Film Preservation in the Digital Era: Pitfalls and Potentials

Abstract

This paper highlights the pitfalls and potentials of digitization of film heritage in the archival domain. The largest issue encountered by the global archive community would be the recent transition from analog to digital technology in the capture, post-production, and distribution of cinematographic works. Due to the emergence of new platforms for access and the fact that digital copies are not susceptible to the same wear and tear as analogue film elements, digitization of historical films has the potential of enabling access on a larger scale. The conflict between the necessity to preserve originals and the need to offer access has been somewhat lessened by digitization. By acting as stand-ins for quick access or as backup copies in case original materials are lost or damaged, digital versions serve preservation functions. Also, negatives that are losing their information value can be preserved by digitization in order to extend access to them and preserve their content. The value of digitization as a preservation tactic has been hotly contested. Despite the benefits of digitization, there are significant technological, legal, financial, and curatorial obstacles or pitfalls that must be addressed in order to realize the potentials.