Art Diary

December 3, 2014

The technical staff who support film projections

Masaki Daibo, Researcher, National Film Center

Even in this day and age, when digital film is at its apex, the screenings that occur at the film center of the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo are, in principle, done on film. Our museum collects and safely stores movie films in a low temperature, low humidity environment. Additionally, we want modern audiences to experience something similar to the joy of those people who were watching a movie — shot on film — for the first time. This is why we continue to project movies shot on film. However, with the digitization of the movie industry and the shift in production to digital projection machinery, it is getting harder and harder to find lenses and lamps specific for film projection. The once-ubiquitous film projection environment is now something that we must protect.

There is now a pressing need to archive and preserve the infrastructure for film projection machinery, as well as machinery related to it. At the same time, we need to pass down the knowledge and experience of seasoned technicians to the next generation so as to develop the human resources that will help support film projections. Our facilities, located near the now-unused American military base Camp Fuchinobe in Sagamihara City, Kanagawa Prefecture, provide a relaxed atmosphere where young technical staff can interact with veteran staff. Here, staff are responsible for examining the movie films that have been collected and managing the collection. In the expansive Movie Storage Building Ⅱ, young staff learn various techniques, such as how to determine the year a particular format of film, including 35mm and 16mm, was made, and how to clean and repair films that show signs of deterioration or damage.

If you are visiting us for a screening, I hope you will keep the technical staff in mind, who have worked hard to provide you with the film you are about to enjoy.