Presentation and digitization of audiovisual archival media

Display Schedule

Subject guarantor:

Jiří MYSLÍK

Name of lecturer(s):

Jiří MYSLÍK, Miloslav NOVÁK

Learning outcomes of the course unit:

The course aim is to acquaint students with the potential of digitalization, use and presentation of audio-visualization publich and private archives (not only cinema but also television and multimedia) in the creation of new cinema and television pices from various perspectives (in a wider aesthetic, technological, legal and politcal context). To provide a basic theory knowledge and to exercise key skills.

Students adopt theory knowledge, necessary for independent creative use of archive films in new audio-visual pieces in the era of digitalization.

Mode of study:

Attended classes

Prerequisites and co-requisites:

An additional supplementary benefit of the exercises is for the student to acquire practical knowledge of available audio-visual collections in our region and abroad, an adopt basic principles determining their creative use in new audio-visual pieces in accordance with copyright, technically recommendations and regulations, such as dramaturgic and arrangement procedures. During the course the student also adopts basic terminology in that area which contributes to ease of communications with archived film pieces, as well as author representatives (collective management, heritage), TV news production, news program editing and documentary series, using a greater measure of older audio-visual material not only in the appending of various current events or important figuresor uncovering the background of significant moments in domestic or world events but also for education and primarily research of to date unknown phenomena caught by the cameraman.

Course contents:

According to UNESCO, in the world is up to 200 million hourse of audio-visual material of which more than 2,200 million kilometers cinematic material is in flammable material in decomposition. Approximately 100 million hours of various audio-visual material is found in Europe. Of this, 1/3 is kept in European film archives. Domestically preserved is 1.04 million hours of film. Those cinema pieces are 85% commercially unavailable. Only 1.5% has been digitalized. The situation signficantly varies in individual countries. Meanwhile in each neighboring country the number of digitalized cinematic pieces is growing - in quality allowing their presentation in digital cinemas - about 100 titles, in the Czech Republic this is 10 times less. This course presents a well-arranged and comprehendable form of potential for using audio-visual public and private archives (not only cinematic but also television and multimedia) abroad and domestically for creating new cinema and television pieces. Students will be acquainted with the principles of archiving, digitalization, restoration, investigation and potential use and presentation of archive audio-visual pieces (edited and rough material) from a curator's, technician's and copyright perspective. This provides them to effectively and quickly investigate and legally use archive material of various types (film, television pieces, sound and music recordings or photographs) in the production of new audio-visual pieces. As with audio-visual material, to properly present and creatively use their historical value, not only commemorating various current events or important figures or uncover the background to important moments in domestic or world history but also for educating and primary research of to date unknown phenomena captured by the film camera (so called valorization of archive material).

Part of the course will not only be classes for various studies students but also film screenings of digitally restored films with introduction, excursions to digitalization centers and film archives, as well as instruction in procedures demonstrated during the theory instruction. The aim of the exercises is prepare students using parital exercises on creative use of audio-visual archive material in their independent creations. Each student is to select one of the below mentioned exercises according to their study (directing, production, editing, image or sound).

The first exercise (recommended for Directing, Documentary, Scriptwriting, Centar of Audio-visual studies, Animation students) offer the potential to shoot and develop in an innovative manner a selected well-known scene from archived films.

The second possibility (recommended for Editing, Directing, Centre for audio-visual studies, Sound, Animation, Production) is the creation of teasers for a newly introduced digitalized archive film for cinema, TV or internet.

The third possibility (recommended for Camera, Photography, Animation, Production) is the digitalization and digital restoration of one's own photograph collection.

The fourth (recommended for Camera, Photography, Animation) is the toning, photographic print toning and manual coloring of a selected sequence of a B/W archive film by digital methods including, for example, creation of replicas of archive intertitles (according to the period conventions of values of toning or photographic print toning of images and period technological procedures.

The fifth (recommeded for Production, Scriptwriting and Editing, Centre for audio-visual studies), for student selected, is the implementation of a case study capturing the „life story“ of a cinemagraphic piece (from its origin and first introduction, through its forgottenness, damage by time or final loss to its restoration and renewed introduction in digital form) and comparison of various versions of that film (35mm copy or DCP viewing in the cinema, DVB-T in television broadcast, BRD/DVD/VHS in video players, video on demand, Europeana/YouTube/Vimeo/BFIPlayer (web multicasting) or video collection (.AVI, .MP4, . MKV?) from the internet, etc.

A vital part of the partial work will be acquainting the student with the three pillars of technological-historical research which creates source certificates (published and unpublished including international and domestic standards, directives and recommendations), oral (interviews with artists, producers, technicians and distributors who took part in the film in the form of sound recordings, audio-visual programs), or published in certified form and cinematic (image and sound). Because a cornerstone of the dilemma solution is the preservation of the original form of a digitalized piece in its restoration is the so called premiere copy whose identification is often difficult and form as a result of the fading of color pigment from the first introduction of the film usually significantly changes. Aesthetic criteria often clash with the ethical, where the one deciding has to keep in mind which of some perspectives do not rely on the existence of the premiere copy. Relatively easy manipulation of the image and sound using digital technology, not only during restoration, inspires hope and conflict at the same time. In resolving issues, which logically arise, not only international exchange of experience can contribute but also the collaboration of restorers with film artists and collection archive curators is common around the world.

Recommended or required reading:

Paul Read - Mark-Paul Meyer, Restoration of Motion Picture Film. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann 2005.

Leo Enticknap, Film Restoration: The Technology and Culture of Audiovisual Heritage. Palgrave Macmillan 2013.

Paolo Cherchi Usai, Silent cinema an Introduction. Londýn: BFU 2002.

Miloslav Novák, Rekonstrukce paměti (české) kinematografie v čase její digitalizace. In: Film a kulturná pämať. SFÚ - AČK 2014.

Assessment methods and criteria:

Credit (participation in excursions and practicals and execution of one practical of student's choice).

Exam (min. 70% attendance, knowledge of lectures and recommended writings).

Course web page:

Note:

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Further information:

This course is an elective for all students of this school

Schedule for winter semester 2015/2016:

The schedule has not yet been prepared

Schedule for summer semester 2015/2016:

The schedule has not yet been prepared

The subject is a part of the following study plans: