Video Archives Research Articles

Designing Research to Produce Usable Knowledge from Archives that Have Significant Ethical and Privacy Constraints

Archives are sometimes imagined to be dusty repositories of historical documents. The considerations of care and ethical practice at the heart of qualitative research with active participants may not seem relevant. However, when archives contain sensitive information about people, living or no longer living, and those people cannot be consulted about the use of the materials, significant ethical issues arise. This paper offers innovative ways of balancing a desire to explore the treasures of a highly sensitive archive with rigorous attention to the rights and interests of those whose stories the archive holds. Based on research with a video archive of recorded therapy sessions left by Michael White, the co-originator of narrative therapy, my paper sets out a series of innovative responses to ethical considerations about the right to privacy, confidentiality, and anonymity. These include strategies to anonymize data while retaining context, re-presenting material in the archive so that it could be shared, creating a role for an advocate on behalf of people recorded in the archive, and using subjective learnings from the archive as a basis for collective practice-based research. This enabled the generation of research findings that are directly applicable to practitioners. The practices described make possible an “opening” of a previously locked archive. They also set out a possible pathway for others seeking to conduct research with highly sensitive archives.

Notes on the state of Brazilian television archives: From scattered initiatives to an uncertain future

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in past television programmes and television memory more broadly, a trend amplified by streaming platforms. This development highlights the critical issue of television archiving and content accessibility. As Brazilian television approaches its 75th anniversary in 2025, this article examines the current state of television archives in Brazil, their accessibility to the general public, and the role of amateur archiving on online platforms. We analyse the public and private dimensions of these archives and, drawing on international examples, advocate for public-private collaborations to expand Brazilian citizenship through equitable access to television archives.

Activating dissident memories: Video as a tool for resistance in Agustina Comedi’s Playback

This article examines how the short documentary Playback: Ensayo de una despedida repurposes archival videos of the underground queer scene in Argentina’s nascent democracy in the late 1980s. Video is used as a tool for documenting queer histories, resisting erasure and reimagining the past. By blending archival footage with fictional elements, I argue that Playback highlights the affective dimensions of queer memory and the power of friendship in sustaining emotional truths and also demonstrates how video archives can be mobilized for resistance and resilience.

Cultural Therapy and Concern for the Archive. The Case of Documentary Video Archives by Tomáš Rafa

In this paper, the author explores current perspectives on contemporary art projects through the concept of the archive. By applying a theoretical framework termed “concern for the archive”, the author aims to elucidate complex relationships between the archive as a medium and the situated practices of contemporary art. The paper examines contemporary art as a form of temporary memory storage, particularly through the analysis of Tomáš Rafa’s documentary films. It addresses two key questions: What specific aspects of concern for the archive can be identified in political or activist contemporary art? How does concern for the archive differ from archival care, and why is this distinction important? In the first section, the author discusses the “zones of contact” in political activist art, highlighting the formation of dialogical structures and distinguishing them from scientific research and purely documentary creation. The second section traces the layers of artistic training in Grzegorz Kowalski's renowned studio at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, where the author gained experience in organizing and documenting collective workshops. This part reveals the specifics of documentary video creation with its activist and archival overlaps. In the final sections, the author outlines a theoretical framework for interpreting documentary video pieces in relation to the concepts of archive, cultural trauma, and cultural therapy.

