Film Archives, Alternative Film Exhibition, and New Audiences: A Case Study of the National

Film Board of Canada

Megan Roy

Kennesaw State University

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Research Agenda

This paper could be relevant for submission to the Association of Moving Image

Archivists (AMIA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to the cooperation of individuals and

organizations committed to the acquisition, preservation, and use of moving image materials.

Held annually, the AMIA symposium is a gathering of professionals and colleagues in the line of

work of media archives. The 2014 symposium in Savannah, Georgia will feature three curated

streams of topics, including global exchange, film in transition, and digital preservation and

access. This paper identifies with the stream concerning the digital preservation and access of

media archives and collections. The AMIA is currently taking submissions for this year’s

symposium until June 20.

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Introduction

The practice of film archiving, preserving, and restoring has been around since film was

first created, produced, and distributed- first by entrepreneurs looking for the next explosion in

technology and artistic advancement then by scholars and librarians recognizing the need for

collecting and congregating the pieces of historical, cultural, and technological innovation.

Today, film archives are present around the globe with the mission to document, collect,

preserve, and restore film reels, culture, and history. Thus, film preservation, both digitally and

historically, has a certain level of importance to the future of the medium, as technology

advances and trends change.

That being said, one of the biggest questions in upholding these traditions and history is

how to educate and pique interest in a generation so consumed with Hollywood blockbusters that

amalgamate into a combination of special effects, star power, and huge budgets. The question of

audience attraction centers on the ability to find a niche and function that would draw audiences

to the contents of these archives. Film archives now have the capability to digitize, upload, and

stream selected titles from the archive and collection. This, in turn, allows audiences of all

backgrounds, interests, and cultures to experience the films that would have otherwise been

difficult to obtain.

Streaming media is not a new concept, but film archives taking advantage of this sort of

media technology is. This form of alternative film exhibition creates an opportunity to attract

newer audiences, or an audience that was previously uninvolved, unaware, or uninterested in

films of the past. It represents the shifting landscape of content delivery, now allowing audiences

to view subject matter on whatever platform, outlet, or channel they most favor. This preferential

act of decision is a concept that this newer generation of media consumers loves: being able to

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choose what to watch, where and when to watch it, and how to watch it. New generations of

media consumers and adopters want a digital experience, allowing options of platform, device,

and interaction.

The National Film Board of Canada has recognized this opportunity and has actively

involved platform preference, interaction and engagement, and the digital experience. Moreover,

this organization has somewhat created a social network of storytellers and filmmakers by

introducing interactive films on the website, creating a community and generating discussion.

Through a case study of the National Film Board of Canada, this paper argues the benefits of the

archive digital experience, embracing alternative film exhibition with the intention of garnering

new and wider audience.

Film Archives

Archives, including film collections, exist as means to systematically categorize, collect,

and compile materials for the preservation of the contents, both physically and intellectually

(Dupin, 2007; Hughes & Heckman, 2012; Wood, 2010). In a way, archival practice is based on

the ethnography of history, although without actual human or animal interaction (Ritter, 2012).

Archivists interact and learn through objects, not people. Therefore, through this interaction,

archivists have the important task of preserving history’s objects and materials.

Film archives, then, seek to store and restore collected film materials, including film

reels, stock, film equipment, and various film technologies. Like archives dedicated to books,

theatre properties, or sports equipment, film archives are solely dedicated to the antiquities of

film’s relatively short history. Perhaps one of the most important artifacts collected and stored by

these archives are the films of the past, or movie reels of the silent and classic era. Specifically,

these materials are the primary way to attract new audiences to film archives.

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Digitization and Alternative Exhibition

As archives move from the physical to the digital, one important feature should be noted.

Digital preservation does not necessary mean a simple transmission of data onto the computer,

thereby making the material available. The digitized object still needs the same amount of

respect and reality. Ross (2012) noted:

It is about maintaining the semantic meaning of the digital object and its content, about

maintaining its provenance and authenticity, about retaining its “interrelatedness,” and

about securing information about the context of its creation and use. (45)

In other words, in relation to film archives and digitized film content, the authenticity of the

content should not be lost in the conversion to digital media. This conversion only translates into

a conversion to a newer landscape or arena of content delivery, allowing audiences an accessible

and easier route of watching a film. Film archives, if transitioning to an online platform, should

still hold the values of the original mission of archives, preserving the integrity of the historical

and culturally significant object.

