From Grain to Pixel: The Archival Life of Film in Transition

by Giovanna Fossati

Film is in a state of rapid the transition from analog to digital is profoundly affecting not just filmmaking and film distribution but a number of other facets of the industry, including the ways in which films are archived. In From Grain to Pixel —the first volume in the new Framing Film series from Amsterdam University Press—Giovanna Fossati brings together scholars and archivists to discuss their theories on digitization and to propose new possibilities for future archives.            

Genres: Film, Nonfiction

336 pages, Paperback

First published July 22, 2009

Reviews

[Hugo · Rating 4 out of 5]

As Fossati clearly states, this is a snapshot taken of a process which is not only transitioning, but is part of the history of a medium-art-technology which is, in her words, inherently transitional. It's no wonder that the picture feels a little blurry at times, but even so, there's an admirable balance of clarity and scope, and perhaps a more definite image would come at the price of an oversimplification.
Having said that, I'll add that, while being a valuable document from the first word to the last, I found two parts particularly useful: that of the description of the four plus one frameworks under which archives understand film, and that, in itself, can be easily translated to specific decisions that can be taken when preserving, restoring, or exhibiting a film; and its practical application in five plus one case studies, which, in my opinion, lead to a deeper understanding of the process (and was more fun to read) than the previous part describing general archival policies.
Anyway, loads of new theory and knowledge to aprehend in one reading, and a really impressive effort of describing a fascinating world.

[Dino Sun · Rating 3 out of 5]

j'ai lu mais ça veut pas dire que je pourrais en ressortir quelque chose pour le cours d'archive
#conne