are a pungent vinegar smell followed eventually by shrinkage, embrittlement and buckling of the gelatin emulsion
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The vinegar odor is produced as chemicals in the acetate plastic interact with moisture in the air, creating acetic acid
 * Store film in cool-and-dry storage conditions to stop this from happening
 * //More info: http://www.imagepermanenceinstitute.org/shtml_sub/actionplan.pdf. This is a very useful article with charts!://
 * //**Vinegar syndrome is a problem that affects only cellulose**// **acetate //plastic materials.//**

// Here is a link to a guide about acetate film degradation, and what to look for/do about it: [|Acetate Film from IPI Institute]// Sara's Notes from this article: p. 3 Deterioration generates acetic acid (vinegar)- can evaporate to air, absorb into storage container, or be trapped in by storage container. The last will make film degenerate faster p.4 Evaluation wheel for Vinegar Syndrome Lower RH=dryer conditions=longer time before Vinegar Syndrome sets in Higher RH also permits mold to grow Don’t go lower than 20% RH because film will dry out and become brittle For fresh film to last about 100years=best conditions are 40%RH, 60 degrees F. Table for reaching Vinegar Syndrome if acetate film spends so many days per year out of “vault” storage conditions and in “office” conditions. Another sign of base deterioration: appearance of crystalline deposits or liquid filled bubbles on the emulsion. Evidence of Plasticizers. They slow rate of burning if film catches fire. Also minimizes shrinkage and growth due to environment conditions. Another sign of VS: pink or blue lines in some sheet films. These are dyes used on the back of the film to stop halos from forming around bright spots in the film (ex: streetlight) []: "One advantage acetate film has over nitrate film is that it is not truly flammable; if subjected to a flame it just smolders." "Films should always be wound evenly, and never too tightly, with the emulsion side out. Metal film storage cans or plastic boxes should be uniform in size, stored flat, and never stacked more than twelve inches high."

//Storage practices://
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;">A relative humidity (RH) of 20 to 50% is best for film storage, with a temperature that is as cool as possible
 * Metal or plastic cans are good to store films in
 * No dampness!
 * More info: http://www.imagepermanenceinstitute.org/shtml_sub/SpecifyingStorageEnvironments.pdf
 * Keep film away from extreme heat!

I just found a video comparing the burning of acetate film to the burning of nitrate film!! media type="youtube" key="7mZDt8vYMBw" height="385" width="480"

Introduced in mid '50s. More chemically stable than the others. Best for archival use. Will last 5-10 times longer than acetate film in comparable storage conditions.

=The "Orphan Film" Movement=

**What is an orphan film?**
//The Librarian of the US in a 1993 report: Here's a link to the report itself--it covers film preservation as whole
 * "If there is a single division that separates most of the preservation issues discussed in this report, it is between two categories of films: those that have evident market value and owners able to exploit that value; and the other films, often labeled “orphans,” that lack either clear copyright holders or commercial potential to pay for their continued preservation. In practice, the former are primarily features from major Hollywood studios; the latter—numerically the majority—include newsreels and documentaries, avant-garde and independent productions, silent films where copyright has expired, even certain Hollywood sound films from now defunct studios. For these films the urgency may be greatest."

From the National Film Preservation site:
 * "...at-risk are documentaries, silent-era films, avant-garde works, ethnic films, newsreels, home movies, and independent works. We call these [|orphan films] because they fall outside the scope of commercial preservation programs.Orphan films often exist as one-of-a-kind copies in archives, libraries, museums, universities and historical societies. These organizations are the first line of defense for saving American films made outside of Hollywood."

Dan Streible in a// The Moving Image //editor's preface: ...the center is on recordings as historical documents. Orphan films are often “not-a-movie” films, artifacts not released theatrically: unfinished news-reels, outtakes, amateur works, test reels, unidentified footage, surveillance recordings, and works from other nontheatrical genres.
 * "...there is the legal problem of an orphaned reel as encountered in archival practice: a film whose rights holder/s (if they exist) have abandoned its care, or are unaware of the legal claim they have on it.

Audio recordings of Orphan Film Symposium presentations are available for playback and download. The Web site NYU.edu/orphans hosts the 2008 recordings; the 2006 recordings can be accessed at SC.edu/filmsymposium. Both sites link to the text of programs from Orphans 1 through 5, all held at the University of South Carolina. NYU has scheduled the seventh symposium, “Moving Pictures Around the World,” for April 7–10, 2010, at the Library of Congress National Audio-Visual Conservation Center in Culpeper, Virginia."


 * He describes the articles in that particular issue, which are all devoted to the Sixth Orphan Film Symposium. In his own introduction he relates the history of the movement. [|His article is here--from the March 2008 issue]//

=History of the Orphan Film Movement:=

**Current Projects Underway:**
[|NYU Symposium] In just a few weeks! It includes upcoming plans, papers, projects, past symposium information...all very interesting


 * Sources:**

**Greg's Thoughts:**
Well I finally figured out how to work this piece of technology. I happen to come across website called Motion Picture Film Preservation, located at

[] It seems to be set up by an individual, but appears to have some impressive sources of information linked to it. History wise, I am interested in seeing if we can get access to the books it suggest through inter library loan or the BPL. I certainly think its worth looking into.

=Webpage Brainstorm//= =Introductory Guide to the Preservation of Film Reels: Orphan Film/ [The Movement]=

Section 1:
What are orphan films? Why the need for preservation of orphan films? --b/c film studios have money to preserve feature films. (ex: freezer vs. cold vault) Description of ownership and copyright

Section 2:
History of Nitrate Film & Acetate Film

Section 3:
How to preserve Nitrate and Acetate film in archives and library settings. -Present day practices of movie studios, libraries Nitrate Film: -Spontaniously combusts-keep in cool storage -Storage, environmental controls -economic feasibility

Acetate Film: -Color film -color fading -vinegar syndrome -storage, environmental controls -economic feasibility