This is being posted on behalf Chad Hunter and Diana Little, co-chairs
of AMIA's Small Gauge and Amateur Film Interest Group.

Dear SmallGauge-Listers,

I previously sent these notes from the Assoc. of Moving Image
Archivists - Small Gauge / Amateur Film Interest Group meeting in
Anchorage to the AMIA group's listed members, but in the interest of
communication and discussion, I thought I would also post the notes to
this entire List.

My thanks to Lauren Sorenson for taking these notes - which you'll
find below, and to Toni Treadway for her additional notes. But first,
there are a few points of business from the AMIA Conference this year:

- approximately 20-25 people attended the SGAFIG meeting in Anchorage.
We had at least 8 new people join the group.

- we would like to thank out-going AMIA Board Liason Dan Streible for
his service to the SGAFIG, and to welcome Brian Graney as our new
Liason.

- please join me in thanking out-going SGAFIG co-chair Rhonda Vigeant
for her service this past year. We expect that Rhonda and Pro8mm will
continue to provide the group with valuable insight into the latest in
small gauge laboratory stocks and processes. Thanks, Rhonda!

- I asked for volunteers to fill the one vacated Co-chair seat. No
one indicated interest during the meeting, so I asked that anyone
interested should see me after the meeting. The sole volunteer who
approached me after the meeting was Diana Little, Film Preservation
Specialist at Cineric in NYC. Thanks to Diana for her willingness to
serve as Co-Chair for the next two years. She can be reached at
diana@.... I (Chad) will serve one more year as Co-Chair, and
vacate the seat next year in Rochester for someone to join Diana as
Co-Chair.

If you have any questions on the notes, please do not hesitate to
e-mail me. I will follow up with some discussion on the List about
ideas for sessions in Rochester 07'.

Chad Hunter
SGAGIG Co-Chair
homemovie@...


Association of Moving Image Archivists
Small Gauge Amateur Film Interest Group Minutes
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Conference,Anchorage, Alaska

Meeting Chair: Chad Hunter,
Minutes: Lauren Sorensen

Old business

Home Movie Day 2006 / Center for Home Movies update (Dwight Swanson)

HMD's 4th year. 50 cities. Austria. 5 in Japan. Spotlight on New
Orleans Home Movie Day, collections' needs, organized from outside,
local filmmakers and organizations that helped. There is an interest in
continuing the concept of spotlighting cities that haven't had an
individual organizer.

HMD compilation DVD is close to finished; transfers taken from the first 2
years of HMD. 13 minute version in Quicktime with clips is available
from Dwight; 20 copies available here.

The Center for Home Movies is finalizing an arrangement with The
Library of Congress for storage space and office space in
Culpepper,Virginia. Potential corporate sponsors are being sought out
for the proposed Home Movie Mobile which would entail a group of
archivists traveling around the country; a "mobile Home Movie Day."

AMIA Hurricane Relief (Lynne Kirste)

We are pursuing creating a section on disaster recovery and planning on
the AMIA web site; not too much response from a call for information.
This web site was in response to questions that came up when Hurricane
Katrina happened; e.g., what can we do as archivists, after Katrina to
help to direct people to advice on dealing with damaged moving image
materials. No labs in the immediate area to do rewashing. Similar
information on Film Forever (filmforever.org). Trying to print a guide;
question of how people in a disaster situation with home movies will be
able to access it. Perhaps trying to get the interest group to work on
a web site. Trying to get the information out to organizations and
institutions that may get calls about what to do with materials.
Outreach to these organizations and institutions.

Derived a brochure for NOLA; found that in general, people tend to
prioritize home movies and photographs for saving following a disaster
situation. Brochure or web site should be broken down by types of
damage, and then by type of media; help with putting information on
disaster site. Speak with Lynne if available to help.

Alan Kattelle Oral History update (Chad Hunter)

Kattelle wrote the book "Home Movies: A History of the American
Industry 1897-1979" Chad and Andrea McCarty helped to set up an oral
history project, on video and audio. Trying to figure out how to make
the history accessible. Spoken with AMIA about making the small gauge
web site, working with NHF to put it up on their web site. Will make a
posting on the list when further progress occurs.

Northeast Historic Film Summer Symposium update

Brian Graney mentioned Robbins Barstow presented a documentary/amateur
film produced at a Christian labor work camp in the 1940's. The
symposium was stimulating, with presenters from Scotland, 2 from
England, and NY, CA, CT, GA, ME, MA, all represented, all on the
theme The Working Life. Ryan Shand from Glasgow wrote a summary posted
at http://www.oldfilm.org/ What may be the first single system Super 8
film was shown: Brodsky's 1973 shoe factory film. The topic and date of
next summer's symposium is "Time Out: Images of Play and Leisure,"
July 19-21, 2007.

