(Photo via dansamu/Pixabay)
Film preservation is a unique challenge in the state of Texas. Vulnerable to the elements and compounded by time, film and video can deteriorate at an alarming rate. Since 2008, the Texas Archive of the Moving Image (TAMI) and the Texas Film Commission have hosted the Texas Film Round-Up, a program dedicated to digitizing and archiving analog film and video submissions from Texans.
Services include a complete inventory of films and videos, minor cleaning and repairs, digitization, an optional transfer onto a portable drive — ranging from 16 GB for $12 to 1 TB for $65 — and of course the return of original materials. TAMI will also accept films transferred to videotapes, as well as previously digitized files.
Submissions are viewable online in the Texas Moving Image Archive Program Collection. Downloading videos from the site must be done on a per-video basis between TAMI and the interested party. “Our licensing fees are project-specific and range from $15-100 per second based on the use rights required,” TAMI said to SZNS.
Films or videos must be Texas-related, which means either filmed in Texas or by a Texan, with subject matter centering around Texas, according to the Texas Film Commission website. Films and videos must also adhere to specific formats and must be submitted by the copyright holder or donor who can grant the TAMI and Texas Film Commission a license for use. As long as conditions are met, any kind of film content is accepted, including film-for-art, advertisements, news segments and home videos. Once digitized, the footage is viewable online at the Texas Moving Image Archive Program Collection, which currently stores over 3,600 videos that represent Texas history. The collection is free for the general public to access and videos can be embedded in online articles.
Also available in the collection are activities and pre-made lesson plans to use in K-12 classrooms. Plans include linked videos, practice assignments and additional resources for students and teachers to explore. For example, the “History in Your Own Backyard” activity allows students to observe Texas history per region, documenting the state throughout the 20th century.
Additionally, web exhibits are available for the general public to view, such as the “Starring the Lone Star State” collection. The collection showcases the history of the Texas film industry, but collections can span from subjects such as news broadcasting to state parks. Viewers can also browse through videos of notable Texans, landmarks and time periods.
For more information about Round-Ups and film preservation, visit texasarchive.org. Dates for the 2024 Texas Round-Ups have yet to be determined but will be announced through the TAMI website and newsletter.
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