MIAS Comprehensive Exam Question Pool 2004 2010 Collections 1) Contemporary archival practice no longer focuses on collecting mainstream narrative cinema to the exclusion of other collection types. Which types of moving images have been recently validated by archives and their professional associations? (used as sample question on February 19, 2004) (used in 2006) 2) What special conditions and goals exist for the public exhibition of archival materials? What are the minimally acceptable conditions for archival exhibition? You may wish to give particular focus to your response by discussing a specific example such as Le Giornate del cinema muto a Pordenone, Il Cinema Ritrovato, CineMemoire, UCLA Film and Television Archive s Festival of Preservation, American Movie Classic s Festival of Preservation, Orphans in the Storm, MoMA s Festival of Preservation etc. How do such festivals build a bridge between the scholarly and archival communities? (used in Spring 2004) 3) How should public sector archives address the issue of media censorship? Describe the concerns which these archives may have with respect to the collection of censored materials. Discuss the implications for archival practices in relation to specific historical contexts such as: the deployment of the Hays code, the dissolution of Hollywood s vertically integrated industry after the Paramount decision, the establishment of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, etc. (used in Spring 2004) 4) Identify an area of moving image materials that you believe to be marginalized, under-represented or otherwise under-documented in US archival repositories. Describe a strategy that might be implemented by a specific repository, or through some kind of collaboration or community-based initiative in order to strengthen collecting and/or preservation in this area. (used in 2005) 5) Archival acquisition policies are often explicitly crafted in terms of an institution s specific mission or statutory responsibilities. However, acquisitions are often also justified on the basis of other considerations such as commercial potential, historical significance, curatorial tastes, etc. For this question, please assess the utility of canonical lists to the framing of collection development. Your MIAS Question Pool, page 1
answer should include an appraisal of at least two published title lists in relationship to the acquisition policies of at least two distinct types of moving image archives. (used in 2005) 6) In addition to an archive s fundamental obligation to preserve the collections in its care, what specific additional responsibilities can arise from its contractual obligations? How do these responsibilities differ in the case of donated versus deposited materials? For example, under which conditions may an archive legitimately make copies of its materials without seeking explicit dispensation from a general deed of gift? Under which circumstances (if any) may an archive show its collections without obtaining permission from the copyright owner? Please discuss these questions in the context of U.S. copyright law. (2006) 7) The mandates of non-profit, public sector moving image archives differ in some fundamental ways to those of moving image archives in the private sector. Taking these differences into account, the International Federation of Film Archives has refused to allow the latter to become associated with its organization. Using specific examples, discuss the ways in which for profit moving images archives function, comparing their collection, preservation and access policies to archives in the public sector. (2007) 8) Discuss, with examples, what might be different between professional management of moving image collections in a moving image archive and professional management of moving image materials that exist within a repository holding a range of types of archival material. Are there specific models that might be optimal for different kinds of institutions, thematic collections, formats, or user communities? (2007) 9) Define the archival notion of provenance and discuss how it is or might be applied in or alternatively conceptualized for collection development, management and use in moving image archives. (2007) 10) Identify an area of moving image materials that you believe to be marginalized, under-represented or otherwise under-documented in US archival repositories. Describe a strategy that might be implemented by a specific repository, or through some kind of collaboration or community-based initiative, that would strengthen collecting and/or preservation in this area, and justify the strategy with examples from existing cases or institutions. (2008) MIAS Question Pool, page 2
11) Define the archival notion of provenance. Discuss how it is currently applied in collection development, management and use in moving image archives, and how it might be alternatively conceptualized for each of these three areas. (2008) 12) The mandates of non-profit, public sector moving image archives differ in some fundamental ways from those of moving image archives in the for-profit, private sector. Based on these differences, the International Federation of Film Archives has refused to allow the latter to become associated with its organization. Using specific examples, discuss the ways in which for-profit moving image archives function, and compare their collection, preservation and access policies to archives in the non-profit, public sector. (2008) 13) Public exhibition of moving image archival materials can and has taken many forms, whether as mixed media exhibits in museums or film, video and digital media screenings or webcasts. What is the goal of such programming, what technical conditions influence the final products, and