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On March 22, in a hands-on workshop organized by UCLA Film & Television Archive and the Hammer Museum, an eager group of young preservationists-in-training gathered in the museum Annex to learn more about film.
The Archive and the Museum have long collaborated on Family Flicks, a monthly series of free screenings for kids. We strive to present Family Flicks titles in film prints whenever possible, in recognition of the Archive’s mission, and to present kids and families with the opportunity to see an increasingly rare alternative to their digitally-oriented media experiences.
However, along the way, we realized that with the proliferation of digital devices and the exodus of film from theaters, classrooms, libraries, and homes, it’s not enough to simply mention from the stage that we’re presenting a 35mm film print. Many among our youngest audience have never seen a VHS tape, let alone a film print, and have no experience with such objects. How could we expect them to understand what it means to present a motion picture on film instead of video, or to appreciate the medium in its own right.
As we considered various activities to bring film out of the booth and into the sight and touch of young moviegoers, I attended a workshop on film preservation education at the 2011 Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA) conference, and was inspired by the presentation given by Elisa Mutsaers of Film Atelier Den Haag on her film preservation workshops for children.
Elisa was kind enough to share some of her thoughts and experiences with me, and with support from the Archive and the Hammer, I pursued a plan to supplement our Family Flicks screenings with a hands-on workshop where kids could actually touch film, look at it up close, and learn about the nature of this otherwise-abstract object that goes into the projector.
After much legwork on the part of the Archive and the Hammer, a group of curious young folks and their parents stepped into the Hammer Annex, where an assortment of unusual instruments and objects awaited them. Light boxes glowed mysteriously on tables wrapped in craft paper, a stack of metal film cans gleamed in the distance, and an Elmo 16mm projector perched expectantly at the front of the room.
With help from a talented group of students and alumni from UCLA’s Moving Image Archive Studies graduate program, our “junior preservationists” handled and looked closely at film, learned how to make splices and fix damage, and finally stood right next to the Elmo projector and watched it project a cartoon.
After an enjoyable and enlightening afternoon, our young colleagues were released out into the world, with a few fun keepsakes, a bit of information about home movie care, and hopefully a newfound appreciation for this medium that we at the Archive are so fond of. If we’re lucky, who knows--perhaps we’ll see some of them in the Moving Image Archive Studies class of 2027!
I’m indebted to my colleagues at the Archive and the Hammer, and the UCLA Moving Image Archive Studies program, for their help in presenting the workshop; judging by the good time that was had by all -- kids, parents and volunteers -- we look forward to presenting future editions!
-- Nina Rao, programming assistant
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