Partner: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Science & Technology Council (external link)

AMPAS, best known for its annual Academy Awards, devotes considerable resources to a host of motion picture-related educational, scientific and cultural endeavors, including the technical aspects of filmmaking and the preservation of motion pictures. The Digital Motion Picture Archive Framework Project will build upon current Academy research on digital preservation issues from the perspective of the major motion picture studios, extending the effort to include independent filmmakers and smaller film archives.

This research is being carried out by the Academy's Science and Technology Council, with active participation from specialists employed by organizations like NBC/Universal, Sony Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox, Walt Disney Company/Pixar, Warner Brothers.

Additional key components of the project will involve developing a case study system for investigating archival strategies for digital motion pictures and recommending specifications for image data formats across the production chain. The technical context for all of this work is the Academy's emerging Image Interchange Framework, which will contribute to the development of standards to serve the industry as it embraces digital motion picture production.

Objectives

• Development of a digital preservation case study system
• Requirements documentation for independent filmmakers and small archives to preserve digital film
• Education and outreach programs for digital preservation

More detailed project information can be found at the Project Web site (external link).

Highlights

• Overview of the Image Interchange Framework, August 2010 (PDF, 1MB)
• Program and Presentations from the Digital Motion Picture Metadata Symposium, June 11, 2009
• AMPAS Named Digital Preservation Pioneer
• The Digital Dilemma: Strategic Issues in Archiving and Accessing Digital Motion Picture Materials
• July 2008 NDIIPP Partner Meeting Presentation (PPT, 1.93MB)