Kodak will play a supporting role this week for the Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA) as it welcomes close to 500 motion picture archivists to its annual conference. The week-long program, which takes place this year November 12-15 in Savannah, Georgia, includes workshops, technical symposia and panels covering a wide range of issues related to the preservation and management of audiovisual archives.
As a major sponsor of the conference, Kodak will host a full-day imaging technology and workflow session, which will cover a variety of topics such as image permanence and analog vs. digital preservation. Kodak will also offer a hands-on workshop where participants can learn the basics of camera operation, exposure and film emulsion choices by actually using a 16mm motion picture film camera to capture images, under the guidance of a Kodak cinematographer. In addition, Kodak will be on site throughout the week to provide product information.
Those attending the conference include archivists for the Hollywood motion picture studios; representatives from network TV; delegates from North American and European universities; and archivists from such world-renowned institutions as the Library of Congress, the Museum of Modern Art and the British Film Institute – among many others. It is the most diverse restoration/preservation group in the world.
“We are always excited to play our part in supporting the restoration and preservation community,” said Jonathan Barlow, worldwide motion picture product manager, Kodak’s Entertainment Imaging Division. “The work of these professionals is of vital importance to the preservation of our culture and our heritage. They are also tremendous advocates for the unique archival attributes of film – which is one of the things that keeps film very relevant today, especially as it relates to such high-value images as those found in the entertainment industry.”
During the conference, Kodak will also present the 2008 Kodak Fellowship Award at the annual Scholars Luncheon. The Kodak Fellowship Award includes a scholarship grant as well as six weeks of intern experience working in various Hollywood preservation and archival facilities such as Kodak subsidiaries PRO-TEK and LaserPacific Media Corporation, Chace Sound, and CFI/Technicolor. This year’s recipient is Sandra Gibson, who is currently pursuing a Master of Arts degree in the Moving Image Archive and Preservation Program at New York University.
“I am very proud of this program,” said Rick Utley, president PRO-TEK. “The Kodak Fellowship is now in its eighth year, which demonstrates the company’s commitment to film and the continued education of students who are interested in moving image archiving. As a measure of the program’s success to date, every award recipient, since the inception of the program, is actively working in the industry across the nation from the Motion Picture Academy in Hollywood to the New York library archives.”
Kodak’s Entertainment Imaging Division is the world-class leader in providing film, digital and hybrid motion imaging products, services and technology for the television, feature film, commercial, music video and documentary industries.
AMIA is a professional association dedicated to advancing the preservation, collection, and use of moving images through public and professional education. It is the world’s largest professional association of moving image archivists, currently representing over 750 individuals and institutions from the United States and Canada and around the world.
