Students are trained to work with, identify and digitize 16-millimeter film, such as Pepsi sales ads and “The Inner World of Aphasia” film.
(Devan Ridgway, WTIU News)
The IU Moving Image Archive gives students the opportunity to curate and restore motion picture film dating back to the early 1900s.
Caleb Allison, a fellow at the archive, said since staring his Masters at IU in 2017, he has gotten the opportunity to curate exhibits, host workshops and teach production classes. He began working at the archive because he was curious about the work done there.
“I constantly am able to work with collections and hedge film and research film in a different way,” Allison said. “It's just another kind of creative, scholarly outlet that helps inform my own research and filmmaking.”
Allison said he likes the work he does because he is able to learn something new every day and work with a diverse collection of films.
“This is a format that is not just a relic of the past, but it continues to be relevant, and used and popular,” Allison said. “If you look at some of the major films and filmmakers, like Eliza Hittman or Wes Anderson or Richard Linklater, Todd Haynes, these are filmmakers that are still choosing to shoot on 16-millimeter because it offers them something that the digital format does not.”
The archive features a diverse collection of films; students work to identify, store and digitize films from the early 1900's. (Devan Ridgway, WTIU News)
Allison said he encourages students who are interested in film to get involved in the archive because he thinks studying and working with 16-millimeter film can teach us about the history of technology and science.
“So much of film history gets tucked away a little bit, and it can be forgotten about,” Allison said. “Part of the reason why I love to come to work here at the archive is that we get to share all of those hidden nooks and crannies of film history with the wider community who then gets to discover it and go down their own paths and rabbit holes.”
Rachael Stoeltje, director of the IU library moving image archive, said she trains students to work with, identify and digitize 16-millimeter film, such as Pepsi sales ads and “The Inner World of Aphasia” film. Students can also curate exhibits, project film and present it at events. She teaches students to check the film to see if it can be screened, if it can be used for class and how good of a condition it is in. When studying film, students look to identify the name of the film if they do not already know it and can also look at the soundtrack and color.
“It's always important to actually inspect it before we try to project it or digitize it because the condition of film is precarious now that some of its older, and wasn't always stored in great condition,” Stoeltje said.
Last year, IU held a filmmaking workshop where students filmed and edited their own film with Bolex 16-millimeter cameras. Another workshop is in the works for the end of this academic year. Stoeltje thinks it is important for students to understand the production side of filmmaking, and how key it is to preserving both older and newer film formats in a technology-driven world.
Rachael Stoeltje, director of the IU library moving image archive, said if stored properly, film can last up to 700 years. (Devan Ridgway, WTIU News)
“People are so accustomed, and take for granted that they can capture a whole movie on their phone now, but there is a history that's only a little over 100 years old, really,” Stoeltje said. “Our whole cultural heritage, that's what we're capturing and that's what we're preserving.”
Stoeltje said if stored properly, 16-millimeter film can last up to 700 years. She urges people to be more cautious when storing their materials since hard drive fails are difficult to predict and recover from. She recommends people save files in three different locations.
“Anyone creating content of any kind, if they want it to be here in 10 years, they need to be taking actions," Stoeltje said. "Think about it in terms of like, these are more like your children, you need to be checking on them. You need to make sure they're okay. What if in 15 years, this is a file format that you can’t open anymore? I mean, it does happen.”
