Today I finished the spreadsheet version of my collection's condition report (mentioned and described two posts ago). It started out positively, with me finding some film the 1975 and 1976 (what I originally believed to be the end of the collection) that seemed to be in pretty good shape. There was no perceivable damage or odor and the film itself looks very interesting. (Most seem to begin with shots of the Cathedral and slowly zoom in to the stadium, proving a campus glimpse that no longer exists.) The film from 1976 were all highlight reels, which can give an interesting perspective on the whole game and what an editor deemed important.
Sadly, after completing these reports, there were some pre-surveyed and recanned filmed that I had left to the and for integration. I believed these films to be in decent condition and identified, sadly I was wrong on both counts. The end on my report contains 16 unidentified films, most of which are very dirty and moldy. It would be difficult to identify their contents without some form or cleaning, and the uncertainty of their data makes them highly eligible for deaccessioning.
Current rought estimates of the 128 reels of film show that that 27 films surfer from perceivable mold, 59 suffer from some degree of physical damage, 44 suffer from spoking or a loose wind, and the majority of them have some degree of shrinkage and vinegar syndrome. Within the next week I hope to have a more detailed account of the condition that will be included in my final paper.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Summer Lovin....aka Summer Cleanin
Yesterday was by far the funniest/saddest time I have spent working with this collection. I decided to give myself a break from the down and dirty condition reporting and actually physically inspect an entire film. Part of my reasoning for this was that I need to know what is actually on the film in order to write about it in my paper, not know about its poor physical condition. I began with going through the reel that had the attached newspaper article. Unfortunately I could not determine if it was a Pitt game, or the Penn State Ohio game mentioned in the paper based on my limited view on a light table with a magnifying device. When viewing the film on the rewinds I found 4 burnt holes and 4 hot cement splices. The film itself is pretty clean, slight warping, and probably affected by vinegar syndrome due to discoloration of my gloves.
Following the inspection of this film I actually cleaned and spliced two additional films. Both films were very dirty and I used renovax (not sure of spelling) film cleaner on small pieces of cloth. The first film, Pitt v. W. Va 1963 had some shrinkage issues and one splice. Interesting, the film actually was a splice of the reversal negative and a duplicate print of the negative about 300ft into the reel. After the gentle cleaning of the film, I placed it on a 3 inch plastic core, as the original reel was quite rusty. I also spliced a new leader to the film, as the original was very crimped. This film’s content seemed very interesting and included shots of the scoreboard and crowd.
The second film I gently cleaned was a 1958 practice session. This film had severe water damage (which is not surprising, as these films were originally stored in a basement). Like the other film I cleaned it, and then placed it on a plastic core for the same reason. I also spliced a new tail to this film, as the original was much damaged. Working with this film really emphasized the fact that many of the films in this collection are in very poor condition and in dire need of conservation. Sadly, I can only work with a small sampling of this film, and the work I can do myself is very limited based on my resources and lack of knowledge or qualifications.
Following the inspection of this film I actually cleaned and spliced two additional films. Both films were very dirty and I used renovax (not sure of spelling) film cleaner on small pieces of cloth. The first film, Pitt v. W. Va 1963 had some shrinkage issues and one splice. Interesting, the film actually was a splice of the reversal negative and a duplicate print of the negative about 300ft into the reel. After the gentle cleaning of the film, I placed it on a 3 inch plastic core, as the original reel was quite rusty. I also spliced a new leader to the film, as the original was very crimped. This film’s content seemed very interesting and included shots of the scoreboard and crowd.
