Ambiguity of Film Origins
Another challenge not often thought of concerns the origin of a particular film. Once the archives acquire films, their history and context may not be known. Sometimes donors are collectors who do not have a full history on the film. Often time-consuming research is required to fully understand the context of a film, which is a necessary step so that researchers can utilize the item to its fullest potential. For example, the UGA Brown Media Archives has home movie footage that stars a famous silent actress, Annie Russell[7]. However, it took a very long time to decipher who this person was and it took numerous context clues within the film to pin it down. Once discovered, it is found that these films were the only known surviving home movie footage of her, which is of great use to potential researchers. There are many forms of research besides looking for context clues within the film. Archivists can also look through published materials such as newspapers from the year of production. The search for context is a continuing problem, especially in regards to amateur and home movies, as many people do not keep detailed documents or records of their films. So often, when archives receive these films, there can be difficulty in determining who they belong to. The reason archives are concerned about this is because without knowing who holds the copyright to these films, it is unknown who to contact in order to either get licensing or the copyright transferred; often, these films become what is referred to as orphan works.
Notes
[7] "UGA Today." UGA Libraries’ Media Archives Preserves Only Known Films of Stage Actress. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2014. < http://news.uga.edu/releases/article/uga-libraries-media-archives-preserves-only-known-films-annie-russell-/>
Another challenge not often thought of concerns the origin of a particular film. Once the archives acquire films, their history and context may not be known. Sometimes donors are collectors who do not have a full history on the film. Often time-consuming research is required to fully understand the context of a film, which is a necessary step so that researchers can utilize the item to its fullest potential. For example, the UGA Brown Media Archives has home movie footage that stars a famous silent actress, Annie Russell[7]. However, it took a very long time to decipher who this person was and it took numerous context clues within the film to pin it down. Once discovered, it is found that these films were the only known surviving home movie footage of her, which is of great use to potential researchers. There are many forms of research besides looking for context clues within the film. Archivists can also look through published materials such as newspapers from the year of production. The search for context is a continuing problem, especially in regards to amateur and home movies, as many people do not keep detailed documents or records of their films. So often, when archives receive these films, there can be difficulty in determining who they belong to. The reason archives are concerned about this is because without knowing who holds the copyright to these films, it is unknown who to contact in order to either get licensing or the copyright transferred; often, these films become what is referred to as orphan works.
Notes
[7] "UGA Today." UGA Libraries’ Media Archives Preserves Only Known Films of Stage Actress. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2014. < http://news.uga.edu/releases/article/uga-libraries-media-archives-preserves-only-known-films-annie-russell-/>