Put it on Silver or Let it Rust*

by Jonah Sachs

Regardless of what broadcast technologies the future holds, there will always be a demand for access to the visual past, the majority of which has been recorded on film.

To meet that demand, the Archival Film Services Division of Colorlab in Rockville, MD. has announced that it is expanding into a new building adjacent to its current site. The new space will be devoted exclusively to its archives department where images of the past are duplicated and made available to the public.

"Many facilities consider their archives department a sort of schedule filler," explains Colorlab owner Russ Suniewick. "Colorlab puts skill and care behind this aspect of their work, because making archive intermediates is a delicate process. We feel that this expansion sends a message that Colorlab is serious about doing archives the right way."

"My staff are film people," Suniewick says of his Archival Film Services staff. "For them, it's not just about making copies. It's about remaining true to the aesthetic and feel of the original."

The Archival Film Services Division facility will contain multiple prep stations, spaces for administration and a shipping area. In addition to continually upgrading the production of 35mm and 16mm film black and white and color intermediates, the changes focus on improving the service area of what Colorlab calls its "Electronic Intermediate Program". What it boils down to is Colorlab's policy plan to make sure the past is preserved with care.

*"Put it on silver or let it rust" is a phrase originally uttered by
(and comes courtesy of) Peter Limburg, Pres. CINECO B.V.