Multi‐modal video search by examples—A video quality impact analysis

AbstractAs the proliferation of video content continues, and many video archives lack suitable metadata, therefore, video retrieval, particularly through example‐based search, has become increasingly crucial. Existing metadata often fails to meet the needs of specific types of searches, especially when videos contain elements from different modalities, such as visual and audio. Consequently, developing video retrieval methods that can handle multi‐modal content is essential. An innovative Multi‐modal Video Search by Examples (MVSE) framework is introduced, employing state‐of‐the‐art techniques in its various components. In designing MVSE, the authors focused on accuracy, efficiency, interactivity, and extensibility, with key components including advanced data processing and a user‐friendly interface aimed at enhancing search effectiveness and user experience. Furthermore, the framework was comprehensively evaluated, assessing individual components, data quality issues, and overall retrieval performance using high‐quality and low‐quality BBC archive videos. The evaluation reveals that: (1) multi‐modal search yields better results than single‐modal search; (2) the quality of video, both visual and audio, has an impact on the query precision. Compared with image query results, audio quality has a greater impact on the query precision (3) a two‐stage search process (i.e. searching by Hamming distance based on hashing, followed by searching by Cosine similarity based on embedding); is effective but increases time overhead; (4) large‐scale video retrieval is not only feasible but also expected to emerge shortly.

Prologue: Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA) 2023 Annual Meeting.

The Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA) 2023 annual meeting was held on July 13 to 15, 2023, in Dublin, Ireland, and was attended by 285 rheumatologists, dermatologists, trainees, patient research partners (PRPs), representatives of patient organizations, and industry partners. The 20th anniversary of GRAPPA was celebrated with a special presentation and archival video. Ahead of the meeting, the PRP Network met, a workshop was held by the International Dermatology Outcome Measures (IDEOM) group, and there was a workshop in which researchers discussed advancing ultrasound use to improve the management of psoriatic disease (PsD). Young-GRAPPA also held a workshop and business meeting. Multiple presentations highlighted important topics currently influencing PsD, including ensuring that patients are included in advancing research, the role of depression in PsD, the use of magnetic resonance imaging for spinal lesions, and animal models of PsD, among others. Debates focused on whether biologics should be used for mild psoriasis, whether methotrexate should remain the first-line treatment for PsD, and whether PsD is really a primary enthesitis driving joint synovitis. Here we provide an overview of the features of the GRAPPA 2023 annual meeting and introduce the manuscripts published together in this supplement as a meeting report.

Presence, absence, and spatial relations: An Interactional Ethnography of physical-virtual field-based learning through a sociomaterial lens

Field-based learning has been central to ecology education in supporting scientific inquiry and connecting learners with nature. However, pandemic-era campus closures have renewed debates regarding the role of virtual and immersive experiences. This Interactional Ethnography (IE) of a university-secondary school initiative in Hong Kong employs a sociomaterial lens to trace field-based learning interactions within and across physical and virtual spaces. Metaphors from social topology guided analysis of an ethnographic archive of classroom and field-based video records, learning artifacts, and interviews. Our analysis surfaces how and in what ways organisms act as agents in providing an essential anchor and recurring motif within and across interactions, contexts and settings in the enacted field-based design. While their ‘absence’ in the classroom and virtual environment constructs a sense of authenticity through the flickering metaphor of fire space, the material and semiotic resources in the field enable fluidity, opening possibilities for multiple, often serendipitous forms of relations, presences and dialogues that support diverse forms of knowledge and learning. By positioning field-based learning as varying sociomaterial assemblages centering on natural materials, we reconsider physical-virtual binaries and propose their designs as entangled human and non-human spatial relations that recognize and elevate the agency of natural materials.

Language Matters: Is There Gender Bias in Internal Medicine Grand Rounds Introductions?

We performed an exploratory evaluation of gender-specific differences in speakers and their introductions at internal medicine grand rounds. Internal medicine grand rounds video archives from three sites between December 2013 and September 2020 were manually transcribed and analyzed using natural language processing techniques. Differences in word usage by gender were compared. Four hundred and sixty-two grand rounds held at three institutions were examined. There were 167 (34.6%) speakers who were women and 316 (65.4%) who were men. The proportion of women speakers was significantly lower than that of women in the internal medicine workforce (34.6% vs. 39.2%, p = 0.04). Among 191 external speakers, only 57 (29.8%) were women. The use of professional titles was equivalent between genders. Despite equal mention of specific achievements in both male and female speaker introductions, there was a trend towardcasting female speakers as being less established. There is a need to adopt processes that will decrease inequities in the representation of women in grand rounds and in their introductions.

