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I’ve been interested in film conservation/archiving for quite a long time, and I’m thinking that this is an area that I’d seriously like to pursue working in. Except -- how does one go about doing this? Do you need to train or study for this specifically? Or is it just a matter of applying for jobs when they arise and being lucky enough to get in the door?

Relevant info about me: I’m in my mid-20s. My background is in fine art (one of my degrees was a BFA), and I’ve been working in libraries since uni. I’ve also volunteered for a gallery/organization that is somewhat film-related. I have ties to the local creative community, and am well familiar with the nature of cultural/artistic institutions in general (no illusions of glamour or good pay here, heh. Exposure to the creative industries is the quickest route to cynicism).

This post was spurred on by a comment in the how long will silent have a fanbase? thread. People like me are the younger generation carrying the torch for silent film and I want to be involved in some capacity.

I would really love to hear from any people working in archiving/preservation/etc. Any comments, advice, etc, are welcome =)

Yes, it definitely helps to have a degree in moving image archival studies. AMIAnet.org has some info but updated, the schools I know of off the top of my head are:

George Eastman House Selznick School (Rochester, NY): http://selznickschool.eastmanhouse.org/

New York University MIAP: http://www.nyu.edu/tisch/preservation/

UCLA MIAS: http://www.mias.ucla.edu/

Then overseas are two equally good programs at University of East Anglia in England and the University of Amsterdam, in well, Amsterdam.

Get involved from the exhibition end, if you can. It will arm you with a lot of first-hand knowledge.

Ah, how about some volunteer work in the field to get your foot into the
door. Most archives are short of money and staff. So a helping hand
is always welcome.

It will not be the "deepend of the pool" work to start but eager people
always move up in the world.

http://www.filmarchive.org.nz/

Pookybear

Thanks for your replies.

Dennis, that's excellent to know about the programmes. Going back to uni is something that I want to do in the medium-to-long term, so it's good to know about these options - especially because the AMIA website only lists the NYU & UCLA programmes, as far as I can tell. Studying in the US would be prohibitively expensive for me (how does anyone afford?!) but studying in the Netherlands is a possible option.

pookybear, I live near to the Auckland Film Archive and I've actually already gone in and asked about volunteering for them. No dice though, as they just don't have the scope here in AK -- it's a very small outpost of the main Wellington-based Archive. (Unfortunately for me, most of the big cultural stuff in based in Welly, as it's the NZ capital).

But I agree with you both, Jack & pooky, that volunteering is the way to go. I will do some emailing around.

kaleidoscopeworld wrote: Studying in the US would be prohibitively expensive for me (how does anyone afford?!)

Very simple...it pays to be poor!

Have you thought of applying for an internship at the Haghefilm Foundation in Amsterdam? This might be an option, especially, if you're thinking of studying there.
More information can be found on www.haghefilmfoundation.com