Behind the news
In 1988 the NFSA was looking for a way to capture a view of Australia in its bicentennial year. Regional and metropolitan television stations around Australia provided copies of a week of their news bulletins. These are a great record of the important issues of the day, the people who were making the headlines, and the social aspects of Australian life.
The generosity of those stations has seen their continued contribution to this News and Current Affairs program so that 22 years on 30 stations across free-to-air and pay TV networks now participate. This has resulted in a rich collection of bulletins and current affairs programs from around Australia that capture the stories making news locally, nationally and internationally.
Comprehensive coverage from different stations is sought for news events that will be historic markers in Australia's story. An event as significant as the National Apology to the Stolen Generations two years ago was covered by the ABC, NINE, SBS, SEVEN, SKY and TEN networks. It was important for the NFSA to acquire this coverage as it shows not only how each network reported the event but that it was not exclusive to one particular network as some of the big news events are.
Demand for access to this collection is increasing as researchers seek to examine not only past news events but production styles, the evolution of the TV news report and the presenters and reporters - the faces of the news. As the stations themselves do not always keep copies of their bulletins, many items in this collection are the only record of the bulletin that went to air.
NFSA preservation specialist on tour in India
Participants in the ICCROM workshop 2010
The NFSA is a recognised leader in providing audiovisual archiving training around the world to organisations and individuals at all levels of experience.
The Sound and Image Collections Conservation (SOIMA) workshops have been developed by the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM). Each workshop is aimed at professionals working with sound and image collections of national or regional significance.
The NFSA's Senior Researcher, Mick Newnham, was invited to lecture on the topics of motion picture film and video preservation at the most recent SOIMA workshop held in New Delhi and Pune, India during November and December 2009. ICCROM gathered specialists in sound and image preservation from France, USA and Australia, as well as tapping into local Indian skills and expertise to provide the training.
Twenty-five trainees from India, Africa, Southeast Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East attended the intensive four week workshop, participating in formal lectures, group activities and practical sessions, analysing case studies and undertaking site visits.
Students left the workshop with a deeper understanding of the complexity of audiovisual preservation, the language of preservation and the necessary skills. In addition students and trainers alike formed strong networks during the workshop, making it a valuable experience for all involved. The NFSA hopes to participate in future SOIMA events.
Deluxe/Kodak Project preserving modern Australian cinema classics
Malcolm, a NFSA Deluxe/Kodak Project
preservation title.
The recent screening of the brand new Deluxe/Kodak Project print of Malcolm to a full house at the NFSA's Arc cinema in Canberra once again shows us how great Australian movies continue to resonate with audiences.
The Deluxe/Kodak Project follows on from the Kodak/Atlab Project which saw the creation of 50 new prints of Australian colour films over 5 years (2000-05). The Deluxe/Kodak Project aims to preserve and make available a selection of significant Australian feature films - in the format and condition they were originally intended to be seen.
This year's titles are Bob Connolly and Robin Anderson's First Contact (1983); Bruce Beresford's The Fringe Dwellers (1986); Tim Burstall's Kangaroo (1986); Gillian Armstrong's The Last Days of Chez Nous (1992) and Shirley Barrett's Love Serenade (1996).
With subjects ranging from single country girls responding to the new guy in town to political ferment in suburban Sydney, these films have been chosen for their contemporary resonance, cultural significance and social diversity.
The new mint prints created by the Kodak/Atlab and Deluxe/Kodak projects will total 70 films when this year's five films are complete. That's quite a collection for us to enjoy in future years!
The NFSA thanks Deluxe Australia and Kodak Australasia for their ongoing support to film preservation.
The Corrick Collection gets legs
On Saturday 30 January, several NFSA staff and the NFSA Chair, Chris Puplick AM, had their first preview of The Corrick Project - a mixture of dance, mime, acrobatics and dialogue inspired by and featuring gems from the NFSA-held Corrick Collection. The work was developed and presented by physical theatre company, Legs on the Wall. The collection of more than 135 international nitrate films has recently been almost entirely preserved and restored by the NFSA's Motion Picture Laboratory and Haghefilm Laboratories (Amsterdam), with Haghefilm replicating the colouring of original prints.
The Corrick Project will use extracts from Corrick Collection films to create a one-hour live and film-projected experience that is part biographical (the story of the Corrick Family Players, who toured with the films between 1901 and 1914), part entertainment history, and substantially interpretive, with European trick films being the highlights screened. Under Artistic Director Patrick Nolan, The Corrick Project will premiere at the 2011 Sydney Festival.