Digital Collage Design Through The Concept of Linear Time in The Documentary Film "Nasida Ria: Sun Stage" (2023) by Wisnu Candra

Not only recording reality, the form of documentary films today has undergone significant development. One of the drivers of development is the digital phenomenon. Digitalization is not an impact, but a phenomenon that must be adapted as best as possible and addressed as wisely as possible. The purpose of this development is to provide innovation in the form of documentary films that are more innovative and creative. Qualitative method is used as the epistemology of data collection through research to validate the truth of the subject. Meanwhile, the principle of cross-disciplinary collaboration between film directors and digital collage artists is used as a foundation to produce a visual identity for the film to be more innovative and creative. As a result, the short film "Nasida Ria: Sun Stage" is not only a film that records the history of Nasida Ria, but also a contribution to the evolution of the documentary film form. Through an archive of texts, photos and videos arranged using digital collage techniques and moved linearly.

Footwear and Falls in Long-Term Residential Aged Care Facilities: An Analysis of Video Capture Data

Introduction: Several footwear characteristics have been shown to affect balance and gait patterns and may therefore influence the risk of falling in older adults. However, attributing a link between footwear and falls is inherently difficult as it often relies on self-report which may be inaccurate. Methods: Archival video recordings of falls that occurred in two long-term residential aged care facilities were initially screened to determine whether the footwear worn at the time (barefoot, socks, slippers/sandals, or shoes) could be documented. These falls were then independently evaluated by three additional assessors and a meeting was held to obtain consensus in relation to whether the footwear could have potentially contributed to the fall, and what mechanism may have been responsible. Cross-tabulations were performed in relation to footwear type and fall characteristics (proposed mechanism and fall direction). Results: There were 300 falls experienced by 118 older adults aged 58 years–98 years (mean age 82.8 years, SD 7.6). Of these falls, footwear could be ascertained in 224 (75%). After the consensus meeting, the proportion of falls considered to be potentially related to footwear was 40 (18%). The likelihood of footwear contributing to the fall was highest when participants were wearing socks (14/19 falls; 74% of all footwear-related falls), followed by being barefoot (2/6 falls; 33%), wearing slippers/sandals (17/100 falls; 17%), and wearing shoes (7/99 falls, 7%). Conclusion: Footwear could be a potential contributor to a substantial number of falls in residential aged care. Wearing socks would appear to place an older person at risk of future falls and should therefore be avoided in this population.

Open Forum in the Dedicated Issue of East European Holocaust Studies on Oral History and the Holocaust

Abstract The events of the Holocaust are reflected in the numerous memoirs of rescued victims and witnesses of Nazi crimes. Collections of testimonies, memories and oral history on the Holocaust include thousands of early testimonies and life stories archived in for example the Yad Vashem and audio-visual collections initiated in later years such as the Institute for Visual History and Education USC Shoah Foundation, The Fortunoff Video Archives, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Yahad-In Unum and others. In this open forum we how the knowledge from collecting and using oral history and testimonies in Holocaust research can inform current collecting initiatives in relation to for example the ongoing Russian war in Ukraine.

Measuring Teacher Talk and the Behavior of Autistic Students in Preschool Through Third-Grade Special Education Mathematics Activities

