Established in 1935, the BFI National Archive holds one of the largest film and television collections in the world.
At the archive’s Conservation Centre a variety of film, videotape, audio and paper materials are being cared for with cutting-edge digital preservation technologies combined with the necessary use of equipment from the past so that future generations can enjoy the UK’s film heritage.
Students coming to the end of their six-week placements at the BFI were led on tours by curator Jez Stewart and Video and Audio Specialist Mike Kohler, visiting collections in the archive’s film and paper storage vaults and hearing from engaged, knowledgeable BFI specialists on conservation of fragile and degrading cellulose nitrate, conservation technologies and unpublished items, including scripts, storyboards and autographed letters.
We’ve discussed restoration theoretically in class, but seeing the processes in place to make it happen was really interesting. I also loved being able to see really degraded film – I’d only ever seen pictures before.”Emily Mason, National Film and Television School (NFTS) student
Students experienced the results of image restoration and sound remastering first-hand with clips from two films which had been painstakingly restored by the BFI – Franz Osten’s Shiraz: A Romance of India, with Head Curator Robin Baker, and Powell and Pressburger’s I know Where I’m Going!, with Video and Audio Specialist Mike Kohler and Conservation Specialist Martin Coffill.
Alongside learning about the policy and processes integral to acquisition and preservation from the collections team, Head of Collections Management Helen Edmunds led students on a tour of the grounds, which is home to several bee hives. The grounds of the archive sites will undergo further biodiversity projects from spring 2022 spearheaded by Safety, Sustainability and Wellbeing Lead Frank Horn, where areas of unused land will be rewilded to attract birds and insects whose numbers are in decline.
Carving out their own piece of the archive while contributing to the upcoming biodiversity project, students planted wildflower seeds in their own NFTS patch.
Tours of the BFI National Archive and placements for MA Programming and Curation students are highlights of the BFI’s partnership with the NFTS.
To enquire about our university partnerships please email enterprise@bfi.org.uk.
Find out about who we work with and read more about our BFI Player: Educational access and subscriptions.