how is audience reception mediated through the experience of the archival? As archivists entrusted with a collection, what are the minimally acceptable conditions for archival exhibition? Illustrate your analysis with examples from Le Giornate del cinema muto, Il Cinema Ritrovato, UCLA Film & TV Archive s Festival of Film Preservation, Orphans in the Storm, Movie Day, film historical exhibits at AMPAS. (2009) 14) Archival acquisition policies are often explicitly crafted in terms of an institution s specific mission or statutory responsibilities. What are the basic tenets of that mission? At the same time, acquisitions are often justified by their commercial potential, historical significance, or curatorial fashion. Finally, there remains a degree of serendipity in the growth of archival collections. What is the interplay between these material, aesthetic and historical concerns in collection development. Increasingly, the financial feasibility of an acquisition must be taken into consideration. What are those costs and how are they financed? How do deposit and donation agreements reflect those new realities? Use numerous real world examples. (2009) Media History 1) Account for the historical evolution of one representational practice (e.g. the TV program, the video game) in moving image history with special attention to the issues of gender, ethnicity and class. Discuss that evolution from its beginnings to the present in terms of MIAS Question Pool, page 3
style and production practices. (used as sample question on February 19, 2004) 2) Discuss the various periods of American television history from the fifties to the nineties. Focus on the evolution of programming practices within the important genres (including news and noncommercial television if you like) and cite what you feel are the important or representative shows. How do these shows reflect cultural changes in the United States during these periods? How do these shows reflect the changing economic imperatives within the industry? Have the major institutions the networks, Nielsen, the Hollywood production community, and advertising interests-- changed significantly from the inception of television in the United States? Has American culture changed significantly from the inception of television in the United States? Theorize the historical relationship between culture and television in the U.S. (used in Spring 2004) 3) The expanding role of digital technology in production, distribution and exhibition will directly influence how and what archivists collect, preserve, restore, catalog, exhibit and study motion pictures. However, most moving image archivists are trained principally to care for analog media. What knowledge sets are needed for the archive professional to make appropriate use of digital technologies? Given especially the particularly rapid evolution of these technologies, what are the optimal methods for acquiring these skills? (proposed for Spring 2004) 4) Discuss two reference sources, one print and one electronic, which you feel have had a significant impact on film and television historiography in the past 20 years. Describe and analyze each resource s features and/or functionalities, and evaluate their strengths and weaknesses in depth. Give concrete evidence wherever possible (and if not, offer informed speculation) as to how these resources have affected film scholarship. Be sure to choose reference sources rather than monographic works. (2006) 5) How has the historiography of silent film been influenced by archival practice and policy? (Needs further development). 6) Discuss the impact of the coming of synchronized sound film technology on the American Film Industry. What technological inventions were used? What film companies first innovated sound, and how did they develop, apply and control this technology? What was the impact of sound film on production and exhibition? How did sound film affect the Hollywood corporate hierarchy? Describe the MIAS Question Pool, page 4
reception in the U.S. of early sound films. Your answer should include references to specific films and filmmakers. (2006) 7) Discuss the ways that the film industry responded to the advent of network television as a mass entertainment medium in the post- World War II era. Include a discussion of the film business role during the early development of the broadcast networks, and the relationship between the film companies and the federal government during this era. What specific technological and content changes were used to differentiate the theatrical product from television? Chart the growth of the Hollywood film companies in the production of series for network television. What role did theatrical films play as programming for television? Discuss leading Hollywood film companies and personnel involved in the evolving TV-Film business relationship. (2007) 8) How has the historiography of silent film been influenced by archival practice and policy? How have the discovery, preservation and exhibition of restored films lead to changes in the writing of film history? In what ways have archivists and film historians worked together to change our conceptions of film history? Use specific examples. (2007) 9) Discuss the origins of motion picture censorship and its impact upon the American motion picture industry. What factors lay behind the attempts to regulate motion picture content? How was pressure to regulate content applied to the industry by special interest groups, and local, state and federal government entities? How did the U.S. film industry respond in the 1920s and 1930s to censorship agitation? What strategies were employed by Hollywood to deflect and block outside censorship? Include references to specific organizations, events, individuals and films. (used in 2005) 10) Analyze TWO of the major U.S. film companies of the studio era, making sure that you discuss one Big Five and one Little Three studio. Compare and contrast their structure, position in the industry, types of productions, management and creative personnel, and post-studio era fate. 11) Provide an overview of the Hollywood studio system oligopoly during the 1920s-1950s. What were the business components and structure of an American film company? How did the Hollywood companies dominate the American motion picture business? What were their areas of greatest investment, and greatest profit? The studio system is often described as a non-competitive oligopoly, with the companies acting symbiotically. Discuss with specific examples MIAS Question Pool, page 5
