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The bfi National Film And Television Archive (NFTVA), Fiction collectionThe shape of the National Film and Television Archive's fiction collection has been formed, in part, by the history of the bfi's collecting policy. Initially selected by committee, the fiction films that were sought for national preservation, were judged on criteria of cultural significance, and included titles from many countries. With the increase in national film archives around the world the NFTVA now concentrates on preserving primarily British fiction titles. This current collecting remit also includes the category 'British related' feature films, by which are meant foreign films which have British stars (such as 'Swordfish' with Vinnie Jones), British crew in major creative roles (such as 'Ocean's Eleven' with music by David Holmes), or bear significant relation to British culture (for example Shakespeare adaptations, or films about the British Empire). In light of these collecting priorities and with an ever increasing awareness of the preservation of moving images around the world, a distinction is made between titles within the collection depending on how they correspond to the NFTVA's 'core' collecting remit. Thus, as British and British related titles are prioritised for permanent preservation, the NFTVA aims to collect material as close to the source as possible (i.e. original camera negatives). It may not be possible to view all this material, as the Archive has to operate fairly strict practices in order to ensure the survival of its collection for future generations. However, VHS and DVD formats of many titles are also acquired and are immediately accessible for research viewing purposes. Defining the NFTVA's fiction holdings according to content or genre is an imprecise means of describing the breadth of the collection. Given the amount of written material that already exists about fiction film it can also be rather irrelevant. It is most useful to open up the collection by dividing it into the formats, content and types of material that fall within the collecting criteria of the fiction section. Feature FilmsThe NFTVA holds feature films from all major filmmaking countries of the world. The British holdings include all types of productions, from support features to award winners and from amateur productions to those with multi-million pound budgets. The collection aims to reflect the history of fiction filmmaking from early images of variety acts to current theatrical releases. The Archive has strong links with numerous major production and distribution companies operating in the UK. Regular donations of national and international features come from the BBC's collection of ex-transmission prints and from Warner Bros' distribution arm. In addition, the NFTVA cultivates relationships with amateur and student filmmakers, holding examples of such films from all periods of the history of the moving image. The NFTVA has traditionally been dependent on the generosity of donors for the acquisition of material, but the Film Council has recently developed an initiative through their 'Premiere' and 'New Cinema' funding policies, making it obligatory for all fund recipients to provide either a pristine print or digibeta master tape for preservation in the NFTVA. The closest this country has to statutory deposit, the agreement also encourages delivery of scripts, publicity material, stills, posters and film designs to provide contextual material to these Film Council projects.
TrailersTrailers are an important aspect of the cinema-going experience, and are a very different creative entity to the films they 'trail'. The Archive holds a large collection of British cinema trailers, with a current viewable collection of about 150 titles.
Silent filmsOne of the largest collections of silent films in world, including Italian, US and British movies, is held at the NFTVA. Due to their rarity all silent films are treated as 'core' to the collection whatever their country of origin. The NFTVA's holdings cover the entire silent period from the birth of cinema up to the first experiments in sound and are a vital record of the development of cinema. Among the earliest material is the work of Britain's first filmmakers including R W Paul, James A Williamson, and the Warwick Trading Company. There are significant collections of early 'trick' films by Georges Méliès and his Spanish protégé Segundo de Chomon. Mostly French items, they are an example of the variety of fiction filmmaking in its earliest stages. From later in the silent period, the collection reflects the progress of fiction filmmaking as it grew into an international industry. The largest collection of 1920s British film in the world is housed at the NFTVA, containing many unusual and unique materials. A significant highlight is the collection of material by Stoll, a British production and distribution company in operation from 1918-1926. Creators of ambitious big budget features using excellent locations, Stoll had a special involvement with serials including the popular 'The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes' (1921). In international terms, the NFTVA holds a unique collection of Swiss silent films acquired via Josef Joye, an early collector. It also has one of the largest collections in the world of films made by American companies Mutoscope (which later became Biograph in 1909) and Vitagraph; a significant number of these productions exist solely at the NFTVA.
