<p>Bengaluru: Noted archivist and moving-image preservationist Aparna Subramanian watched a 35 mm print of the 1976 Kannada film ‘Premada Kanike’ starring Rajkumar and Aarathi, which was projected at the open air screenings at the Bengaluru International Film Festival on Monday.</p>.<p>She said the print was heavily faded, which is a serious concern and urged the Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy to restore and digitise Kannada films.</p>.<p>She was speaking at a session titled ‘Archiving, preservation and restoration of moving images,’ at the festival on Tuesday.</p>.Very little funding for documentary industry: Maya Chandra at BIFFes.<p>Subramanian spoke on the importance of archiving films and took the audience through the process of restoring, digitising & preserving them.</p>.<p>She emphasised on the importance of proper storage and handling of film and magnetic media to prevent deterioration — using appropriate storage material and recommended practises like climate-controlled vaults.</p>.<p>Strips of 8 mm, 16 mm and 32 mm negatives & positives were circulated among the audience, explaining the process of film decay — an irreversible chemical breakdown called vinegar syndrome. Some negatives had a strong vinegar odour. </p>.<p>There are many challenges of storing and preserving films even after they are restored and digitised, she says.</p>.<p>“Preserving the restored digital file is not enough, and one back-up is not sufficient. Preservation of the original analog is very important,” she added.</p>.<p>Research about mobile media preservation is going on and it may be the next big thing, she said.</p>.<p>Subramanian says, not all films need restoration. "If the film is in good condition, digitising it, correcting and repairing faded colour is sufficient,” she explained. She recently found a print of the cult Tamil film ‘Rakhtakanneer’ starring M R Radha and donated it to NFAI.</p>.<p>The Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune,is organising a basic course on preservation, archiving, digitisation and restoration of films in collaboration with the National Film Archive of India (NFAI), Pune.</p>.<p>It will be held from Feb 23 to 27 at FTII & NFAI in Pune. The course costs Rs 3,500. On last day, participants will be taken to the restoration and archival department to observe the process. </p>
<p>Bengaluru: Noted archivist and moving-image preservationist Aparna Subramanian watched a 35 mm print of the 1976 Kannada film ‘Premada Kanike’ starring Rajkumar and Aarathi, which was projected at the open air screenings at the Bengaluru International Film Festival on Monday.</p>.<p>She said the print was heavily faded, which is a serious concern and urged the Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy to restore and digitise Kannada films.</p>.<p>She was speaking at a session titled ‘Archiving, preservation and restoration of moving images,’ at the festival on Tuesday.</p>.Very little funding for documentary industry: Maya Chandra at BIFFes.<p>Subramanian spoke on the importance of archiving films and took the audience through the process of restoring, digitising & preserving them.</p>.<p>She emphasised on the importance of proper storage and handling of film and magnetic media to prevent deterioration — using appropriate storage material and recommended practises like climate-controlled vaults.</p>.<p>Strips of 8 mm, 16 mm and 32 mm negatives & positives were circulated among the audience, explaining the process of film decay — an irreversible chemical breakdown called vinegar syndrome. Some negatives had a strong vinegar odour. </p>.<p>There are many challenges of storing and preserving films even after they are restored and digitised, she says.</p>.<p>“Preserving the restored digital file is not enough, and one back-up is not sufficient. Preservation of the original analog is very important,” she added.</p>.<p>Research about mobile media preservation is going on and it may be the next big thing, she said.</p>.<p>Subramanian says, not all films need restoration. "If the film is in good condition, digitising it, correcting and repairing faded colour is sufficient,” she explained. She recently found a print of the cult Tamil film ‘Rakhtakanneer’ starring M R Radha and donated it to NFAI.</p>.<p>The Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune,is organising a basic course on preservation, archiving, digitisation and restoration of films in collaboration with the National Film Archive of India (NFAI), Pune.</p>.<p>It will be held from Feb 23 to 27 at FTII & NFAI in Pune. The course costs Rs 3,500. On last day, participants will be taken to the restoration and archival department to observe the process. </p>