Camera operator Bob Wilesmith shot the only surviving original film at Parliament House on 11 November 1975, when Governor-General Sir John Kerr dismissed Prime Minister Gough Whitlam and his government from office.

While there is other footage of the events of this day in existence, it appears to have survived only on videotape; the original film elements are either missing or have long since been destroyed. This frame grab illustrates how copying images from film to videotape reduces the film’s rich colour, contrast and texture.

Read more about The 1975 Whitlam Dismissal: Preserving the Footage