RestorationsOne of the Archive's occasional activities is the restoration of feature films. In the 1970s, many printing laboratories cleared out their film holdings on flammable nitrate stock and the NFTVA acquired large numbers of 1930s and 1940s feature films. From this acquisition originated many of the numerous preservation projects that are undertaken by the Archive every year. The most high profile activity is the release of restorations of major titles but the Archive also regularly duplicates or dubs many films and videos to create preservation masters where material is at risk (i.e. on obsolete video formats or through Nitrate deterioration) and viewing copies, which can be accessed by researchers. As a member of FIAF (International Federation of Film Archives), the
NFTVA occasionally exchanges film material with other archives around
the world as part of reciprocal arrangement to guarantee the best material
is found for restoration. In return, the Archive often receives a brand
new viewing print for its own collection (such as 'Apur Sansar' (1958),
'Alice in Wonderland' (1949)).
Foreign FeaturesDuring the period of acquisition by selection committee, features were prioritised for preservation according to 'cultural value' as perceived by the committee. This method tended to create a bias and often overlooked important British contributions to moving image heritage; however, many foreign features were acquired into the Archive this way. The film collection of the Film Society, a group of enthusiasts in the 1920s and 1930s, which was one of the Archive's earliest acquisitions, has been the only source of many important foreign titles in their original versions. In the nitrate clearouts of the 1970s, the Archive acquired a great deal of material from the UK distribution arm of American majors such as Republic, RKO, 20th Century Fox, Columbia and Universal. Moreover, in the 1980s a huge collection of prints came in from UIP and Rank Distributors, which included a wide range of British US and European titles. Mostly ex-distribution prints, they now form part of the Archive's viewable collection. On occasion, the Archive have taken in collections considered 'at risk' by virtue of the absence of any natural home for repatriation or an unstable political situation in their country of origin. These 'orphans' are taken in as core because they are unlikely to be preserved elsewhere. A major source of foreign titles in the NFTVA is the Treasures collection of pristine viewing prints. Initiated by former Keeper of Fiction Film David Meeker, the project was intended to be 'an attempt to build a library of perfect show prints' to be screened only at the bfi's National Film Theatre and representing some of the classics of cinema. Among the titles collected under this project the Archive holds unique 70mm copies of '2001: A Space Odyssey' (1968) and 'Lawrence of Arabia' (1962).
ShortsA 'short' is a film of roughly 60 minutes or less. This category includes both short fiction films and what may be classified short 'items' - by which is meant serials or non-narrative entertainment. The Archive has undertaken the restoration of several silent British serials, including 'The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes' (1921), 'Lieutenant Rose' (1910-15) and 'The Mystery Of Dr. Fu-Manchu' (1923). Among the non-narrative items held are Sing-Along films, a kind of early karaoke where the piano or orchestra in the cinema would play the tune and the audience joined in, following the words on screen. The Archive also has a collection of filmed variety acts, showcasing turns from the silent period, through the transitions to sound (see Special Formats) to the decline of Music Hall. More recent acquisitions include a collection of pop promos, mainly from the 1980s and early 1990s, acquired on original broadcast masters. The importance of short fiction films to the history of features cannot be overstated. Often used as a stepping-stone for filmmakers to get into feature production, shorts continue to be made in large numbers. Traditionally shown as support films, they were often designed to suit the certificate of the main feature but today relatively few shorts are commissioned and screened theatrically. Today, it is more usual for shorts to play their most significant role on the festival circuit and occasionally on television. The Archive preserves all British and British-related shorts that have been submitted to the London Film Festival including all the shorts eventually selected. They arrive mainly on VHS and are thus instantly viewable.
AnimationThe NFTVA holds shorts and features that show numerous types of animation ranging from early trick films to the newest computer generated work. The Archive has a good selection of popular silent cartoons including 'Bonzo the Dog' (1914-25) and houses the collection of the prolific Halas and Batchelor who, since the 1940s worked for over fifty years in animation. In the 1980s and 1990s the Archive acquired animated titles largely through off air recording from Channel 4 broadcasts but increasingly current animators are offering pre-print material for permanent preservation.
