UCLA, Sundance pool preservation resources
Independenlty produced features, docus at risk
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For those who think film restoration is needed only for films made a half-century ago or longer, Sayles suggests otherwise.
"Anyone with a movie 10 years or older, that film will need some restoration," says Sayles, who collaborated with UCLA over the past year to restore three of his features for re-release by IFC Films. "UCLA had the right kind of spirit to work on films like ours where the parentage of film elements is a little iffy."
Sayles' experience is not unusual. Most independently produced features (and particularly documentaries) are at risk of disappearing altogether. Financing constraints extend to the post-distribution stage. As many indie distributors have not stayed in business for the long run, film masters have been lost, and if they still exist, haven't been properly stored.
"No one thinks about preservation," says John Cooper, Sundance film fest programmer and project director of the Sundance Collection, which has been restoring pics since 1997, and undertakes seven to nine restorations a year.
"My job is to let indie filmmakers know how important it is," Cooper continues. Among the collection's 300 restorations: "Pulp Fiction," "Breaking the Waves" and "Clerks."
"In terms of preservation, the Sundance Film Festival as a venue is beneficial to the archive, to the festival and to the filmgoer, who gets to see an indie film perfectly restored," says archive director Tim Kittleson.
The archive is particularly proud of its restoration of "The Times of Harvey Milk"; the 1984 16mm docu was almost lost.
Kittleson notes that funds are rarely available to preserve indie films, adding, "If we considered just the films made and released by the major studios, we would be remiss."
Sayles says it's never too early in the filmmaking process to consider preservation. "If you want your film to have any life beyond its original run, you have to be aware that the people who are supposed to be keeping it safe and secure may not stay in business."
He offers some sound contractual advice for today's filmmakers: Have a paper trail and a legal leg to stand on. "Make sure the distribution company is bound to store elements in a state-of-the-art storage facility and if elements are moved, you should be informed of it."
