Preservation Case Studies

Aimee CastenellLindsay Herron

Kara Van Malssen

Losing It•A film by Sharon Greytak

•Shot entirely on location on DVC Pro

•Started in 1997, not completed until 2000

•Viewed VHS copy

Sharon Greytak• Filmmaker, Artist• Studied as a painter at

CalArts• Works with both

documentary and fiction films

• Focuses on or draws attention to disabled persons in her works. As a disabled person herself, this is an issue that is central to her worldview.

Losing It

• Documentary• Filmed on location on DVC Pro• Features people living with

disabilities in Siberia; Hong Kong; Sao Paolo, Brazil; Vicenza, Italy; and New York

DistributionScreened at range of venues,

including• The Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center• MoMA’s Gramercy Theater• The Egyptian Theater in L.A.• The Double Take Documentary Film Festival

(now called Full Frame)• Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival• Special screenings in Hong Kong and

Siberia

The Production Process and Resultant Materials

Pre-Production

• Locating interview subjects

• Securing funds• Other

preparations for travel

Materials

• Faxes and other correspondence

• Screener tapes (VHS)• Project proposal and

synopsis• Interview questions

prepared for each country

Location

Neatly stored & labeled on bookshelf in Sharon’s apartment

OR

In a box (also neatly labeled) in Sharon’s apartment

Production/Filming

•Traveling to Siberia, Hong Kong, Brazil, and Italy

•Interviewing subjects•Filming supplemental

materials (photographs)

• ~25 hours’ worth of footage

• Still photographs from Russia

• Additional still photos documenting process

• Photos from Sharon Greytak’s childhood

• Photos from Marino’s life (photos remain in Italy)

• Production notes

Materials

Location

• In a box (neatly labeled) in Sharon’s apartment

• Neatly stored & labeled on bookshelf in Sharon’s apartment

• Stored in photo album

Postproduction/Finished Product

•Editing

•Music

•Subtitles

Materials• DVC Pro masters• Beta SP masters• Beta copies for festivals• 16mm copy for Walter

Reade Theater• DAT tapes for music

and narration• Transcripts of

responses in original language + English translations

• Tape with subtitles

Location

• Neatly stored & labeled on bookshelf in Sharon’s apartment

• In a box (also neatly labeled) in Sharon’s apartment

• Iron Mountain

*special note: some of the materials described above might be labeled The Resilient Spirit (the film’s working

title) instead of Losing It.*

Value• Socio-Historical: Provides unique insight

into lives of disabled in different cultures• May be useful to artists interested in the

process of creating such a film• Ancillary materials may be useful to

students of history• Unused footage demonstrates Greytak’s

camera style• Production notes and written materials

give insight into director’s thought process

Preservation Issues

• Stores most materials in home• Labeled either by working or

finished title, but all labeled• Copies in various formats

Recommendations

• Should keep sub-masters in off-site storage

• Keep 16mm print in climate controlled storage facility

• Digitize paper objects as back-up for fragile material

For Comparison:

Greytak’s Feature Films

•Hearing Voices (1991)•The Love Lesson (1995)•Both received limited theatrical release

Materials and Storage• Scripts in script collection at Margaret

Herrick Library in L.A.• Script supervisor’s notes and production

notes labeled and filed in Greytak’s apartment

• DAT tapes for sound and music labeled and filed in Greytak’s apartment

• Negatives at the lab• 35 mm prints, outtakes, editor’s notes

in storage at Iron Mountain• Beta, VHS tapes distributed through

Cinema Guild

Caveat #1-- Labels: working title vs. final title

Caveat #2-- Rights: News footage from stock house

The Hidden Jews of New Mexico

The Hidden Jews of New Mexico Three-part radio series

• Benjamin Shapiro, Writer and Producer

• Nan Rubin, Project Director

• Stanley Hordes, Historical Consultant

• Funding from The Corporation for Public Broadcasting

• Additional support from the Nathan Cummings Foundation, the New Mexico Council for the Humanities, the Shefa Fund, National Public Radio, American Home Furnishings, and Electrovoice, a Mark IV Company

Part I: “Search for the Buried Past: The Hidden

Jews of New Mexico”• Research began in 1986• Aired 1988• Two versions:

– 12-minute version, NPR’s All Things Considered

– 30-minute version, distributed by Rubin & Shapiro

• Huge success! Letters, calls, etc.

Part II: “The Hidden Jews of New Mexico: Rekindling

the Spirit”• 500th anniversary of Edict of Expulsion• Dennis Duran travels to Madrid for

official rescinding of Edict of Expulsion• Aired 1992• Huge response! Letters, calls, etc.• Anonymous interviewees from 1st part

change their minds about anonymity

Part III: “The Hidden Jews of New Mexico: Return to

Iberia” (1995)• Shapiro, Rubin, &

unnamed cameraperson accompany Ramon Salas and Gloria Trujillo to Belmonte, Portugal

• Salas & Trujillo research their family roots in Spain

• Aired 1995• Jay Allison credited as

editorial consultant

Production Process and Resultant Materials

Production/Recording of Series

• Interviews/actuality (on-site or in studio)

• Narration (studio)• Ambient (on-site or

similar location)• Music

– Rowena Rivera– Vinyl: 33s & 78s– 1/4” tapes– All transferred to1/4”

tape for mix

Materials

• Approx. 30 hours recorded per program

• High-quality cassettes for on-site material

• 1/4” tape for studio material

• All transferred to1/4” magnetic audio tape for editing

Materials (cont.)

• Video footage of Spain/Portugal trip

• Still photographs or slides of Spain/Portugal trip

• Transcripts of interviews

• Scripts for narration

Post-Production Materials

• Administrative paperwork• Publicity materials• High-quality dub copies• Consumer copies made from master dubs (~1,000 copies sold)• Transcripts (final) available for purchase• Clips online

Location

• Ben Shapiro’s office (location, labels, conditions unknown)

• Nan Rubin’s office (labeled & filed or boxed)

Value

• Emotional resonance• Part of the history of Jewish identity• Valuable to scholars of Jewish history,

colonial history• Adds new layer to history of New

Mexico• Search for identity relevant to

contemporary society

Recommendations

• Transfer to CD immediately• Store original cassettes, 1/4” reels

in climate-controlled facility• Update credits on dub copies• Digitize paper correspondence and

photographs