SGAF website challenges and ideas

AMIA is under resourced for entire web site. If anyone is interested in
helping out, please talk to Chad. In the short term, maybe we can set
up a Small Gauge interest group web site hosted on another server and
link to it from the AMIA page.

New business

LGBT/SGAF/ Diversity Anchorage Panel and Screening (Chris Lane)

"In Focus and on Screen" a panel sponsored by SGAF, Saturday at10:30,
Screening from 2-3:30. Jacqueline Stewart will be talking about
collecting regional home movies in Chicago's South Side.

From San Francisco GLBT Historical Society, Terrance Kissack will be
presenting a collection of home movies preserved through NFPF; Lindy
Leong will present amateur works in the film festival context. Program
available.Dwight Swanson will be presenting home movies from New
Orleans, compiled by a man about his son, documentary form. Pam Wintle,
HSFA, Smithsonian will present footage from Iraq shot by missionary
1920's to 1950's. Two presenters from the Alaska area. Stephen Parr
will also be presenting.

Updates from Labs

Colorlab (Russ Suniewick)

20 years ago, home movies were not a priority. Now, labs are taking
these artifacts seriously, institutions are collecting amateur film.
Orphan films are being preserved, home movies for study; Scene by scene
color timing.

Center for Home Movies will serve as a clearinghouse for home movies
and amateur film; first step would be to keep the films with the owners
if they are able to care for them properly, second, to an institution
in the region, and so on.

Cineric (Diana Little)

Cineric's primary work is in film-to-film preservation, restoration and
digital restoration. Cineric sees less home movies and amateur films
from the owner, more from the wealthy, and institutions who want to
preserve film to film. Leave it to the client to decide whether or not
to have blow-up from small gauge to larger gauge. One issue: 16mm
projectors harder and harder to come by. Because Cineric does blowups,
people comment that their films don't look like they've ever seen them
before; "vivid and bright." Sample projects this year: For Anthology
Film Archives, Greg Sharits' films in the letraset type- dry gate,
regular 8mm and blew them up to 16mm. For Northeast Historic Film –
Super 8mm film made by a group of Junior High students "Mission Alpha
Centauri"; separately recorded reel-to-reel sound that was never synced
up to the film. Film was shot at 18 fps. Super8 to 35mm.

For the NYU library – peace corps volunteers footage featuring Eleanor
Roosevelt. Recently received some newly shot Super 8mm Brazilian
feature film; Super 8mm B+W plus-x; had to reposition for every shot.
The new Super 8mm stock looked like it could be 16mm, grain was
completely different.

Other

LittleFilm.org (email Toni Treadway)
She writes in support of Dwayne's Photo in Kansas, the remaining lab
for processsing all gauges of Kodachrome movie film, now that the Kodak
Swiss lab is closed. She recommends that filmmakers focus on using
their remaining rolls of Kodachrome sooner than later. Archives might
stock up on white acetate leader (especially regular 8mm) direct from
Kodak order line; details on supplies at the labs page at
www.littlefilm.org.
Toni advocates that Small Gauge Preservation copies be made on 35mm
whenever possible, as it is a more viable and capable format than 16mm.
She is looking for interest in subcommittee on lost artists and their
work – perhaps a screening and articles.

Pro8mm (email Rhonda Vigeant)
Anything screened at the conference, she can make transfers. Would
anyone be interested in leader made from old acetate stock? Better and
active relationship between AMIA in general and SGAF interest group.
Met with PAC Labs in NYC; good quality processing.

Lab/Technology/Supplies questions

Colorlab – say Kodak promises that small gauge leader will be available
for a while to come.

Suggestions for Toni Treadway's Small Gauge Q+A Column in the AMIA
Newsletter? Please contact Toni by email if ideas come up.

New panels for 2007 Conference

Conference will be in Rochester,New York next year. Perhaps a panel
about preserving small gauge on 16mm or 35mm? Possible panel on 16mm
outtake collections; open to talking – Appalshop.If Kodak instigates a
panel?---important to make sure the presentation doesn't turn into a
sales pitch. Next August will be the 5th anniversary of Home Movie Day.
A panel figuring out where HMD is headed?

SGAF long-range planning

Longer meeting, another meeting? Look into having a separate longer
meeting in Rochester. Perhaps focused on a longer, more in-depth topic.

Logo for SGAF interest group?

Election of one new SGAF co-chair

Co-chairs serve alternating two year terms. Those interested in
serving from November 2007 to November 2008
should contact Chad Hunter.

Other topics

National Film Preservation Board is working on National Film Registry.
Home movie study group; push for a film to put on the registry. Talk to
Dwight Swanson if you have a potential film in your archive.

Small gauge film scanner is in the works from Midwest Telecinecompany.