The second film I gently cleaned was a 1958 practice session. This film had severe water damage (which is not surprising, as these films were originally stored in a basement). Like the other film I cleaned it, and then placed it on a plastic core for the same reason. I also spliced a new tail to this film, as the original was much damaged. Working with this film really emphasized the fact that many of the films in this collection are in very poor condition and in dire need of conservation. Sadly, I can only work with a small sampling of this film, and the work I can do myself is very limited based on my resources and lack of knowledge or qualifications.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Insert Witty Header
Starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel, at least in terms of the condition report. I have about 30 films or so left and once this step is done I will report my findings, discuss suggestions, and hopefully be able to clean, and view a selection of the films to aid in the primary source research of my research paper. Today I found some interesting items within the film cans, including cobwebs, a newspaper article, and a bean. The one I chose to go into further detail about is the article (if you were curious the bean was brown…). This article was found in a can labeled “Pitt April 13, 1957,” and the film itself was in fairy good condition. The article however seems to be unrelated to the material, as it was about a Penn St vs. Ohio St. Game, with a highlighted section about a fourth quarter play by Ohio at 12:24 into the quarter. This article makes me want to view this film to see if it is actually Pitt or Penn State.
Last week I forgot to mention that I began to make an Excel sheet for my condition report. Currently on film #84, I give information on the films, I give information on the films title, date, gauge, length, if it is color of black and white (so far three color films), the wind condition, shrinkage, can condition (all rusty and hard to open), core type, evidence of vinegar syndrome, physical damage, water damage, and other. Within the ‘other’ tab I indicate information provided by the film can as to whether it was a duplicate and in once case considered a “very poor film.” While they may have been labeled as duplicates, these films see to be sole survivors of the game footage. So far I have found two possible duplicates, though one may be a highlights reel. It is also important to note that while these films are labeled Reel #2, or First Quarter, indicated numerous reels created for that particular game, they seem to be all that is left. This survivor perspective further promotes my argument for their preservation, as they were once seemingly numerous and now are dwindled to one or two reels per game.
Last week I forgot to mention that I began to make an Excel sheet for my condition report. Currently on film #84, I give information on the films, I give information on the films title, date, gauge, length, if it is color of black and white (so far three color films), the wind condition, shrinkage, can condition (all rusty and hard to open), core type, evidence of vinegar syndrome, physical damage, water damage, and other. Within the ‘other’ tab I indicate information provided by the film can as to whether it was a duplicate and in once case considered a “very poor film.” While they may have been labeled as duplicates, these films see to be sole survivors of the game footage. So far I have found two possible duplicates, though one may be a highlights reel. It is also important to note that while these films are labeled Reel #2, or First Quarter, indicated numerous reels created for that particular game, they seem to be all that is left. This survivor perspective further promotes my argument for their preservation, as they were once seemingly numerous and now are dwindled to one or two reels per game.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Reelly moving forward
So today I went through 43 cans of film, assessing their various conditions from kinda bad to really bad. All the film seems to be in some form of vinegar syndrome, with a few testing in stages 2-3 based on the strip. I found a lot of shrinkage, loose winds, some spoking, and a few instances of mould. (felt like being European for a second) Once the rest of the films are inspected I will make some general observations and recommendations. Currently there is one film that is at late stage 3 in its vinegar syndrome, there is probably little that can be done with the reel and it will mostly likely have to be de-accessioned and disposed of properly. Another issue is the 1956 Sugar Bowl film, this reel is in stage 2-3 and requires immediate transfer. The question is whether this is the same footage as the highlight reel currently available on DVD or different footage. Based on its size, 1200ft, it is more likely to be different, though to confirm this the two films must be compared and the film placed on rewinds. I hope to participate in this process after the report/
Of interest within this group of films was what seems to be the only complete game within the collection, Pitt vs Miami December 8, 1956. The four reels seem to be in decent condition. As I begin to look further into the collection and think about my proposal, I wonder how I should approach sampling the film. There are a few reels from the 40s which are of particular interest to me, as they are the War Years and should be different from the rest. I could just view these films and write on how they can be evidence to World War Two research, or I could also compare them to later films from the 50-70s. I could focus on “important” years, such as Eastern Championship Title years, 1936, 1939, 1955, 1976, and 1979. There is also the option of sampling the film using Pitt vs. Penn State as a constant, as there are is footage of this rivalry throughout the collection. I shall ponder these ideas throughout the week as I continue my secondary reading.
