preservation case studies aimee castenell lindsay herron kara van malssen
TRANSCRIPT
Preservation Case Studies
Aimee CastenellLindsay Herron
Kara Van Malssen
Losing It•A film by Sharon Greytak
•Shot entirely on location on DVC Pro
•Started in 1997, not completed until 2000
•Viewed VHS copy
Sharon Greytak• Filmmaker, Artist• Studied as a painter at
CalArts• Works with both
documentary and fiction films
• Focuses on or draws attention to disabled persons in her works. As a disabled person herself, this is an issue that is central to her worldview.
Losing It
• Documentary• Filmed on location on DVC Pro• Features people living with
disabilities in Siberia; Hong Kong; Sao Paolo, Brazil; Vicenza, Italy; and New York
DistributionScreened at range of venues,
including• The Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center• MoMA’s Gramercy Theater• The Egyptian Theater in L.A.• The Double Take Documentary Film Festival
(now called Full Frame)• Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival• Special screenings in Hong Kong and
Siberia
The Production Process and Resultant Materials
Pre-Production
• Locating interview subjects
• Securing funds• Other
preparations for travel
Materials
• Faxes and other correspondence
• Screener tapes (VHS)• Project proposal and
synopsis• Interview questions
prepared for each country
Location
Neatly stored & labeled on bookshelf in Sharon’s apartment
OR
In a box (also neatly labeled) in Sharon’s apartment
Production/Filming
•Traveling to Siberia, Hong Kong, Brazil, and Italy
•Interviewing subjects•Filming supplemental
materials (photographs)
• ~25 hours’ worth of footage
• Still photographs from Russia
• Additional still photos documenting process
• Photos from Sharon Greytak’s childhood
• Photos from Marino’s life (photos remain in Italy)
• Production notes
Materials
Location
• In a box (neatly labeled) in Sharon’s apartment
• Neatly stored & labeled on bookshelf in Sharon’s apartment
• Stored in photo album
Postproduction/Finished Product
•Editing
•Music
•Subtitles
Materials• DVC Pro masters• Beta SP masters• Beta copies for festivals• 16mm copy for Walter
Reade Theater• DAT tapes for music
and narration• Transcripts of
responses in original language + English translations
• Tape with subtitles
Location
• Neatly stored & labeled on bookshelf in Sharon’s apartment
• In a box (also neatly labeled) in Sharon’s apartment
• Iron Mountain
*special note: some of the materials described above might be labeled The Resilient Spirit (the film’s working
title) instead of Losing It.*
Value• Socio-Historical: Provides unique insight
into lives of disabled in different cultures• May be useful to artists interested in the
process of creating such a film• Ancillary materials may be useful to
students of history• Unused footage demonstrates Greytak’s
camera style• Production notes and written materials
give insight into director’s thought process
Preservation Issues
• Stores most materials in home• Labeled either by working or
finished title, but all labeled• Copies in various formats
Recommendations
• Should keep sub-masters in off-site storage
• Keep 16mm print in climate controlled storage facility
• Digitize paper objects as back-up for fragile material
For Comparison:
Greytak’s Feature Films
•Hearing Voices (1991)•The Love Lesson (1995)•Both received limited theatrical release
Materials and Storage• Scripts in script collection at Margaret
Herrick Library in L.A.• Script supervisor’s notes and production
notes labeled and filed in Greytak’s apartment
• DAT tapes for sound and music labeled and filed in Greytak’s apartment
• Negatives at the lab• 35 mm prints, outtakes, editor’s notes
in storage at Iron Mountain• Beta, VHS tapes distributed through
Cinema Guild
Caveat #1-- Labels: working title vs. final title
Caveat #2-- Rights: News footage from stock house
The Hidden Jews of New Mexico
The Hidden Jews of New Mexico Three-part radio series
• Benjamin Shapiro, Writer and Producer
• Nan Rubin, Project Director
• Stanley Hordes, Historical Consultant
• Funding from The Corporation for Public Broadcasting
• Additional support from the Nathan Cummings Foundation, the New Mexico Council for the Humanities, the Shefa Fund, National Public Radio, American Home Furnishings, and Electrovoice, a Mark IV Company
Part I: “Search for the Buried Past: The Hidden
Jews of New Mexico”• Research began in 1986• Aired 1988• Two versions:
– 12-minute version, NPR’s All Things Considered
– 30-minute version, distributed by Rubin & Shapiro
• Huge success! Letters, calls, etc.
Part II: “The Hidden Jews of New Mexico: Rekindling
the Spirit”• 500th anniversary of Edict of Expulsion• Dennis Duran travels to Madrid for
official rescinding of Edict of Expulsion• Aired 1992• Huge response! Letters, calls, etc.• Anonymous interviewees from 1st part
change their minds about anonymity
Part III: “The Hidden Jews of New Mexico: Return to
Iberia” (1995)• Shapiro, Rubin, &
unnamed cameraperson accompany Ramon Salas and Gloria Trujillo to Belmonte, Portugal
• Salas & Trujillo research their family roots in Spain
• Aired 1995• Jay Allison credited as
editorial consultant
Production Process and Resultant Materials
Production/Recording of Series
• Interviews/actuality (on-site or in studio)
• Narration (studio)• Ambient (on-site or
similar location)• Music
– Rowena Rivera– Vinyl: 33s & 78s– 1/4” tapes– All transferred to1/4”
tape for mix
Materials
• Approx. 30 hours recorded per program
• High-quality cassettes for on-site material
• 1/4” tape for studio material
• All transferred to1/4” magnetic audio tape for editing
Materials (cont.)
• Video footage of Spain/Portugal trip
• Still photographs or slides of Spain/Portugal trip
• Transcripts of interviews
• Scripts for narration
Post-Production Materials
• Administrative paperwork• Publicity materials• High-quality dub copies• Consumer copies made from master dubs (~1,000 copies sold)• Transcripts (final) available for purchase• Clips online
Location
• Ben Shapiro’s office (location, labels, conditions unknown)
• Nan Rubin’s office (labeled & filed or boxed)
Value
• Emotional resonance• Part of the history of Jewish identity• Valuable to scholars of Jewish history,
colonial history• Adds new layer to history of New
Mexico• Search for identity relevant to
contemporary society
Recommendations
• Transfer to CD immediately• Store original cassettes, 1/4” reels
in climate-controlled facility• Update credits on dub copies• Digitize paper correspondence and
photographs