03 Sep Conference: Business Archives and Film
The 2019 conference was on the theme of business archives and film, it was held in the Kelvinhall in Glasgow on 2nd September. It was organised in partnership with the Archives and Records Association Scotland and the National Library of Scotland and we were very grateful to Capturing the Energy for sponsoring lunch on the day.
A call for papers was issued in June and the final programme included the following speakers:
- Jessica Handy, Digital Archivist, Diageo. Managing legacy film and moving image collections at the Guinness Archive
- Charles Drazin, Archival Consultant, The Film Finances Archive. The Film Finances Archive.
- Lightning talk session: Jacqui Sergeant, Global Archive Manager, John Dewar & Sons. Dewar’s advertising through the ages
- Lightning talk session: Shona Thomson, Creative Producer and Curator, A Kind of Seeing. It’s a kind of Christmas at RBS
- Ingrid Jeacle, Professor of Accounting and Popular Culture, University of Edinburgh. “Going to the movies”: accounting and twentieth century cinema
- Amanda Noble, Lloyds Banking Group & Michael Howell, Co-Founder, iMetafilm. Selection, preservation and access to AV material at Lloyds Banking Group
- Ann Cameron and Emily Munro, National Library of Scotland Moving Image Archive. Family firms and paternalism on film
- Joan Auld lecture: Janet McBain, former Curator of the Scottish Screen Archive Romancing Scottish Business – film in the service of industry in the early 20th century
The following report by Ravana Eagleheart of Standard Life Aberdeen appeared in our November e-newsletter.
The Business Archives Council of Scotland’s annual conference, Film in Business Archives, took place on 2nd September at the NLS Moving Image Archive at Kelvinhall in Glasgow. As a new recruit to the world of business archives — having only just started to work in one in April of this year—I was keen to see the many different elements of a business archive, specifically engaging with film collections.
The morning began with Jessica Handy (Diageo), who spoke about the challenges of managing access and management of film and moving image archives across geographic locations. Charles Drazin (The Film Finances Archive) then spoke about his experiences working with the Film Finances archive, and the information that it holds. We then had a series of lightning talks from Jacqui Sergent (John Dewar & Sons), Stephanie Cattigan (University of Glasgow), and Shona Thomson (A Kind of Seeing). While each talk focused on a specific project, it was clear that in each of their collections, film materials are able to create a tangible link to the past, and can be influential in fostering relevance for a new audience.
Over lunch, there was an optional tour of the NLS Moving Image Archive, as well as a selection of food, and time to catch up with colleagues. The afternoon began with Ingrid Jeacle (University of Edinburgh) speaking about the wealth of information that cinema records could give about the wider community. We then had Amanda Noble (Lloyds Banking Group) and Chris Norman (Cameron Presentations) speaking about the challenges of managing AV material across archiving procedures. Ann Cameron and Emily Munro (NLS Moving Image Archive) then spoke about family firms and their presence on film.
After a brief break for tea, coffee, and the BACS AGM, the day ended with the Joan Auld lecture, from Janet McBain (former curator of the Scottish Screen Archive). It was a lovely wrap-up for the day, with a focus on film in the service industry across the early 20th century.
The day was a thoroughly enjoyable showcase of several different types of collections, highlighting the various ways that film archives can be used, as well as the potential issues which must be negotiated, within a business context.