BBC Studios And Post Production Wins IWM Contract

BBC Studios and Post Production’s Digital Media Services team has been chosen to digitise and future-proof a substantial proportion of IWM’s (Imperial War Museums’) collection of First World War film footage.
The project was commissioned in preparation for the centenary anniversary of WW1 in 2014 and will be completed by the end of 2013. Part of the European Film Gateway (EFG) 1914 project and co-funded by the Community programme ICT-PSP. IWM’s collection is one of the oldest and largest in the world, comprising over 250 hours of material.
The age of the films and their historic prominence mean the black and white 35mm reels have to be handled with extreme care. BBC Studios and Post Production’s Digital Media Services team are cleaning and preparing the film before scanning it to DPX files. The files will be re-framed and graded where necessary, while ensuring the essence of the material is maintained in the digitisation.
By digitising its content, IWM is making its collection available worldwide via its Collections Search facility. The portal will enable public access to a searchable extensive archive, something that has never previously been available. As BBC Studios and Post Production’s Digital Media Services team delivers each film, IWM will also be able to monetise its content through making the films available on their IWM Film Sales Site.
IWM plans to mark the centenary by leading a vibrant, four-year programme of cultural activities across the country –a highlight of which is the opening of brand new First World War galleries at IWM London in 2014.
Jane Fish, Head Curator, Film Archive, IWM, said: "We are delighted to be working with BBC Studios and Post Production on the digitisation of our First World War collection. The outcome of our working relationship will ensure this unique collection is made accessible to the widest possible audience in time for the Centenary of the First World War in 2014 and at the same time provide the highest quality digital copies for generations to come."
Clive Hodge, head of digital media services at BBC Studios and Post Production, added: "We’re honoured to have won the digitisation contract for this historically important content. By digitising IWM’s extensive archive we’re future-proofing it for generations to come, and that’s something we’re very proud to be a part of."
BBC Studios and Post Production’s Digital Media Services team is highly experienced in handling and transferring delicate film, having recently completed digital restoration projects for Screen Heritage UK and Film London and the content owners of the Trumptonshire Trilogy.
EFG1914, coordinated by Deutsches Filminstitut, will digitise up to 650 hours of film from and about World War I, and make the digitised film collections available on the Internet through the EFG Portal (www.europeanfilmgateway.eu) and the European digital library Europeana (www.europeana.eu). For more information about EFG1914 and the complete list of participating institutions visitwww.project.efg1914.eu.
*Image 2nd Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment, in the rear areas of the Western Front, autumn 1917 Film © IWM (IWM 396)