Digitization of film also translates to the ability to upload content to the Internet,

allowing users to experience the digitized film. Some argue that this is a potential disruption to

the standards of film exhibition, business, and experience, but change is necessary (Cunningham,

Silver, and McDonnell, 2010). Online distribution of film lends itself to being an alternative

form of film exhibition. This online platform of digitized film content enables dimensions of

connectivity and familiarity (Cannon, 2004). For archives, this could potentially attract audiences

to the viewing the films that would otherwise be sitting in a storage room or waiting to be

screened for programmed events. Digitized and online film exhibition, though alternative to

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traditional film experience, means audience access to the archive, potentially attracting new

generations of filmgoers and critics. This, in turn, means the preservation of the memory of film

itself.

For the case study, the National Film Board of Canada was observed as they have

recognized and embraced this change as a means to interact and engage more readily with

audiences. Through its use of curated film programs and interactive storytelling, this specific

online film collection not only archives films but also presents them for the digital era.

The National Film Board of Canada

The Basics

Originally formed in 1939 as a government agency, the National Film Board of Canada

(NFB) operates today as an interactive media source, distributing and exhibiting narrative films,

documentaries, animated stories, and experimental films. Primarily, the films in the collection

involve subjects of Canadian importance, usually pertaining to issues of global significance.

These issues include topics of human rights, the arts, and international discussion and

cooperation.

In one word, the main mission of the NFB is access. The organization wishes to make the

films on their website accessible to all Canadians, and even other surrounding countries. By

achieving this accessibility, the films and film culture are preserved as well as the culture of

Canada. The films offer a snapshot into the lives of Canadians at any one point in the last

century. Therefore, this accessibility equates to culture preservation.

Furthermore, this access allows the film archive and collection to reach a broader

audience with the hope of incorporating a more diverse assemblage of film critics and lovers.

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Access to these films has created the opportunity for more involvement, discussion, and

viewership. For that reason, access then equates also to new audiences.

Film Collection and the Internet

The collection at the NFB has over 13,000 titles with efforts to digitize and upload the

entire collection for streaming. The digitization process was started in 2001 with assistance from

an organization called Canadian Culture Online, an affiliated program of the Department of

Canadian Heritage. This affiliation insinuates alignment with the vision and mission of this

governmental department, which is to promote and preserve the celebration of Canadian history

and heritage. The NFC together with the Canadian Culture Online have the task of digitizing all

13,000 titles with the hopes of having both a digital and physical representation of Canadian film

through the years.

After the titles have been digitized, each are uploaded for streaming on the website or a

personal device. The integral factor of access, in this situation, is the achievable attainment of the

Internet, which serves as the technological conduit of this relationship between film archives,

digital access, and media streaming. The Internet, as it is so often called, is the information

highway for these streaming technologies to attain success in terms of audiences. Without the

Internet, though, this access is essentially void. However, despite this dilemma, the Internet is

widely available, making this predicament virtually obsolete.

Content Delivery, Platform Preference, and Audience Engagement

Online screening rooms are streaming media platforms that allow audiences to choose

and subsequently view films on the device of preference. The NFB currently offers over 2,000

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titles from their archives and collections that are available on their online screening room.

Audiences have two choices of the method or venue to stream the selected title: free online

streaming or priced personal download. This gives the viewer a choice of the content delivery,

allowing the individual to screen the film the preferential platform.

An important feature of the NFB is the ability to customize, discuss, and interact with the

collection through the incorporation of playlists, channels, or profiles. Media and film experts

compile Playlists, allowing the audience to choose a playlist concerning a specific topic of

theme. These experts provide insight, perspective, and a curated exhibit of films. Playlists

include “International Holocaust Remembrance Day,” “Film for Change,” and “Work for All.”