how this oligopoly operated with references to production, distribution and exhibition. (used in Spring 2004) 12) Discuss the ways that the film industry responded to the advent of network television as a mass entertainment medium in the post- World War II era. Include a discussion of the film business role during the early development of the broadcast networks, and the relationship between the film companies and the federal government during this era. What specific technological and content changes were used to differentiate the theatrical product from television? Chart the growth of the Hollywood film companies in the production of series for network television. What role did theatrical films play as programming for television? Discuss leading Hollywood film companies and personnel involved in the evolving TV-Film business relationship. 13) The U.S. government's relationship to the networks and the television industry has changed along with the political climate and cultural trends over the past 60 years. Discuss two historical periods in which the government supported the interests of broadcasters, and compare to two periods in which the federal government actively regulated or antagonized broadcasters. How and why did these relationships emerge as they did? 14) Television has long been associated with family, the family ideal, and domestic space. Discuss changes in the representation of family on commercial prime time television in the United States since the 1950s. Rather than attempt an encyclopedic answer, focus your discussion around one critical issue for example, genre, race and ethnicity, one public discourse and make an argument for that issue s importance in understanding television history and its relationship to family. (from 2004 FTVD Ph.D. exam) 15) Discuss the principal changes in form, style and subject matter in Hollywood filmmaking that follow from the demise of the studio system. (from 2003 FTVD Ph.D. exam) 16) What significant ways have gender issues been engaged and addressed in recent American television programming (broadcast and/or cable)? Discuss cultural and historical reasons for this emphasis, then briefly compare and contrast these tendencies to those from one earlier period of television history. Use specific examples from program/series and from television studies scholars to make your argument. (from 2004 FTVD MA exam, USED in 2005) MIAS Question Pool, page 6
17) The studio system is often looked at in terms of changes in labor relations (star contracts), genre, industrial practices, and/or technology. But what was the impact of production code censorship on the studios and their output? Was the code a detrimental or productive force? Explain. (from 2004 FTVD MA exam) 18) Apply the concept of flow to at least two distinct periods in American television programming. What are the significant changes in televisual flow that occur between these periods and how can one explain that occurrence? (from 2003 FTVD MA exam) 19) How has the historiography of silent film been influenced by archival practice and policy? How have the discovery, preservation and exhibition of restored films led to changes in the writing of film history? In what ways have archivists and film historians worked together to change our conceptions of film history? Use specific examples in your discussion. (2008) 20) Provide an overview of the Hollywood studio system oligopoly during the 1920s-1950s. What were the business components and structure of an American film company? How did the Hollywood companies dominate the American motion picture business? What were their areas of greatest investment, and greatest profit? The studio system is often described as a non-competitive oligopoly, with the companies acting symbiotically. Use specific examples to discuss how this oligopoly operated with references to production, distribution and exhibition. (2008) 21) Describe the kinds of paper collections held by universities and other institutions that relate to film or to television for moving image archives. How might these be useful in addressing the research needs of a moving image archive? How might they best be employed in planning and executing public presentations initiated by moving image archive collections? Be specific and give examples. (2009) 22) Discuss the significance and impact of recent scholarship (books and articles) deriving from a period of American media or cultural history on the contemporary policy and practice of moving image archives. Be specific with examples. (2009) Information Structure 1) What constitutes the minimum of information needed to trace the history of a given work? Using specific examples provide an MIAS Question Pool, page 7
