Working with Archives
Local and national audiovisual archives provide services to assist independent filmmakers.
Festivals and screenings.
Funding assistance and grant writing.
Preservation training.
Research.
Workshops.
Video tutorials about personal digital preservation are available online from the institutions listed in the resources page.
Interact with an audiovisual archive before retirement, to ensure that digital records are carefully safeguarded and prepared for donation to an archive. Explore the different options available through donation agreements and be well-informed before signing any contractual documents.
Seek archives that would be interested in the subjects or locations featured in the majority of your projects. These could be based on:
Genre/style (horror, documentary, religious, ethnic).
Geography (region, state, city).
Aesthetic (avante garde, experimental, interactive).
Assisting Archives
Filmmaker investment in archives is equally important.
Inquire about holding a screening in conjunction with an archive.
Invite the local audiovisual archivists and film librarians to social networking events.
Offer to review materials or provide keyword tagging.
A navigable path from independent production through distribution avenues and to final disposition in archives depends on the grassroots efforts of filmmakers and archivists.
Audiovisual archivists are often fervent supporters of local cinema and engaging with working filmmakers creates an adaptable and robust alliance of cultural caretakers that supports access, and therefore preservation, to the wider community and future generations.