Of interest within this group of films was what seems to be the only complete game within the collection, Pitt vs Miami December 8, 1956. The four reels seem to be in decent condition. As I begin to look further into the collection and think about my proposal, I wonder how I should approach sampling the film. There are a few reels from the 40s which are of particular interest to me, as they are the War Years and should be different from the rest. I could just view these films and write on how they can be evidence to World War Two research, or I could also compare them to later films from the 50-70s. I could focus on “important” years, such as Eastern Championship Title years, 1936, 1939, 1955, 1976, and 1979. There is also the option of sampling the film using Pitt vs. Penn State as a constant, as there are is footage of this rivalry throughout the collection. I shall ponder these ideas throughout the week as I continue my secondary reading.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Here We Go Pittsburgh!!
Gradual progress was achieved today as I completed placing the reels in chronological order on the small shelve space provided. The official count of reels is 125 with a date span of 1936-1977. This span is about a decade earlier than I had initially thought, and both 1936 films relate to basketball but not Pitt. One of the 1936 basketball films relates to the University of Kentucky, my alma mater, which seems to be in good condition. If the film’s AD strip reveals little to no deterioration the film may be suggested for de-accessioning and offered to Kentucky’s archives. The other 1936 film, labeled “NYU, Kent, and Ohio St. Basketball,” was actually a “safety,” acetate, Agfa film, which is suffering from level two deterioration.
Of the 125 films, about a dozen are undated or unmarked. Along with the two non-Pitt basketball films from 1936 there were two films that required additional research to learn of their content. The first film was marked “Dr. H.C. Carlson,” who was Pitt’s basketball coach from 1922-1953. An interesting side note being that on February 28, 1940, Pitt played in the first ever televised basketball game under Carlson, a 57–37 victory over Fordham at Madison Square Garden that was televised by NBC. While I doubt this film relates to this game, as the only marking is the coach’s name, it is an interesting fact that relates to the material. The second can that required additional research was one marked “Kitchener vs. Sarnia Imperials.” It terms out that this is a game from the Ontario Rugby Football Union, ORFU, which existed from 1922-1953. The can lacks a date, but similar to the UK footage, if this film is of decent condition it may be send to a more appropriate repository.
I also noted cases of spoking as I housed some uncanned films. Now that I have some intellectual control over the order of the material, I plan on doing more thorough condition reports next week.
Of the 125 films, about a dozen are undated or unmarked. Along with the two non-Pitt basketball films from 1936 there were two films that required additional research to learn of their content. The first film was marked “Dr. H.C. Carlson,” who was Pitt’s basketball coach from 1922-1953. An interesting side note being that on February 28, 1940, Pitt played in the first ever televised basketball game under Carlson, a 57–37 victory over Fordham at Madison Square Garden that was televised by NBC. While I doubt this film relates to this game, as the only marking is the coach’s name, it is an interesting fact that relates to the material. The second can that required additional research was one marked “Kitchener vs. Sarnia Imperials.” It terms out that this is a game from the Ontario Rugby Football Union, ORFU, which existed from 1922-1953. The can lacks a date, but similar to the UK footage, if this film is of decent condition it may be send to a more appropriate repository.
I also noted cases of spoking as I housed some uncanned films. Now that I have some intellectual control over the order of the material, I plan on doing more thorough condition reports next week.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Week Two
Well today I began to get down and dirty with my collection, and I meant literally dirty. By the time I was completed with my two hours, my white glove had become completely brown from rust. There is every type of film deterioration present within my collection, ranging from simple dirt to mold and vinegar syndrome. One film in particular, “Spring Practice Varsity-34 vs. Old Timers-7 1952,” is in such poor condition that Miriam could not even believe the level of deterioration. (It was pretty gross..) This is very troubling, as some interesting and important material can be found in this collection, like the 1956 Sugar Bowl in which the first African-American player, Bobby Grier, broke the southern bowl game color-barrier. The depth of this collection and the interesting history of the Pittsburgh Football Team have lead to my decision to base my presentation topic on the concept of film as a primary source using this collection as a case study of sports film as representative of college history.
