The 8mm small film format looks back to a 80 year-old history, and is thus one of the most important parts of our visual and cultural memory. In order to protect, but also to make it accessible, digitalization appears to be the ideal solution. But unexpected difficulties make their appearances. The 8mm film is considered as the material of the amateur filmmaker and is thus treated in all but a few of the highly professional copy replication plants. The archive must avoid the market, which is a mix of various technologies and qualities. This lecture discusses the special features of the 8mm film in the preparation and execution of its digitalization, and provides an overview of the various “translation possibilities”.

As a qualified camera assistant, Anna Leippe, born 1976, has worked for various film productions (35mm, 16mm and video) for the last eight years. She began studies in cultural sciences at the Europa-Universität Viadrina, Frankfurt / Oder, in 2004, which she concluded in 2007 with a Bachelor. In 2010, she studied for a Masters in “Conservation of New Media and Digital Information” at the Stuttgart State Academy of Art and Design. Alongside her studies, she began working for the Haus des Dokumentarfilms. Here, she is primarily responsible for the documentation and conservation of film and video inventory in the Department of State Film Collection Baden-Württemberg for the Documentation and Conservation of Film and Video Inventory.

Organization / Institution

ZKM