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Post by mattlodder on Aug 21, 2019 12:00:42 GMT
Please do excuse creating a new thread, if there was an existing thread into which this might have been better placed.
I'm currently trying to see some footage from a 1958 episode of This Week from 1958 as part of an academic research project. The BFI hold a master (maybe without sound?) but will not let me see it as it has not yet been transferred to an accessible format. ITV have been unable to grant access either. I'm willing to pay any transfer costs, and the lack of sound does not render the footage useless for me (though sound would of course be nice!), but all I've been met with is stonewalling.
As there are some threads on here discussing various Associated Rediffusion programmes, I wondered if any forum members here had any advice on how to proceed from here. I have written a hardcopy letter to the mysterious David Osterley at Archbuild to see if there's anything he can do. I also wanted to ask if anyone knows what's happening with the rumoured digitisation of This Week which was announced a few years ago, and if there's likely to be any surviving version of this footage with sound even though the BFI catalogue doesn't list any.
With thanks in advance!
ETA: I note from TVBrain that although the BFI only list a 35mm Mute Master Negative, the TVBrain database suggests that there is a "16mm monochrome film telerecorded from 405/625 line videotape or a live transmission". Any idea where this might be housed, given that as far as I understand, the BFI are the sole holders of this archive?
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Post by williammcgregor on Aug 22, 2019 15:45:01 GMT
Hello Matt
Welcome to the forum and thank you for your interesting posts here and other threads.
Would you please tell us which episode of This Week 1958 you are trying to access, just so that we know which one it is that
you would like to see?
Thank you
William
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Post by Peter Stirling on Aug 22, 2019 16:18:43 GMT
This a link to the BFI database, if you see a little camera to the right of the listing it means they have a copy. It really is a creaky old database to use, you need will plenty of patience...good luck in remaining sane LOL collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/resultsIf it was mute then it may have been part of a programme that talked over it ? the TV Brain listing probably suggests the whole programme with all clips |
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Post by mattlodder on Aug 22, 2019 16:22:24 GMT
Hello Matt Welcome to the forum and thank you for your interesting posts here and other threads. Would you please tell us which episode of This Week 1958 you are trying to access, just so that we know which one it is that you would like to see? Thank you William Thanks William. It's "Renaissance of Tattooing", 8th May 1958. Here's where I am at the moment after a couple of days of focussed emailing: Archbuild replied and put me on to the commercial sales arm of the BFI (In all my previous approaches to the archives, I'd always had "This isn't possible" not "You'll have to speak to the commercial department"). Archbuild also told me that the announced digitisation project for the AR Archives by OneMedia is not (and maybe never actually was) happening. BFI commercial sales tell me that they can digitise their mute 35mm print for me after all, but at an extraordinarily high fee which I'm trying to avoid if possible as it's about double my annual research budget. TVBrain lists a 16mm telerecording. Do posters here know where this is likely to be, and whether or not it is likely to have sound? Chris at Kaleidoscope said Fremantle would have a copy, but they don't, as they only took over in 1968, so too late. Fremantle archivist said StudioCanal might have it, but I can't think why and so haven't emailed yet. I'm waiting for Chris to get back to me on if and how he can help identify and access the 16mm "R1" listed in their database. Bournemouth University have archival material relating to This Week, but it's unclear precisely what, so I'm waiting for them to get back to me too. Scripts or transcriptions would suffice in place of sound! I feel like I'm close but still not quite close enough. I'm definitely further than I was a year ago when I last put any energy into this hunt. Much respect to all you guys on here -- if it's this difficult to see material which *is* stored in archives, I can't imagine how complex the work you all do in finding unarchived things might be. Throughout this whole process, I've been amazed at how comparably unhelpful film archives are compared with the other collections I use -- for example, when I tried to access the Aquarius material I alluded to in the other thread last year, again the BFI stonewalled me telling me that I simply could not see the material as it wasn't transferred. Not once did their archivist say "ITV will sell you a perfect digital copy for a hundred quid" or even "Our commercial arm will sell you a copy for an arm and a leg". |
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Post by mattlodder on Aug 22, 2019 16:25:07 GMT