Anyway, back to today’s progress. I began by removing the cans fro their storage containers (mostly cardboard boxes and milk crates) and began to place them in chronological order. I decided to do this before creating an inventory or condition report because multiple reels exist for single games, and I thought it best to have them in order then sort out the other details. Films that did not have cans were housed in STiL Design cans. It is desired that the entire collection be rehoused, as all the current containers are horribly dirty and rusty, but for the moment only those without cans were rehoused. Two cans were so rusty that they had to be carefully tapped on the ground and pried open with a letter opener. I placed an AD strip in one of these rehoused films to test the vinegar syndrome of the film.
Additional notes to make based on last weeks observations are that the collection dates are wider than previously though, actually spanning from 1940s-1970s. My initial assumption that previous inventories were incomplete were verified today, as some sets of game cans are still held together with original masking tape, proving they have not been looked at since they were received. So far I am pretty disgusted but excited about my project and its possibilities.
Anyway, back to today’s progress. I began by removing the cans fro their storage containers (mostly cardboard boxes and milk crates) and began to place them in chronological order. I decided to do this before creating an inventory or condition report because multiple reels exist for single games, and I thought it best to have them in order then sort out the other details. Films that did not have cans were housed in STiL Design cans. It is desired that the entire collection be rehoused, as all the current containers are horribly dirty and rusty, but for the moment only those without cans were rehoused. Two cans were so rusty that they had to be carefully tapped on the ground and pried open with a letter opener. I placed an AD strip in one of these rehoused films to test the vinegar syndrome of the film.
Additional notes to make based on last weeks observations are that the collection dates are wider than previously though, actually spanning from 1940s-1970s. My initial assumption that previous inventories were incomplete were verified today, as some sets of game cans are still held together with original masking tape, proving they have not been looked at since they were received. So far I am pretty disgusted but excited about my project and its possibilities.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Week One
For the first week of my film related work at the Archives Service Center I was introduced to the task at hand and read some materials relating to the subject. For my project I will be working with about 8-10 boxes of University Archive Film. This film is of varying sizes, formats, and conditions and my task is to indentify the material present and its condition. The purpose of this assignment is to decide the future maintenance or retention of the film.
To begin my research for this project I went the National Film and Sound Archives website. It was from here that I gained better knowledge on general film identification; http://www.nfsa.gov.au/preservation/film_handbook/film_identification.html,
And condition reporting; http://www.nfsa.gov.au/preservation/film_handbook/condition_reporting.html
In order to provide for sufficient access to these materials, it is important to know what they are in terms of format, subject matter, condition, and location. An initial, partially performed inventory shows that the majority of these films are of Pitt football games from the 1950s-1960s with some basketball or other sports related event. The films seem to be the original negatives and I do not know of the last time any of this material was viewed. Some issues that are evident from first glance at the film are mold, shrinkage, stress, scratching, and tares. The ultimate goal of this compile and complete inventory and condition report of the films, relocate and in some instances rehouse the film, and provide better knowledge for the user and the archive’s decision to preserve, digitize, or deaccession some of the material.
To begin my research for this project I went the National Film and Sound Archives website. It was from here that I gained better knowledge on general film identification; http://www.nfsa.gov.au/preservation/film_handbook/film_identification.html,
And condition reporting; http://www.nfsa.gov.au/preservation/film_handbook/condition_reporting.html
In order to provide for sufficient access to these materials, it is important to know what they are in terms of format, subject matter, condition, and location. An initial, partially performed inventory shows that the majority of these films are of Pitt football games from the 1950s-1960s with some basketball or other sports related event. The films seem to be the original negatives and I do not know of the last time any of this material was viewed. Some issues that are evident from first glance at the film are mold, shrinkage, stress, scratching, and tares. The ultimate goal of this compile and complete inventory and condition report of the films, relocate and in some instances rehouse the film, and provide better knowledge for the user and the archive’s decision to preserve, digitize, or deaccession some of the material.
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