Abstract Objectives Teacher talk provides the medium for teaching and learning. However, there has been little emphasis on conceptualizing and measuring teacher talk within specific contexts and populations or the influence that child behavior has on teacher talk. We described and investigated varying models of teacher talk directed individually toward autistic students within 96 special education mathematics activities drawn from larger mathematics lessons. We also examined child behavior within mathematics contexts measured through observation and via teacher report. Methods Our participants included 39 preschool–third-grade teachers across 14 districts in California and their 66 autistic students (Mage = 6.74 years, SD = 2.04). We utilized archival video observations from the start of the school year collected as part of a longitudinal study examining a classroom-based intervention for autistic students. Results Our findings provide support for a five-factor model of teacher talk (instructional talk, questioning techniques, responsive language, directive language, and foundational talk) and shed light upon teachers’ overuse of directive language to direct or redirect autistic students’ behavior relative to the other talk dimensions. We also documented a significant positive association between teachers’ use of non-task-related directives and student emotion dysregulation. Conclusions This detailed evaluation of teacher talk provides a promising means for gauging the quality of instructional talk and the experiences of elementary-aged autistic students within special education mathematics contexts. Tailoring professional development for educators that centers on understanding developmental characteristics associated with autism and highlighting teacher talk as a targeted intervention is an area for further study.

Tapping the Margins: Feminist Research in Tap Dance History

The research project Tapping the Margins was undertaken by Ann Kilkelly and Mary Neth from 1999 through 2005 and focused on women in tap dance. Their scope was unprecedented: to analyze constructions of gender, race, class, and sexuality in tap history. This article has a dual purpose: to detail the project’s materials, which will be accessible at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts and include notes for a never-completed book, archival video footage of dancers, film analyses, oral histories, plus stage and film production records; and to examine Kilkelly’s feminist, personal, and embodied explorations of tap dance history.

The rhetoric of democracy in United States Senate campaign debates

ABSTRACT This project analyzes the rhetoric of democracy, voting, and elections in United States Senate campaign debates during the 2022 midterm elections. Using C-SPAN video archives, we examine candidate exchanges focused on the 2020 election, ballot access, and the peaceful transfer of power. We find that while Democratic and Republican candidates used dramatically different language and arguments to describe their positions on elections, candidates in both parties laid claim to the mantle of “democracy defender.” Democracy functioned as a floating signifier deployed even by election deniers who recast election interference as election protection and positioned themselves as agents of responsive government while obfuscating President Trump’s, and in some cases their own, responsibility for spreading election conspiracies. This rhetorical analysis illuminates how political elites approach questions of democracy and electoral fairness in an era shaped by misinformation and fractured communication environments. Our study advances understanding of the dialectical tensions in conceptualizations of democracy and the role of campaign debates in a post-truth rhetorical climate.

A novel approach for enhanced abnormal action recognition via coarse and precise detection stage

<abstract> <p>With the proliferation of urban video surveillance systems, the abundance of surveillance video data has emerged as a pivotal asset for enhancing public safety. Within these video archives, the identification of abnormal human actions carries profound implications for security incidents. Nevertheless, existing surveillance systems primarily rely on conventional algorithms, leading to both missed incidents and false alarms. To address the challenge of automating multi-object surveillance video analysis, this study introduces a comprehensive method for the detection and recognition of multi-object abnormal actions. This study comprises a two-stage framework: the coarse detection stage employs an enhanced YOWOv2E model for spatio-temporal action detection, while the precise detection stage utilizes a two-stream network for precise action classification. In parallel, this paper presents the PSA-Dataset to address the current limitations in the field of abnormal action detection. Experimental results, collected from both public datasets and a self-built dataset, illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method in identifying a wide spectrum of abnormal actions. This work offers valuable insights for automating the analysis of human actions in videos pertaining to public security.</p> </abstract>

The Paradox of Borders: Tracing the Clip of Laika the Soviet Dog in Three Digital Television Archives

While television has never been fully obtained by national borders, the archives that preserve its heritage have long been positioned within nation-centred frameworks. Through wide-scale digitisation, combined with the internationalisation of our societies, more international users are finding their way to these archives, resulting in a transnational (re)circulation of the collections. This article therefore sets out to understand how transnational flows are visible and findable by tracing a clip of Laika the Soviet dog within three digital television archives: EUscreen, the Internet Archive and the CLARIAH Media Suite. It is shown that television archives should paradoxically emphasise the national borders in their collections in order to facilitate transnational television research. While national demarcations may be debated, defining them clearly will guide researchers between and over them.

