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BFI National Archive: Digital workflow for the preservation of digital cinema packages
Journal of Digital Media Management,
2
(2),
127-136
(2013)
Abstract
This paper looks at the approach the British Film Institute (BFI) National Archive takes to preserving file-based content, utilising a combination of manual and semi-automated processes. A case study is presented, which looks at the preservation workflow for unencrypted digital cinema packages acquired through the BFI Film Fund for contemporary feature film production, often in advance of their theatrical release. The paper aims to place the approaches for long-term preservation of digital files in the context of evolving technologies implemented at the BFI’s National Archive Conservation Centre during a critical transition phase from analogue to digital workflows. It also discusses strategies for implementing automated workflow.
Keywords: archive; preservation; digital asset management; digital cinema package; workflows
The full article is available to subscribers to the journal.
Author's Biography
Charles Fairall is the Videotape & Engineering Adviser at the British Film Institute (BFI) National Archive, where he has spent a 35-year career as a film and television archive manager and lead technologist. Having recently shifted focus from administrative responsibilities to maximise value from his extensive experience as an accredited engineer, his focus is now tightly concentrated on the urgent necessity to digitise videotape collections of all varieties in very high volume, while maintaining the highest quality standards and archival values possible within the limited resources available.
