PUT IT
ON SILVER OR LET IT RUST
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 Archives 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." That message has already been heard loud and
clear by the National Archives. In 1996, the venerable institution awarded Colorlab
exclusive rights to make digital intermediates of its collection. That coveted
contract has kept Colorlab's archives staff busy doing what they do best.
"They're film people," Suniewick says of his Archives staff. "For
them, it's not just about making copies. It's about remaining true to the aesthetic
and feel of the original."
The Archives Division will move into its new home in the first quarter of 1999.
The 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.
Back
to Table Of Contents