Re-bordering UK Feminist Video in the 1980s. Cross-border Exchanges and Reflexivity in a Digital and Archive-based Project

This article discusses the benefits and limitations of the use of digital humanities tools in the context of transnational research in women’s film and television history, with a particular attention to issues of positionality, cross-border circulation, and exchange. To do so, it details on the methodology and results of a research project reconstructing the transnational impact of the collaborations between women producers and practitioners and UK broadcasters in the context of the UN Decade of Women (1975-1985). The investigation, funded by FIAT/IFTA (International Federation of Television Archives), analyses a group of programmes from the BFI archives by producing data-visualisations such as maps and network analysis generated through the collection of geographical, biographical, and chronological information. The goal of the study is offering a deeper understanding of transnationalism in the context of local television productions, while avoiding risks of fragmentation and methodological nationalism. However, while digital tools and data visualisations helped the identification of recurring tropes and transnational collaborations, the process of data collection and the visual aids themselves made evident the persistence of problematic geographies of knowledge and representation, that would require a broader assessment through collaborative, cross-national investigations.

Archives and the Bodily Dimension of Traditional Dance Knowledge

For a dance researcher, audiovisual recordings are the most informative part of archives. For various reasons, in Estonia, re-embodiment of traditional dances has been based more on verbal descriptions and less on film and video. Nonetheless, some analysis has been done by today, and some findings on individual, local, and temporary variability of traditional dancing in different parts of Estonia exist, and some clips have been published. Despite of availability of archival video recordings, folk dance teachers usually prefer verbal descriptions, which leads to the loss of a great deal of detailed information. In the article, I explore some of the reasons for this situation, based on my own teacher practice and a case study inquiry among teachers of high school girls’ dance groups involved in the process of the 12th Youth Dance Celebration in 2017. In this project high school girls’ groups were proposed to learn Ristpulkadetants (Crossed Sticks Dance) in an unusual way – as a supplement to verbal descriptions, an archival movie clip was provided to teachers as source material. This made it possible to investigate teachers’ interest in the use of film, as well as the facilitating or hindering factors of actual use. About a fifth of the involved teachers expressed an opinion that archival recordings contain information not yet verbalized in descriptions and could help them in adding new qualities to the bodily dimension of their own and their students’ dance. As a result of the study, it can also be said that archive videos of a traditional dance are not that available to folk dance teachers as they would like them to be.

Artificial intelligence applications in media archives

The aim of this paper is to present an international overview of the use of artificial intelligence in the context of media archives in broadcasters, preservation institutions and press agencies, through a comprehensive analysis of sources primarily focusing on case studies presented at international conferences and seminars, together with the results of the survey on the use of artificial intelligence conducted by FIAT/IFTA. Once the most commonly used technologies have been defined and we have identified the stages of the production workflow in which they are used, we will discuss the specific applications of these technologies in television archives, audiovisual heritage preservation organisations, press agencies and innovation projects where technology vendors and media companies collaborate. Finally, we will deal with the challenges related to the implementation of AI in media archives, the need for datasets in the development of language models, and the relevance of a sensible use of technology.

Video activism in feminist movements in Turkey

ABSTRACT Video activism is among the predominant forms of contemporary digital activism. In networked cultures dominated by social media platforms, video activism has seen various transformations. This paper investigates the role of video activism within the feminist movements in Turkey in the context of digital culture. In-depth interviews have been conducted to explore the tactics of feminist video activists. In particular, the tactics of feminist video activists have been analysed at four levels: video production, video distribution, video ethics and video archiving. The results show how networked video activism contributes to the feminist movements at three levels: the creation of feminist media as an alternative to patriarchal narratives, the organisation of affect and solidarity among women and finally, self-reflexivity and subjectification for activists.