Production materialThe term production material refers to rushes, cutting copies, trims, outtakes and sound reels taken from the filmmaking process. Given its unique status, the material is often not on a viewable format. However, the NFTVA also acquires alternative versions of films (such as 'Night and the City' (1950), 'Strangers on a Train' (1951)), which are accessible and create a greater understanding of international film culture. The NFTVA holds censor cuts and several screen tests, which offer interest and potential insight into the work of stars and directors. Its most accessible collections of production material are interview rushes for documentaries about feature films with footage from programmes such as the Channel Four series 'Visions' (1982-85) and the Indian Cinema programme 'Movie Mahal' (1987-1990). The Archive holds production and research material from companies such as David Puttnam's Enigma Films and naturally a large amount of material from the bfi production board. In addition the Archive holds a related collection of personal print and pre-print elements of feature films donated by filmmakers including Peter Greenaway, Ken Russell and Richard Lester. However, again by the nature of this collection the titles are most often held for preservation purposes.
Experimental/ Avant-gardeDue to its rather ambiguous nature, experimental filmmaking does not naturally fit into either the fiction or non-fiction categories but for archival purposes, is dealt with by the fiction section of the NFTVA. Early holdings include the work of Len Lye, Adrian Brunel and Ivor Montagu. The bfi's Production Board, itself a successor to the bfi Experimental Film Fund, was responsible for funding high profile experimental film from the 1950s and the Archive holds the pre-print material for almost all of its titles, which includes the Free Cinema movement (1956-59) and among other, the early work of Ken Russell, Stephen Frears and Ridley Scott. The Archive also houses many titles from experimental filmmaker Derek Jarman. More recently, holdings reflect the general shift to affordable and versatile video production in this area and Arts Council funded titles are regularly acquired. The NFTVA is also currently involved in a restoration project, creating master tapes of early Arts Council films on obsolete tape formats.
Non-fiction Related MaterialThis subsection refers to the NFTVA's non-fiction material that concerns film personalities and events. This might include for example, footage of film premieres or festivals, or home movies shot by or featuring actors and crew such as Laurence Olivier, David Lean and Michael Powell among many others. The NFTVA also has examples of footage taken on film sets of actors and crew at work. Examples include George Bernard Shaw on the set of 'Caesar and Cleopatra' (1945) and Friedrich Feher directing 'The Robber Symphony' in 1936. An important and valuable area of this collection is the Guardian interview (formerly the John Player interviews) and other special events recorded at the National Film Theatre. Spanning decades, this material includes many of the great names of world cinema, including Richard Attenborough, Bernardo Bertolucci and Quentin Tarantino, and the collection continues to increase.
Culturally Diverse materialFrom high profile titles like 'Bend it Like Beckham' (2002) to low-budget local community group projects, the NFTVA aims to acquire preservation and viewing elements that reflect Britain's culturally diverse filmmaking community. Creating links with organisers of special interest film festivals (e.g. London Disability Arts Forum), the NFTVA is currently involved in a duplicating scheme to create masters of films that filmmakers couldn't otherwise afford to donate for permanent preservation. Through the London Lesbian and Gay Film festival, many titles are taken in on VHS for access purposes. The Archive has a large collection of Indian films taken in from distributors, reflecting the avid cinema-going habits of Britain's Asian population. Recently, the Archive has acquired some films subtitled for the hard of hearing and titles that are audio-described for the partially sighted.
Special material/formatsIt is worth noting that there are collections whose primary importance lie in their format rather than content: the NFTVA holds, for example, stereoscopic (3-D) films from the early 1950s whose content can only be fully appreciated when projected in a properly equipped cinema. Many materials are also held that reflect the history of technical innovation in filmmaking as used in features across gauge and screen ratio (9.5mm, 28mm, 68mm). The Archive holds material that reflects the industry's experiments with colour from initial hand colouring, through tinting and toning to major colour processes (for example Dufaycolor, Prizma, Technicolor) The Archive also has an extensive range of sound formats including recording discs for silent films, 1907 - 1911 Chronophone films and the British De Forest Phonofilms. Most recently, the NFTVA has begun acquire DTS sound discs, which accompany release titles from its regular major studio donors.
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