account of the differences between multiple versions and multiple copies. How does the concept of provenance differ in the moving image field from other fields? (used as sample question on February 19, 2004, used in 2005) 2) The concept of an original work of art becomes especially complex when that work is easily reproduced. What is meant by the very concept of the original in moving image archives? How would you discuss the difference between the concept of the original and the concept of authenticity? How then does your definition influence the practices of restoration and exhibition? Make sure that your answer contains specific examples from the history of either cinema, television or new media. (JB was doubtful about this question. Used in Spring 2004) 3) Communication theories distinguish between information and noise. Treating the artistic and cultural forms of moving image media (including film, television, video art, home movies, electronic moving image texts) as communication systems, where would you draw the line(s) between information and noise in the current media environment? What implications, if any, might this distinction hold for archival moving image collection development? (2006) 4) The concept of an original work of art becomes especially complex when that work is easily reproduced. What is meant by the very concept of the original in moving image archives. Discuss the differences between the concept of the original and the concept of authenticity (proposed for Spring 2004) 5) Refer to the Web sites for the various MARC 21 formats given in the Cataloging standards handout. a. For the bibliographic record for the Max Reinhardt/William Dieterle film, answer the following questions: a-1. What kind of title is in the 130 field? a-2. What kind of title is in the 245 field? a-3. What kind of information is in the 562 field? a-4. What does the last 700 field represent? a-5. What are the various works described or referred to in this record and what is their relationship to each other? a-6. What FRBR entity does this record describe? a-7. In what ways does this record fulfil the objectives of the catalog? MIAS Question Pool, page 8
a-8. How would this record have to be indexed to fulfil the objectives of the catalog? a-9. How would this record have to be displayed in the title index in response to a keyword in heading search on the word 'dream' to fulfil the objectives of the catalog? a-10. How would this record have to be displayed in the subject index in response to a left to right heading search on the genre Fantasy to fulfil the objectives of the catalog? b. For the holdings record for She wore a yellow ribbon, answer the following questions: b-1. What FRBR entity does this record represent? b-2. What variations would that FRBR entity have to encompass to justify the practice exemplified in this record? c. For the authority record, answer the following questions: c-1. Interpret this record for me. What is the name in the 100 field? c-2. What are the names in the 500 fields? c-3. In what ways do these records fulfil the objectives of the catalog? In what ways do they fail to fulfil the objectives of the catalog? 6) Choose one of the following five collections: Anthology Film Archive in New York City (collects and preserves avant-garde film) Japanese American National Museum (collects and preserves home movies) Library of Congress Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division (focus on the collection of commercially released motion pictures acquired by means of copyright deposit) American Memory collection of digitized Edison films available over the Internet Smithsonian Human Studies Film Archive (collects and preserves ethnographic footage taken in the field by anthropologists) Also indicate whether the hypothetical records to which you will be adding subject access are item-level records, collection-level records or metadata (you need not determine which type of record is actually used in the collection you have chosen). For the collection you have chosen, make a recommendation about which of the following approaches to providing subject access should be used. Choose only one, and discuss the pro's and con's of your choice. What are the trade-offs for user access? What kind of staffing would be necessary (numbers and training levels)? MIAS Question Pool, page 9
Would you need to customize or tailor the subject access system used in any way to better fit the materials collected and the user needs associated with your chosen collection? Library of Congress subject headings (LCSH) Art and Architecture Thesaurus (AAT) Thesaurus for Graphic Materials (Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division) in-house system developed locally 7) Choose one of the following four collections: Anthology Film Archive in New York City (collects and preserves avant-garde film) Japanese American National Museum (collects and preserves home movies) Library of Congress Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division (focus on the collection of commercially released motion pictures acquired by means of copyright deposit) American Memory collection of digitized Edison films available over the Internet For the collection you have chosen, make a recommendation about which of the following approaches to providing information structure should be used. Choose only one, and discuss the pro's and con's of your choice. What are the trade-offs for user access? What kind of staffing would be necessary (numbers and training levels)? Would you need to customize or tailor the information structure rules followed in any way to better fit the materials collected and the user needs associated with your chosen collection? item level cataloging fundamentally organized by principles designed for commercially released works of collaborative authorship using AACR2R, AMIM or FIAF rules (state which one) collection level description fundamentally organized by provenance using APPM/EAD, RAD or ISAD(G) (state which one) metadata using Dublin Core or MPEG7 (state which one) 8) Choose one of the following seven categories: U.S. television classic Hollywood cinema European cinema avant-garde film scientific record film MIAS Question Pool, page 10
