Film services

The Preservation and Technical Services Branch is a key component – restoring and copying film, video and audio material of high heritage value.

Parts of this expert team are the Audiovisual Conservation Services (AVCO) and the Motion Picture Laboratory (MPL). These sections identify content, repair, clean and copy a variety of motion picture material from early black and white silent films to their modern equivalents. The National Collection holds over 135,000 individual cans of film, of this number more than 100,000 cans are preservation or original material.

Motion Picture Film – a brief history

Motion pictures started in the late 1880s, and many film gauges (sizes), ranging from 8mm to 75mm, were used, but most are now obsolete.

Over the last 100 years three main types of film base have been used, cellulose nitrate, cellulose acetate and polyester. Cellulose nitrate was introduced in Australia in 1889, and was the main type of 35mm professional film stock used by filmmakers until the early 1950s. Nitrate is highly flammable and from the moment of manufacture it slowly decomposes, going through various decomposition stages, (shown below). Decomposition can be slowed down by maintaining controlled storage conditions. We have many nitrate films that are nearly 100 years old that can still be viewed as they have been stored under good conditions.

Then there is the cellulose acetate based material, can be separated into two distinct types, Diacetate and Triacetate. Diacetate based films were used between the 1920s and 1950s. Triacetate, replaced both nitrate and diacetate films early in the 1950s, it was labelled safety as it is not flammable. Acetate film also decomposes, experiencing ‘vinegar syndrome’, this can be triggered by several causes, including storage in high temperature/humidity environments. If vinegar syndrome films are left untreated, the film can develop a grey/white crystalline deposit, and ultimately completely disintegrate.

While cool and dry storage conditions significantly slow the chemical decomposition reactions this is not the whole solution to film preservation. The NFSA further protects the film collection by copying the image and audio of films that have the greatest risk of deterioration.

AVCO

Audiovisual Conservation Services (AVCO) conservators are highly skilled in assessing a film’s content and condition and undertake necessary film repairs to enable the safe transfer of the film for access purposes. AVCO’s laboratory is shown right.

Film Identification

Films can arrive at the Archive with little or no information about the film. Often, much time is spent researching and identifying a film’s title, origin and production date. We use many research techniques to determine the content and date of production of films.

When films are identified and dates confirmed a summary of the content and condition is recorded into a collection management database for future reference.

Technical Selection

The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia examines film of all gauges – from 8mm to 16mm to 35mm. Original material is often damaged, very fragile and beginning to decompose. Technical selection involves examining and comparing various copies of the same film to determine which is the most complete and in the best condition for preservation and future access purposes.

Film Repair

Film can suffer many forms of physical damage. All films need to be carefully examined and repaired to ensure a film can be safely copied or projected. Repairing film requires great attention to detail to repair broken perforations, rips or tears and splices.

Printing And Processing Laboratory

Copying, or duplication, is an essential part of film archiving. When fragile material is copied the Archive produces a new preservation copy to ensure the film’s survival. In addition, making duplicate or access copies allows public access without endangering the preserved copy. Preservation copies are now made on polyester-based materials for archival permanence.

Grading

When film copies are made, faded images in the original are corrected by adjusting the contrast and density range of the new copy. The grading process is a careful assessment of the film’s photographic image. Scene-by-scene exposure settings are determined then punched into a tape to control the film printing machines. This process is done by sight by an experienced technician or on an electronic analyser.

Printing

Copying damaged, shrunken or brittle film requires a slow printing speed. During printing, the image on a negative, or intermediate positive, is copied onto new polyester film (called raw stock) by passing light through one onto the other. The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia’s printers expose the film one frame at a time and the printer’s speed is adjusted depending on the film’s condition. Film can also be printed under a special liquid to help eliminate scratches. This is done by our new Debrie TAI printer.

Processing

Film is then developed in one of the Archive’s continuous processors, (shown right). Film is carried through the machine laced around a series of rollers on racks immersed in various developing solutions.

Quality Control

Duplicate film material is checked many times before it is put into the collection, or returned to the client. Visual assessment of picture quality is checked during the process and is supported by sensitometric tests and chemical analysis.

Services Available

The Film Preservation Services at the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia may also assist people and organisations with specialist archival needs, provide technical expertise and advice and maintains contemporary and obsolete equipment to support the NFSA’s film work.

• Film identification of motion picture materials
• Film repair of motion picture materials
• Film cleaning
• Black & white motion picture:
• 35mm to 35mm duplication
• 35mm to 16mm reductions
• 16mm to 35mm blow ups
• 16mm to 16mm duplication
• 8mm to 16mm blow ups
• Optical (VA/VD) sound prints transferred to 16mm or 17.5mm full coat magnetic
• Production of VA sound negatives 35mm or 16mm
• Film Rewashing

For further information on how to care for your film collection please contact:

Tel: +61 2 6248 2000
Fax: +61 2 6248 2222
Toll Free: 1800 067 274 (only available within Australia)
Email: enquiries@nfsa..gov.au