Chuong Nguyen -- Visit to the National Film Board of Canada 2019
I received a Travel Prize from the Canadian Studies Department, as a reward to my academic merits and my status as an international student. The prize allows me to travel anywhere within Canada’s borders, to explore any aspect of Canadian culture and heritage. The destination I chose was Montreal, Quebec, and the field of choice was film preservation. Naturally, my decision has brought me to the Canadian National Film Board (NFB).
Film has always been the subject of my interests. However, despite my proficiency over the aesthetics of cinema, I have little knowledge in regards to the techniques of film. To my misfortune, during the time of the visit, an incident occurred which rendered the NFB’s computer network inaccessible. Because of this, much of the information I gathered were told rather than shown. Fortunately, it was explained to me in understandable terms. The individuals who guided me through the process, Claude Brien, Steven Woloshen and Marie-France Rousseau, were accommodating enough to offer much of their insight to a complete outsider.
The Film Board’s preservation process is currently focused on inspecting and digitizing existing film reels within their vaults. The finished products become available on the NFB’s website, which contains about 60% of their entire database. According to M. Brien, there is an important emphasis on preserving the existing film stock and making sure the digital counterpart retains the same quality. Because film reels are delicate and easily subject to corruption, much of the NFB’s technology, effort and attention are put into the smallest details: the cans that hold the film reels, the temperature of the vaults, how the reel is to be examined, etc. Needless to say, the process itself consists of multiple steps, each one as important as the next. As the folks were walking me through it, I began to realize that my area of research, ‘film preservation’, suddenly became more intricate and detailed. To guide you through a single aspect of the process would take at least a 3-page essay. M. Brien and company, very much aware of this, kept their exposition as concise and introductory as possible.
Regardless of the volumes of information I gathered, I find the NFB’s work very intriguing and essential. Despite only spending a brief morning within the building, there was a lot to learn, and a lot more to be learned. After showing me the ropes on film inspection, Steven Woloshen, the resident technician, asked me if I had any questions for him. Overwhelmed by everything I had learned and the short time it took to learn them, I replied awkwardly ‘Yes, but not right now.’ As I was leaving Montreal, the questions rapidly arose: How do you choose which text to be digitized? Why do you process the image tracks and the soundtracks separately? How have your predecessors preserved these reels over the years, given that many of them predate the technology you are using? The kind M. Woloshen happily offered me his email address, unaware of the flood of questions I reserved for him, before sending me on my way.
Working in the film industry has always been my aspiration, mainly writing and directing movies. The NFB visit have opened my eyes to the various unsung but essential aspects of film production, namely how will my film be seen after my time on Earth is over. I would like to express my appreciation to the National Film Board for accommodating my research, the providers of the Canadian Studies’ International Student Travel Prize for giving me this one-of-a-kind opportunity, and Jeannine Crowe of the Canadian Studies Department for facilitating my travels.