ethnographic footage oral histories on video Choose one of the following three sets of cataloging rules: AACR2R AMIM FIAF If you could rewrite the rules to make them ideal for the cataloging of titles in your chosen category, how would they change? (All aspects of the rules are fair game, including work identifiers, order in which various credits are given, degree of transcription vs. cataloger composition, etc. (used 2005) 9) Compare and contrast two or more different approaches available for the cataloging/description of moving image materials (e.g., AACR2, AMIM2, Whitson and Yeager, EAD, RAD) in terms of how each might fit within different types of repositories holding moving image materials, address different user needs, resourceintensiveness, and conceptual implications. (2006) 10) The concepts of original and authentic become especially complex when works of art or documentary materials are easily reproduced. What is meant by the concepts of original and authentic in moving image archives and in what ways do these concepts differ and/or relate to each other? (2007) 11) Identify two different schemas used in describing/cataloging moving image materials and compare and contrast them in terms of underlying intellectual approach, granularity of description, utility for different user groups, and cost effectiveness for processing moving image materials. (2007) 12) Choose one of the following seven categories of works: U.S. television classic Hollywood cinema European cinema avant-garde film scientific record film ethnographic footage MIAS Question Pool, page 11
oral histories on video And choose one of the following three sets of cataloging rules: AACR2R AMIM FIAF If you could rewrite the rules to make them ideal for the cataloging of titles in your chosen category, how would they change? (All aspects of the rules are fair game, including work identifiers, order in which various credits are given, degree of transcription vs. cataloger composition, etc.). (2008) 13) What constitutes the minimum information needed to trace the history of a given work? Using specific examples, provide an account of the differences between multiple versions and multiple copies of a work. Does the concept of provenance affect the cataloging, metadata, documentation, and classification of moving image materials differently from other types of materials, and if so, in what ways? (2008) 14) One of the core influences on the description and organization of moving image materials is the variety of communities and institutions that have developed principles and standards for contemporary practice, including: Archives (which are primarily responsible for unique texts) Libraries (published texts) Museums (material objects) Visual resource collections (images, especially images of works) Moving image collections (moving image works) Sometimes the principles and standards developed by different groups are complementary; sometimes they conflict, and it can be difficult to resolve such conflicts. Given this situation, should moving image collections be treated like archives, libraries, museums, visual resource collections, or as something entirely different? Are there different types of moving image collections that perhaps should be treated differently? (2008) 15) Compare and contrast two or more different approaches available for the cataloging/description of moving image materials (e.g., AACR2, AMIM2, FIAF Rules, EAD/DACS, RAD) in terms of how each might fit within different types of repositories holding moving image materials. How does the structuring of metadeta address divergent user needs? What are the IT infra-structure requirements and how resource-intensive are these cataloguing systems? Finally, what are the conceptual frameworks constructed in these approaches and how do these define the parameters of their MIAS Question Pool, page 12
functionality? (2009) 16) Choose a known moving image archive as your example. Describe the hypothetical records you would create for that particular collection, and discuss subject access to that collection through item-level records, collection-level records or metadata (you need not determine which type of records are actually used in the collection you have chosen, only justify their use in terms of a collections character). Then make a recommendation about which approach to providing subject access should be used. Discuss the pros and cons of your choice. What are the trade-offs for user access? What kind of staffing would be necessary (numbers and training levels)? Would you need to customize or tailor the subject access system used in any way to better fit the materials collected and the user needs associated with your chosen collection? (2009) Administration 1) Recent shifts in intellectual property law have important consequences for all aspects of media archiving. How are these changes affecting collection building, exhibition and access policies in moving image archives? Discuss these changes in relation to a specific type of archive. (used as sample question on February 19, 2004) proposed for Ph.D in Spring 2005, used in 2005) 2) What is the significance of the establishment of the Association of Moving Image Archivists? How does AMIA achieve a balance between the interests of its various constituencies? From your perspective, what are its major accomplishments? What are its major shortcomings? (JB felt that this is too easy.) 3) Give your assessment of the top three to five most pressing ethical issues of moving image archive work in the 21 st century. Which of these is the least recognized within the field to date, and why do you think that is so? (JB feels this is too easy.) (2006) Give your assessment of the top three to five most pressing ethical issues of moving image archive work in the 21 st century. In your discussion, be very specific about the underlying value systems that inform the ethical issues. Which of these is the least recognized within the field to date, and why do you think that is so? 4) Technical and professional standards for the field of moving image archiving have undergone major transformation during the 20 th century. From your perspective, what are the three most profound changes in professional standards for moving image archivists? MIAS Question Pool, page 13
