Published: January 6, 2025 by Joshua Insel

This December, I attended the 2024 Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA) conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with a travel grant from the iSchool. I am currently in my second year of the MLIS program and my chosen career pathway is archives and preservation. Moving image (i.e. film, television) archives are one area that I am particularly interested in. I am passionate about film history and often attend screenings of classic films in Los Angeles. Many of these screenings are of film prints in various formats, both in terms of film size and sound, so I have gained much familiarity with the technical aspects of film. I am also fascinated by restoration projects and the complex work that goes into them. I decided to attend the AMIA conference to learn more about the work of moving image archives and get to know professionals in the field.

The sessions included presentations on topics such as particular collections, restoration projects and techniques, and challenges for the field. One of the most common topics was generative artificial intelligence, a challenge for all information professionals. These included presentations on the ethical issues around AI and use of AI in restorations. It was made clear to me that moving image archivists are thinking very carefully about this issue and understand that they need to adapt to this new technological environment, rather than reject the use of AI outright. In one session, members of the Archival Producers Alliance discussed their efforts to establish best practices for use of generative AI involving archival materials in documentaries. I also attended a roundtable titled “GenAI and Archives: Understanding the Implications.” In response to this discussion, AMIA is establishing an AI interest group. 

As with archives in general, many moving image archives have placed an emphasis on promoting marginalized voices in recent years. This was reflected in many of the sessions I attended. The Filipino American Historical Society of Chicago presented home movies by members of the Filipino community, including one of an interracial Filipino-white family in 1930s Iowa. The Prelinger Archives presented various home movies picked by their staff, one of which showed queer women in the 1950s Midwest. One very interesting presentation in this regard was by the Autistic Voices Oral History Project. They attempted to familiarize the audience with the experiences of autistic people and discussed neurodiversity-affirming practices for oral history interviews. The project has established a Memory Workers Fellowship to train information professionals in working with neurodivergent individuals, which I plan on applying for. 

The session I found most interesting was “No Past-Proofing: Eliminating Film Printing from Motion Picture Archiving.” Film sound editor Larry Blake challenged the common assumption among film preservationists that analog film prints are still the best solution for long-term preservation, because digital media is too fragile and prone to obsolescence. The language and tone of his presentation were very provocative and incendiary, but he made valid points that are worthy of discussion in the film preservation community. Blake is working on a book that will explain his arguments in further detail.

The highlight of the conference was the closing event, Archival Screening Night, located at the Union Cinema at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. At this event, AMIA members presented films or videos from their archives that have been recently acquired, discovered, or restored. The program encompassed a diverse assortment of genres, including experimental art films, educational and informational films, documentary footage, and excerpts from a restored silent film. Some of my favorites were color home movies of the Great Smoky Mountains from 1929, a 1950s film by the Milwaukee Public Library, and an internal National Park Service film from 1971 titled Freaks vs. Straights, about the tensions between regular American families and groups of countercultural youths visiting national parks at the time. 

Editor’s Note: The SJSU iSchool highly encourages students to attend professional conferences but also realizes that it can be cost prohibitive. Travel grants are available to eligible students to help lessen the financial burden and increase conference participation. iSchool student Joshua Insel received one of these travel grants.