NFSA blog entries in Research

Graham Shirley reports from the recent Film and History Association of Australia and New Zealand conference in Melbourne.

Dr. Jeannette Delamoir’s PhD in media studies explored the construction of Louise Lovely’s star persona, so she didn’t hesitate when Arc Cinema asked her to introduce two of Lovely’s films during the Spring Silents season.

Today marks the centenary of the birth of Patrick White. Vincent Plush describes the NFSA’s pivotal role in celebrating White’s legacy, in particular the adaptation of his masterwork Voss.

The Shadowcatchers: a history of cinematography in Australia (2012) by Martha Ansara is a beautiful coffee-table book produced with the support of the NFSA and launched this month.

Nick Herd drew on the NFSA collection to research his new book, Networking, which places the history of Australian commercial television in its proper context.

How has political advertising changed over the last century? Dr Lisa Milner from Southern Cross University is researching election campaign media in the NFSA collection.

Anthony Linden Jones reports from Darwin where he presented a paper at the 10th Symposium of Indigenous Music and Dance.

How did a boilermaker-turned-soldier become an internationally performing tenor? NFSA sound curator Graham McDonald investigates the background of the man who first recorded Waltzing Matilda.

NFSA research fellow Anthony Linden Jones is looking at the representation of Indigenous culture in Australian film music, particularly focusing on films made before 1960.

The final days of Mick Newnham’s preservation conference feature a wet gate and a storm: a fitting juxtaposition of the subtlety and power of liquid.

Mick Newnham visits Latvia and Lithuania to share his extensive knowledge of audiovisual preservation.

The Marius Sestier film previously believed to have been shot in a Melbourne park has now been identified as being shot in Sydney’s Prince Alfred Park. The release of a segment of footage to australianscreen in March of last year played a major role in the discovery.

Rod Butler, head of the NFSA’s preservation team, is in Malaysia to address the South East Asian and Pacific Audiovisual Archive Association.

Craig Dingwall arrives in Rochester, tours the city and spends his first day at George Eastman House as part of the NFSA’s exchange program.

Franklyn Barrett toured Queensland in 1925 with the screening of Cecil B De Mille’s The Ten Commandments (1923) — accompanied by 11 tonnes of scenery, costumes, dancing girls, live orchestra, explosives and more.

The NFSA’s Craig Dingwall continues his exchange program in the USA with a visit to The Paley Center for Media, in New York.

Craig Dingwall visits Cineric in New York, one of the industry’s finest film restoration and preservation companies.

Craig Dingwall visits DuArt Film and Video in New York as part of the NFSA’s George Eastman House exchange program.

On his first day in New York, Craig Dingwall is caught up in an historically significant moment. Craig is visiting the USA in May as part of the NFSA’s George Eastman House exchange program.

The NFSA congratulates Belinda Webster, an indefatigable advocate for contemporary Australian music and this year’s recipient of the Don Banks Award from the Australia Council.

During my second week of the British Library Sound Archive staff exchange program I was primarily involved in the 'business end’ of the archive, that is access and preservation.

In the access section of the sound archive I met with Ike Egbetola who runs the manual listening and viewing service.

This week I started the recently established British Library Sound Archive (BLSA) staff exchange program in London. During my time here I will be exploring the ins and outs of sound archiving in the United Kingdom. Amongst many 'meetings and greetings’ I am also working on a project which aims to mutually benefit the NFSA and the BLSA.

I recently presented a paper at the International Conference on Museums and Restitution hosted by the Manchester Museum, a large regional museum based at the University of Manchester.

The NFSA recently hosted intern, Laura Clarke, as part of our Research Programs.  Laura is in her final year of a Bachelor of Arts (New Media Arts) at the Australian National University , and spent 70 hours at the NFSA from March to May this year.

Wake in Fright, The Sentimental Bloke and The Story of the Kelly Gang – each could well have become victim to Australia’s fragile heritage of moving image were it not for the determination and detective work of a couple of people, or in some cases just a single individual, to ensure their survival. Instead they share a history of resurrection and restoration – and now comes another important discovery in Australia’s search for 'lost’ film.