Luke Ainger on printing films at BFI’s laboratory

An interview with Luke Ainger, Senior Conservator at the British Film Institute and one of the few technicians running the film laboratory, one of the most active archival labs in the world, which is expanding the scope of the services it offers.

 

When was the BFI preservation laboratory established?

The lab was built in 1987. And it just so happened that part of Kodak’s major processing lab closed in 1985, which was local in Hemel Hempstead. So, some of the country’s leading film technicians came to the BFI to help establish to the printing and processing facilities here in Berkhamsted.

All those old technicians’ documentation was kept and preserved. So we have an amazing amount of processing research, chemical analysis and rare manuals all still on paper in our records. Which was all very insightful to read through and study when I first started.

My colleague Ian has been here since 1989.  He has helped preserve the valuable skills and practices taught to him by those Kodak technici...

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Two Projection Workshops Coming Soon

FIAF and the Association of European Cinematheques join forces again to offer two projection workshops at ACE member cinematheque...
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Ongoing 16mm Enchantment at The New-York Public Library

An interview with Elena Rossi-Snook, the film archivist who takes care of the 16mm collection at the New York Public L...
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filmprojection21.org was launched in 2016 in conjunction with the release of the Charter of Cinematographic Projection in the 21st Century, which was quickly signed by numerous film festivals, archives, venues, filmmakers, programmers, etc., that care about photochemical film projection. By signing the charter, these organizations and individuals made a commitment to prioritize showing film on film whenever a print was available and to duly announce the material nature of what they were showing in their programs.

In 2016, the conversion of commercial cinema chains to digital projection was still recent in most parts of the world, and the experience of film projection, though clearly endangered, was still relatively common. Time has passed, and ten-odd years later, photochemical film projection is in a more critical situation, while also becoming more valued as its rarity appeals to new audiences. READ THE EDITORIAL