Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1492604
ARCHIVING www.postmagazine.com 34 POST JAN/FEB 2023 elative to most art forms, cinema is still young. But its permanence is always a concern. Ensuring that future generations can experience the work of today's artists and artisans as it was intended and in its highest possible state of fidelity is the daily purview of archivists and preservationists. However, there is an archival role to be played at every step in the process. This is the ongoing discussion happen- ing right now at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Academy Digital Preservation Forum (ADPF), where industry experts and professionals convene to exchange ideas for this perennial pursuit. The participa- tion of the post production community in that dialogue is vital, as post represents the last lines of defense in future-proofing the films being enjoyed by audiences today so that they aren't lost to audiences tomorrow. Preserving sound and picture is important, and expertise makes it happen. Sound and picture editors, to start, could be archivists' best friend. They are the ones holding the reins of what that final audio/visual product is. The Academy has also worked hand-in-hand with the visual effects community through the Academy Software Foundation's open-source software group, which has seen the adoption of key technologies, such as the OpenEXR file for- mat. In addition to its applications in the effects realm, OpenEXR has become a valuable tool for preserving elements for the long term. These are a few illustrations of how the col- laborative energy of this community can assist preservation efforts, but there is much more to be harnessed. In particular, the ADPF is eager to engage on final deliverables and an optimal set of cross-industry best practices. "Once upon a time, we had something called the final cut neg — it came from the original camera negative," explains Andrea Kalas, Paramount's SVP of asset management and chair of the ADPF project. "That was the Rosetta Stone for anything that was finished in film, but how do you make something like that digitally? It seems like it would be a no-brainer, but it's actually quite complicated. Post produc- tion professionals are on the cutting edge, and they are seeing things we archivists don't see until much later in the filmmaking process. It is a rare opportunity for post production profes- sionals to make a significant difference in digital preservation." The ADPF feels it's imperative to come to a consensus quickly. Right now, it requires a lot of backward engineering to go back in time and collect various assets for preservation. This is not only time-consuming, but expen- sive. That's always the risk to preservation — if something is costly and difficult, there's the possibility it won't happen at all. The ADPF believes the ideal would be a universal understanding of a process that takes place in tandem with a film's production. That process can be automated. It can be in the cloud. It can be all sorts of things that wouldn't necessarily be uniform from studio to studio or filmmaker to filmmaker, but generally speaking, the production and post community would finally find itself on the same page in terms of understanding it and communicating about it as a matter of course. "I think post production professionals genu- inely care," Kalas says. "They literally have it in their hands, and they want to make sure that they're doing something to help ensure the longevity of their work. I see them as profound partners in this project." The ADPF offers a wealth of content re- garding these matters. You can hear Digital Bedrock founder and CEO Linda Tadic discuss potential solutions to the ever-looming digital preservation calamity, including R&D into alter- native storage media technologies. You can also listen to Sam Gustman, chief technology officer of USC's Shoah Foundation, detail the granular work of defining and cataloging digital assets at an atomic level. In addition, filmmaker Debra Granik (Winter's Bone, Leave No Trace) and cinematographer Michael McDonough share de- tails on their 20-years of collaboration, making a compelling case study in the ongoing evolution of digital filmmaking. The project welcomes anyone in the post production landscape and beyond to interact and share ideas. Simply visit http://academydig- italpreservationforum.org to become a free member and join the discussion. "We are also open to other ways to bring specific projects forward," Kalas says. "If there are ways that people can say, 'Listen, I've been working on this in isolation for years, but I think it could help your community,' that's fantastic. That's the point of the Forum, to encourage the kind of innovation that's probably happening in remote places, but may help a larger communi- ty. We know you're already helping, and we're grateful. But we'd love to engage you more!" THE ACADEMY DIGITAL PRESERVATION FORUM'S EFFORT TO SAVE CINEMA R Andrea Kalas, chair of the ADPF project. Filmmaker Debra Granik offers insight into the ongoing evolution of digital fillmaking.