Additionally, audiences also have access to the created Channels, or films classified and group

together on broad genres or themes. Channels include women in cinema, kid’s movies, history,

and human rights.

If playlists or channels still leave a viewer wanting, creating a profile allow audiences to

create their own playlists or channels as well as engage with others who have also created a

profile. This, in turn, generates engagement, community, and connectivity. The audience is now

plugged into one another, an important quality to have in this current era of regularly being

associated with or connected to a community online. The archive has almost transformed itself

into a social network for people interested in film.

Creating this community and interaction lends itself to perhaps the most important aspect

of the online screening room of the NFB: platform preference. Audiences can view, download,

and interact on computers, tablets, smart phones, and even connected television. The NFB

collection is accessible to the lifestyle or media technology that the audience prefers. By doing

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this, the NFB has allowed themselves to be available any time, any where, and any how. This

limits inhibition or obstruction of both the content delivery and audience attraction.

Further incorporating platform preference and route of content delivery, the NFB has

taken their film collection one step further to integrate an interactive element to both the

distribution and exhibition of the films. Using the digital space as a meeting place, the interactive

media programming allows audiences to create a story, unite as a community, and embrace the

future of storytelling in the medium of film with digital technology. This expressed importance

of interaction among filmmakers, photographers, animators, writers, and information architects

in a digital and online setting somewhat represents a paradigm shift in the creation of story. It is

a blend of digital media and technology, cooperation and engagement between artists, and

storytelling.

Implications and Conclusions

These three pillars of the NFB have constructed a community of audiences by attracting

new ones and engaging dedicated ones. By linking together the importance of a new generation

of content delivery, recognizing the value of platform preference, and challenging interaction

between groups of people, this film collection understands the importance of change and

adapting to both the times as well as a newer generation of media consumers. While the films

may be from past decades, the NFB seeks to preserve the films’ integrity as well as preserve film

as an art, storytelling medium, and cultural identifier. This preservation lends itself to the

attraction of new audiences.

Adaptation is integral to the success of any endeavor. For film archives, this adaptation

means digitization and new audiences. The potential digitization creates is virtually endless as

anyone can access, explore, and engage with the film archive or collection. No longer are the

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film reels the only means of viewing and experiencing a story. By implementing the Internet and

streaming media technology, online screening rooms have transformed the film archive into a

digital database of learning, exhibition, and discussion.

Using the channel of the Internet and various digital media outlets, the alternative form of

film exhibition embraces change. Film audiences do not need to go to the theatre or the video

rental store anymore to enjoy the classic era of film. Individuals can now simply view movies on

whatever screen is preferential. Audiences can now enjoy film in ways its innovators could have

never dreamed.

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Works Cited

Cannon, R. (2004). Online Film Distribution. Metro, (139), 186-188.

Cunningham, S., Silver, J., & McDonnell, J. (2010). Rates of Change: Online Distribution as

Disruptive Technology in the Film Industry. Media International Australia,

Incorporating Culture & Policy, (136), 119.

Dupin, C. (2007). The origins and early development of the National Film Library: 1929–1936.

Journal Of Media Practice, 7(3), 199-217.

Hughes, K., & Heckman, H. (2012). Dossier: Materiality and the Archive. Velvet Light Trap: A

Critical Journal Of Film & Television, (70), 59-63.

Kendrick, J. (2001). What is the criterion? The criterion collection as an archive of film as

culture. Journal Of Film & Video, 53(2/3), 124-139.

O'English, M., & Bond, T. (2011). Providing online access to historic films at the Washington

State University libraries. Library Hi Tech, 29(2), 210-223.

Ritter, K. (2012). Archival Research in Composition Studies: Re-Imagining the Historian's Role.

Rhetoric Review, 31(4), 461-478.

Ross, S. (2012). Digital Preservation, Archival Science and Methodological Foundations for

Digital Libraries. New Review Of Information Networking, 17(1), 43-68.

Wood, D. J. (2010). Film and the archive: Nation, heritage, resistance. Cosmos & History, 6(2),

162-174.