- Icon Internships, Video Conservation Internship
- BFI National Archive
- 24-month Internship starting March 2019
- Location: Berkhamsted, UK
- Educational Stipend: GBP22,107 / year
The British Film Institute (BFI), with the generous support of The Clothworkers' Foundation is pleased to be able to offer a 24-month internship working in the conservation and digitization of the BFI National Archive's extensive video tape collection.
The intern will work with collections that have been designated most at-risk and made strategic priorities for Heritage 2022; the BFI's current 5-year archive strategy. With obsolete tape formats in danger of being lost in the next five to six years, the BFI and partner Regional and National Film Archives' (RNAs) extensive videotape collections (estimated at over 1 million titles) are now a priority for preservation and access. The Video Conservation Intern will support the BFI's first mass digitization project for videotape, which aims to preserve 100,000 of the most important videotape titles. The BFI is currently undertaking an audit to assess the scale and nature of our own and the RNAs' collections and select these priority titles.
Chosen collections will include a broad range of material such as significant UK television heritage (major one-off dramas, documentaries and children's television), artists moving image work (documentaries and artists films) and low budget British feature films. The collections will encompass a huge range of videotape formats, from domestic VHS to broadcast quality 1- and 2-inch videotape. The collections largely date form the 1970s onwards when tape became more affordable and stopped being reused, although some rare early titles do exist dating back to the 50s and 60s.
The successful candidate will work alongside the BFI's video conservators, digital specialists, technicians and other expert staff to help build a broad knowledge base. Focusing the internship on videotape specifically will enable them to develop extensive skills in this area across the two years and, by the end of their training contract, leave the post-holder with sector leading specialist knowledge and unique expertise to support future employment.
Key areas
- Work closely with the Archive Technology and Heritage 2022 Teams, learning about the process of conserving, replaying and digitizing legacy video formats.
- Develop skills in the use, repair and maintenance of videotape equipment.
- Contribute to technical activities undertaken at the Conservation Centre when required, to ensure best collections care and delivery of services.
- Participate in relevant projects and initiatives across the BFI Conservation Centre, attend team meetings, planning, staff development and team building events, as required.
Requirements
- Minimum GCSE English and Maths (or equivalent).
- Post-holders will need to have some degree of conservation knowledge; however, this does not have to be in the field of moving image.
- An understanding of the technical processes involved in digitizing analogue and digital videotape material, and the particular challenges associated with legacy video formats and digital preservation.
- A good knowledge and demonstrable experience of using computer-based systems, media file formats and media players.
- Able to work constructively, proactively and flexibly both as an individual and as a part of a team
Applications should be made via the Icon website: https://icon.org.uk/what-is-conservation/internships.
The closing date for applications is February 4, 2019 at 9:00 a.m. Interviews are scheduled to take place on February 12, 2019 in Berkhamsted.
#internship