The Digital Dilemma

There are many challenges in the motion picture business, including what feels like a constantly changing mixture of business, creative and technology issues. This is true from pre-production all the way through distribution and exhibition. And while it has often been said that audio is the neglected stepchild of the process, the concept of protecting the finished product for long-term viability usually gets even less attention. I once moderated an industry panel discussion on the archival realities of videotape. The issue had gained prominence at the time because a well-known producer had sold a holiday special that had, as it heart, a star-studded performance that had been recorded some fifteen years earlier. But when the time came to edit the program, the videotapes degraded as soon as they passed through the player.  The production was cancelled; a valuable asset and a new opportunity were lost, as were any future opportunities. The consensus of my panel was that, while well cared for videotape probably had a realistic shelf-life of at least fifty years, film was still the best archival choice with an expected life of one hundred years or more. If cared for properly. And while digital storage offers much promise, even the most enthusiastic supporters of digital or data storage concede that there is no solid evidence to demonstrate just how long their method will last. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has been doing as much as it can to focus attention on what is a serious issue for everyone who loves movies.