By James Reilly
Director, Image
Permanence Institute
Rochester Institute of Technology In a
physical sense, film consists of a clear plastic base, a much thinner
layer of gelatin emulsion, and an image composed of either color dyes
or, in the case of black-and-white film, very small particles of silver.
The goal of preservation is to avoid deterioration
in any of these components.
The most important thing to do to protect film
is to keep it in an environment that is as cool as possible, yet neither
too damp nor too dry. Major Hollywood studios and other large film archives
have built specially designed, humidity-controlled cold storage vaults
to preserve their films. However, understanding the nature of the film
decay and taking a few simple precautions can help everyone achieve the
longest life possible from their film collection.
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