Basic Principles of Cinema Preservation

Human effort to capture and analyze movement starts almost since he appeared on earth. We see the first signs of this effort in prehistoric cave-painting. The painted animals with eight or twelve legs are nothing else but this effort to capture and analyze movement.

As centuries went by , along with several technical discoveries, we got to the photochemical analysis and the imprinting of movement , the cinema, which on its birth was nothing more than a curious phenomenon (moving images) but it evolved into art. However , apart from being art and pleasure, cinema is also imprinted human activity. Therefore it becomes an inexhaustible source where anybody can draw thousands bits of information from a historical event to the architecture or even the way people dressed at that particular era.

Many, many times we find the most authentic recording of everyday life in films of amateurs, of people who filmed their era , their trips , their beloved people and every aspect of their daily routine only with love and personal care.

Nevertheless, this important material is in danger of getting perished because films are not indestructible or immortal. Much damage appears during the years of keeping , damage resulting from the chemical qualities of the components of the film as well as human negligence. So due to both these reasons not following strict rules of preservation may lead , after some years , to final loss of filmed material.

I. Damage resulting from the chemical qualities of the film

It is essential and expedient that we know first of all the damage resulting from the chemical qualities of the film.

A) Contraction (shrinking)

The change of dimensions of a film is called contraction. The picture becomes smaller and the distance between perforations is reduced. Contraction results from storage in a very warm and dry place. It takes place when the film loses its humidity, its solvents (or dissolvent liquids) and its plasticizator. A film that has undergone contraction over a certain degree cannot go through any kind of projector or reprinting machine.

B) Warping

Warping is a state in which the film cannot be straight (flat) , because some parts of the film are crumpled more than others. It is also a result of bad storage conditions for the same reasons as contraction. There are two kinds of warping : the arched , where the edges are more crumpled than the middle and the wavy, where the middle is more crumpled. When a film has warped , it cannot through any kind of projecting machine , as happens with contraction.

C) Loss of elasticity

The loss of elasticity is due to the same factors leading to contraction (loss of humidity, solvents, plasticizator). When the loss of elasticity is present in a high degree, the film breaks up very easily and cannot be restored in its initial condition. In this case the only possible solution is to try and reprint it.

D) Loss of colour – fading

Image in colour films is less stable than in black and white and it is very difficult to preserve it for a long time. As time goes by , the colour film fades , although colours do not disappear all at the same time. Usually red colour fades last , that’s why many films are red. Colours fade faster if the temperature and humidity of storage conditions are high.

E) Problems due to lab process

Many problems emerge due to the labs where development and printing of film material take place. One of them is bad stabilizing of the film which can cause separation of the photosensitive layer from the base and as a result , loss of the image. This can be solved with re-stabilizing the film. Another problem is inadequate cleaning during development so specks of chemical substances remnants stick on the image. We cannot intervene much in this case.

F) Rust – mould

Too much humidity can create mould on the film which, in time , corrodes the image and makes it disappear. Also because of a rusty box or defective layering rust can grow on the film. Mould and rust at an advanced stage can completely destroy the film.

II. Damage due to human negligence

After listing the most basic problems resulting from the chemical qualities of the components of the film it is essential we mention the damage caused by human negligence.

A) Lines (scratches)

The lines on the film are created by bad handling: i.e. when we wind the film round the reel, a small piece of dirt that can be dragged along may settle on it – in addition, when we are trying to tighten a loose film – moreover ,when the film is not fitted properly through the projecting machine – also when the latter is badly maintained etc..

There are several kinds of lines: interrupted and continuous lines (trochoid or wheel-like), small and fine lines(known as rain), transverse and diagonal lines etch. The lines can be created either on the base or on the layer at different depths.

B) Damage in perforation

Perforation can be injured or most of the times a small part of it (1-4 perforations) or a much bigger part can be lost. This damage can be mended. Perforation is necessary because without it the film cannot go into any projecting machine.

C) Dirt

Dirt can be vestiges of dust, exhaust fumes, different kinds of tape or any other element that can settle on the film. It is relatively easy to remove them with the help of a special machine.

The damage caused by the chemical qualities of the components of the film cannot be mended most of the times and result from bad storage conditions. Temperature that is not steady and humidity cause the biggest problem. Fluctuation in the values of these parameters causes these specific kinds of damage. Storage conditions differ among archives but all agree on some minimum standards.

Black and white security films (diacetate- triacetate) must be stored at a temperature of 12oC +_ 2oC and humidity 30%-60%. In case magnetic sound films are also kept together, then the temperature must drop to 6oC. H. Schou in his book “Preservation of moving images and sound” states that these films together with the magnetic ones should be stored at a temperature lower than 16oC going up or down by 1-2 degrees, whereas the humidity must be 35% going up or down by 2-5%.

As for colour safety films (diacetate-triacetate) manufacturers disagree about storage conditions. Agfa says we can keep them in the same conditions as the black and white ones with the ones with magnetic sound (6oC temperature and 30%-60% humidity). Kodak gives temperature of –18oC and humidity 15%-20%. The only point they agree on is that conditions should remain strictly invariable.

When we keep films at home , it is essential that we do that in underground air-conditioned places with steady level of humidity and air that should be regularly renewed. It would be best if the films were given to a film archive because it has specially trained personnel and proper storage areas.

The storage boxes should preferably be made of materials that do not rust easily, like aluminium or stainless steel. It is forbidden to use iron boxes because of rust and paper boxes as paper is easily affected by humidity and the passing of time. The boxes should be acid-proof and NOT airtight. If there are pieces of paper or paper bags in which the films are kept , they must be removed. A regular check of the boxes for injuries or rust is essential.

The films cannot be stored vertically for permanent storage. They should always be placed horizontally. In vertical storage the whole weight of the reel falls onto the lowest part of the film thus causing irreparable damage. The films should be checked regularly (every one to two years). In this way we can prevent damage at an early stage when we can still intervene. Of course these interventions should be made by experts so that further damage due to inappropriate handling be avoided.

As we saw above , the films are made of a material affected by many factors and easily so. It is a pity that so much , captured on film, information may get lost because the indicated rules of preservation are not followed. If , for any reason, the film cannot be given the required environment then we should resort to a film archive for advice. Recording on film is our heritage , so let us preserve it in the right way.

Anastasios Adamopoulos
Head of preservation and restoration laboratories of the Cinema Gallery of Greece.

Bibliography

1. Henning Schou, Preservation of moving images and sound, Federation Internationale des Archives du Film (F.I.A.F.)
2. Paul L. Gordon, The book of film care, Eastman Kodak company

Curriculum vitae

Anastasios Adamopoulos was born in 1968. He studied cinematography in Lykourgos Stavrakos School of Cinema and Television. He graduated after specializing as Director of Photography. He trained in B.F.I. in London on preservation and restoration of cinema material and participated in seminars all over Europe on the same subject. He has taught in the seminars of Greek Television and Radio (ERT) on the subject of preservation and restoration for post-graduate students of the Technical Institution of Preservation. He has worked in the cutting of negatives in many Greek films and as assistant director and production manager in many television productions. Since 1989 he has been working in the Film Gallery of Greece as Head of the Film Preservation and Restoration Laboratories.