This a link to the BFI database, if you see a little camera to the right of the listing it means they have a copy. It really is a creaky old database to use, you need will plenty of patience...good luck in remaining sane LOL collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/resultsIf it was mute then it may have been part of a programme that talked over it ? the TV Brain listing probably suggests the whole programme with all clips Thanks Peter. I'd already found the catalogue listing and requested access, to no avail, do I'm wondering what my other options are. At the moment, it seems I need to find out whether the 16mm telerecording listed on TVBrain is accessible anywhere, or if there might be alternative holdings elsewhere. |
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Post by Peter Stirling on Aug 22, 2019 16:32:03 GMT
Thanks Peter. I'd already found the catalogue listing and requested access, to no avail, do I'm wondering what my other options are. At the moment, it seems I need to find out whether the 16mm telerecording listed on TVBrain is accessible anywhere, or if there might be alternative holdings elsewhere. Try contacting the Kaleidoscope Org on the TV Brain site ..Chris Perry usually knows where everything is..and would probably give you some help if he is not too busy. |
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Post by mattlodder on Aug 22, 2019 16:36:28 GMT
Thanks Peter. I'd already found the catalogue listing and requested access, to no avail, do I'm wondering what my other options are. At the moment, it seems I need to find out whether the 16mm telerecording listed on TVBrain is accessible anywhere, or if there might be alternative holdings elsewhere. Try contacting the Kaleidoscope Org on the TV Brain site ..Chris Perry usually knows where everything is..and would probably give you some help if he is not too busy. Thanks! As I mentioned above "i'm waiting for Chris to get back to me on if and how he can help identify and access the 16mm "R1" listed in their database" so hopefully he'll come through. I had a great chat with him this time last year but as I understood things, they required a much more elaborate relationship to be established than I was used to for this kind of enquiry, so it dropped off my radar. It's only a year later that I've had time to revisit it. |
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Post by Peter Stirling on Aug 22, 2019 17:30:00 GMT
Thanks! As I mentioned above "i'm waiting for Chris to get back to me on if and how he can help identify and access the 16mm "R1" listed in their database" so hopefully he'll come through. I had a great chat with him this time last year but as I understood things, they required a much more elaborate relationship to be established than I was used to for this kind of enquiry, so it dropped off my radar. It's only a year later that I've had time to revisit it. Oops did not read your post properly apologies. Well it's disappointing that you have been hanging about for a year or more and still getting no help on a documentary film with very little rights value that probably nobody else is ever going to see. This is another alternative, their founder actively travels anywhere in pursuit of obscure TV so just an off chance they might be able to help? www.tiea.co.uk/lost-shows.htm The other possibility is that if the BFI has it (which they should) their usual stonewall is that it needs transferring and throw you a huge cost. If they do indeed have it (and depending on how much you need this) you could offer to get it transferred yourself and offer them a digital copy. Transferring a married sound 16mm print (if you know where to go) is not going cost anywhere near the figures they give you. Obviously, if you're working on a project you cannot give too much away, but most people understand that and a mutually respectful contract regarding your intentions regarding home or professional use with regard to copyright and rights can be drawn up. . |
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Post by Ken Griffin on Aug 25, 2019 10:45:12 GMT
I am fairly confused by this query: the BFI collection search indicates that the film has been digitised.
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Post by williammcgregor on Aug 25, 2019 13:25:14 GMT
Dear Matt
On the BFI filmographic record for Renaissance of Tattooing, if you click on the MOV under the film and television held,
it will take you into that MOV and there if you click on Access Information, half way down is access for Research Purposes
and the words, 'if you have established that we hold a digital copy, eg MOV, you may be able to view it on BFI premises' and
an interactive Contact Form. (you may already know all this, yet advising just in case)
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Post by mattlodder on Aug 26, 2019 12:12:00 GMT
Dear Matt On the BFI filmographic record for Renaissance of Tattooing, if you click on the MOV under the film and television held, it will take you into that MOV and there if you click on Access Information, half way down is access for Research Purposes and the words, 'if you have established that we hold a digital copy, eg MOV, you may be able to view it on BFI premises' and an interactive Contact Form. (you may already know all this, yet advising just in case) Hi William! This is a scan that's been ordered after my enquiries last week, though before any official order from me. |
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