8mm Forum: BFI Archive Berkhamsted

This is topic BFI Archive Berkhamsted in forum General Yak at 8mm Forum.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://8mmforum.film-tech.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=8;t=004046

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on August 02, 2016, 02:44 PM:

The question of film storage was recently revived. Click below to see a day at the National Film Archive.
See the massive high shelves of films, all storage horizontally.
http://lomokev.com/portfolio/british-film-institute-bfi-national-archive-berkhamsted/

Posted by Andrew Woodcock (Member # 3260) on August 02, 2016, 03:03 PM:

That's a mighty impressive set of photographs you linked us to there Maurice with this BFI insight!

Thanks for sharing the link here. [Wink]

Posted by Evan Samaras (Member # 5070) on August 02, 2016, 03:28 PM:

That's amazing!

Posted by Brian Fretwell (Member # 4302) on August 02, 2016, 03:41 PM:

It has the sentence "Since Shooting these images the main archive has been moved to a new state of the art facility that’s housed in a refurbished bunker that was used to store nuclear weapons."

I hope that means it would contain a nitrate fire if the worst was to happen, but let's all pray it doesn't.

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on August 03, 2016, 02:41 AM:

I had a tour of the Berkhamstead premises in 1999 and was shown the separate outside stores for nitrate film, each one was relatively small with a non fixed roof, the idea being that if the contents exploded only the roof would be blown off!

As regards the large internal storage as shown in the pictures I was amazed how cold it was in there. I forget the actual temperature which was quoted, but not far above freezing, possibly not much more than 40F.

The projection room was able to run nitrate prints, they were Kalee projectors, these still had all their original fire-prevention equipment, including enclosed spool boxes.

The very interesting day also included a demonstration of repairing old tinted 35mm silent nitrate films which had severely damaged perforations.

UBB.classic^TM 6.3.1.2