How have these standards been articulated and/or implemented by the field s professional organizations such as FIAF, AMIA, SAA, FIAT. (used in Spring 2004) (2006) 5) Do principles drawn from traditional archival theory and practice relating to appraisal, arrangement and description have any role to play in conceptualizing or re-conceptualizing a professional paradigm for the archival management of moving images? 6) How has public funding for moving image preservation developed over the last thirty years? What are the primary sources of funding for north American archives? What cultural orientations guide the dissemination of funding from non-profit foundations? (used in Spring 2004) 7) It has been argued that the organizational structure of moving image archives reveal as much or more about the function of that archive than its own explicit mission statements. Discuss the structural differences between three types of public sector archives and how these differences inform the access practices of the archives. Your analysis must include three moving image archives at least one of which is not in North America. (used in 2005) 8) Moving image archives are continuously faced with issues concerning fund raising from both private foundations and government agencies, donor relations, and mandates from their own institutions and communities. Identify some of these issues and discuss the ways in which archives administrators must achieve a balance between them and the needs of constituents, the physical and intellectual needs of the collections, and staff resources. (2007) 9) Moving image archives are continuously faced with issues related to fundraising from both private foundations and government agencies, including donor relations and mandates from their own institutions and communities. Identify some of the most important issues with respect to development, and discuss the ways that archive administrators attempt to balance their development efforts with the needs of archive constituents and users, the physical and intellectual quality of the collections, and staff resources. (2008) 10) Recent shifts in intellectual property law in the U.S. and internationally have had important consequences for all aspects of media archiving. Discuss how current law, such as the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, the Bono Term Extension Act, and the Preservation of Orphan Works Act, as well as international MIAS Question Pool, page 14
agreements such as the Berne Convention, have affected collection building, exhibition and access policies in moving image archives. Illustrate your discussion by focusing on one specific type of archive. (2008) 11) Do principles drawn from traditional archival theory and practice relating to appraisal, arrangement and description have any role to play in conceptualizing or re-conceptualizing a professional paradigm for the archival management of moving images? Describe the ways in which archival paradigms have guided the practice of moving image archiving, and which ones have been neglected or found to be unfeasible. Finally describe and analyze potential paradigm shifts brought about by the digital as they relate to archival principles ideas and practices, such as provenance, uniqueness, fixity, and dissemination. (2009) 12) How has public and private funding for moving image preservation developed over the last sixty years? Give a brief history of film preservation funding over that period. What are the different institutional models for both the organization and financing of moving image archives? What are presently the primary sources of funding for North American archives? Describe the funding policies of these agencies, their funding priorities, and the cultural, aesthetic or historical presuppositions underlying those policies. (2009) Preservation 1) Format obsolescence is a central challenge to moving image preservation. How has it been addressed historically in cinema, video, or digital media? What special complexities does format obsolescence present in two of these media forms? (used as sample question on February 19, 2004) 2) It is possible that the major manufactures of photographic film may decrease or entirely end the production of duplicating stocks in the near future. The loss of the ability to make new elements is potentially a larger crisis than nitrate deterioration and the vinegar syndrome combined. What then will archives do with respect to the many as yet un-copied titles in their collections? (used in Spring 2004) 3) Most models of media restoration are based on general notions of a return to an original state. If accurate references for that original are absent, what governs decision-making in the attempt to reproduce that original state? What authorities can the restorationist (or MIAS Question Pool, page 15
