Ten years ago, anyone who wanted to learn how to archive film
had to work in a vault, among canisters and reels instead of human
beings.
This was the case because no program awarding a master’s
degree in archive studies existed ““ until 2002, when UCLA
started the moving image archive studies program, partly due to
pressure from interested students.
Or, as Doron Galili, a member of the first class to graduate
from the program in 2004, put it, “Until we started, there
was nothing like MIAS.”
Along with his classmates, Galili became one of the first
professionally trained archivists in the United States. But he had
to come a long way to get there. After studying film as an
undergraduate in Israel, he developed an interest in the history of
silent film, wherein, he said, “the potential to use new
ideas and research was strongly linked to archiving.”
MIAS is a two-year graduate program focusing on the theory and
practice of preserving everything film, from the latest Oscar
winner to footage dating to the birth of the recorded image.
Part of the program’s uniqueness lies in its
interdisciplinary approach ““ enrolled students take classes
in the departments of information studies and film and television,
while also completing a sequence of MIAS courses.
The program combines academics with hands-on training by giving
students the chance to work in the archiving field under the
supervision of a professional and an MIAS faculty member.
“People who know about (MIAS) are excited about it,”
Galili said. “Those who haven’t heard of the program
feel similarly once they find out what it is.”
But translating this experience into an actual job in the field
takes more than a degree. There are only a few academic programs in
the country with the same intensity as UCLA’s. As a result,
archiving has traditionally been a profession that relied heavily
on job experience. And similar to any other job, there are not an
unlimited amount of positions, especially for someone looking to
work in one of the large archives, such as the Library of Congress
or the more local UCLA Film and Television Archive.
New York University, home to the only other comparable graduate
archive studies program, tries to meet this problem head-on by
integrating students’ classroom learning with the
professional world as soon and seamlessly as possible. To
accomplish this, students travel to famous archives on
university-funded trips, listen to guest speakers from the field,
and are required to complete four internships at different New York
organizations that involve archiving.
“(The goal is to) prepare the students much more fully to
go into a variety of work situations,” said Howard Besser,
director of NYU’s moving image archive and preservation
program and professor emeritus of information studies at UCLA.
“We want them to see themselves as part of a professional
community.”
Being surrounded by others in the field is an advantage for most
MIAS students, as Los Angeles is a place devoted to established
films. Yet the existence of such large preservation organizations
in the city can be both a strength and weakness in the field of
archiving.
“There’s a huge film culture here in L.A., because
you can see anything,” said MIAS graduate student Brian
Drischell. “There’s so many different venues (showing
films), you could probably see two movies every night of the week
and still not see everything.”
On the other hand, according to Besser, the focus of
UCLA’s archive is more on finished products: conventional,
intact films, as opposed to more obscure or less professional
works. At NYU, Besser places a good deal of importance on
establishing relationships with smaller organizations that may deal
with material farther out of the mainstream.
“The main drawback of a program like UCLA’s is that
it’s tied to a particular repository,” said Besser.
“It teaches students too much of the UCLA Film &
Television Archive’s way of doing things.”
Steve Ricci, director and current professor in the program, did
not return multiple phone requests.
Most students in the program try hard to balance between
abstract, idealistic goals and concerns of the real world. Finding
this balance is especially key to success as students graduate and
enter the job market. For example, in his 10 years between
graduating from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Ore., and
enrolling at UCLA, Drischell worked in libraries and managed a
movie theater in Minnesota.
“I wanted a more discernible skill,” he said.
“(UCLA) seemed like a good fit for me.”
Outside experience can often be invaluable, as archive work
requires knowledge of preservation techniques, film history and,
most importantly, making the archive a dynamic entity. This can be
achieved, for example, by stirring up interest among the public
through events such as film series featuring non-mainstream or
time-forgotten works.
“What’s the point of preserving (films) if they just
sit in the vaults?” said MIAS graduate student Amy
Sloper.
In order to pursue their goals of releasing classic films from
the vaults and onto the big screen, some MIAS graduates have gone
on to pursue doctorates in the same field.
“Since I have a history degree, it’s a natural
progression for me,” added Drischell.
In fact, its ability to combine broad, long-term goals with a
realistic approach to the outside world might be the
program’s biggest strength as an academic program ““ a
mission that may even inspire future graduates to continue the
pioneering spirit of one of the first film archiving schools that
they themselves learned from.
“(After school I want to) get a job,” said MIAS
graduate student Christopher Lane. “I hope to help preserve
history. That’s my mission.”