historian) draw upon? Make sure that your discussion includes specific examples with respect to questions of fidelity for sound, resolution, or color. Used for FTVD Ph.D. in Spring 2005 4) It has been said that preservation can be particularly effective if it is considered to be part of the pre-production process. What might this mean in practical terms? What pre-production elements can best inform the creation of archival copies? (JB says: What? ) 5) It can be argued that preservation of celluloid-born moving images is fundamentally different from the preservation of born-digital moving images. What are the principal characteristics of each type of preservation? In your discussion, be sure to address the distinct technical, aesthetic and philological issues that distinguish the two forms of media preservation. 6) What are the current standards for the preservation of broadcast television programs? What are the best technical practices? Which technical procedures provide a minimum guarantee for adequate backup? What are the most recent developments in the professional field regarding television preservation? (used in 2005) 7) It can be argued that the preservation of celluloid-born moving images is fundamentally different from the preservation of born-digital moving images. Yet, some commentators are maintaining that in the future all moving images, whether born digital or originally created on celluloid will be preserved digitally, rather than in analogue media. Discuss some of the problems presently facing archivists wishing to preserve material in digital form? Is digital preservation at the moment a realistic alternative? What can be done with digital images short term? Are long term solutions available? (2007) 8) What are some of the ethical issues involved in the preservation and restoration of moving images? What criteria are important in evaluating procedures for a specific restoration? Compare and contrast several restorations that address these issues. (2007) 9) Major manufactures of photographic film are reducing or actually ending the production of photographic film stocks, including duplicating stocks. What problems does this pose for archives that need to make new elements for as yet uncopied works in their collections? What preservation alternatives do archivists have? Discuss the preservation strategies that moving image archives might adopt, using specific examples or cases. (2008) MIAS Question Pool, page 16
10) Discuss the ethical issues involved in the preservation and restoration of moving images. What criteria are applied in the evaluation of procedures for a specific restoration? Compare and contrast at least two restoration cases to illustrate your discussion. (2008) 11) Many archivists contend that the preservation of moving images on film or other analog media differs fundamentally from the preservation of born-digital moving images. Yet, some commentators maintain that in the future all moving images, whether born digital or originally created on film, will be preserved digitally rather than in analogue media. Discuss some of the problems that currently face archivists who wish to preserve materials digitally (whether analog or born-digital). Is digital preservation at the moment a viable option? What can or should be done with digital materials in the short term? Are long-term solutions available? (2008) 12) Format obsolescence is a central challenge to moving image preservation. Most archives hold numerous obsolete film formats. Describe some of these and the present workflows for their preservation. Moving from celluloid to video, what new problems presented themselves in terms of the preservation of television and video art? Next, how has the inevitable format obsolescence of all analogue media in the face of digital forms impacted preservation of those media? Finally, describe format obsolescence in the digital realm, and what it means for the preservation of the digital. (2009) 13) It can be argued that preservation of celluloid-born moving images is fundamentally different from the preservation of born-digital moving images. What are the principal characteristics of each type of preservation? Address the distinct technical, financial, aesthetic, policy, and philological issues that distinguish the two forms of media preservation? (2009) Essay Questions 1) For many years, moving image archivists have defined authenticity as a quality deriving from proximity to an original. Some have argued that the digital marketplace is primarily responsible for the death of cinema as an analog based medium. Given the fundamental changes taking place in media culture, particularly those introduced by the widespread dissemination of digital technologies, how has the concept of archival authenticity changed? What does it mean in today s media environment to preserve authenticity as a value? (2010) MIAS Question Pool, page 17
2) What service or value to culture will moving image archives still have in a digital world? What will be the challenges to moving image archivists in the future digital world? How will these developments change workflow, forms of archive institutions, and related constituencies? Will public archives still have a reason for existence, now that the industry is leading the field in digital asset management, rather then lagging behind, as was the case in the analog era? What archival functionalities remain in an environment of complete digital access through the internet? Can digital archives be completely automated? (2010) 3) The Association of Moving Image Archivists has just voted on whether the field should have a code of ethics. What ethical issues are involved in moving image archiving? What would a comprehensive code of ethics for moving image archive practice look like? Justify your suggestions using cases, literature, and projected consequences for institutions and practice. (2010) MIAS Question Pool, page 18