A few resources on ephemeral films (in no particular order)
A-V Geeks, Skip Elsheimer's estimable enterprise.
Bret Wood's awesome Highway Safety Film Project.
Geoff Alexander's Cine 16, much more than just a screening series
Ken Smith's essential tour through the weird world of post-World War II educational films,
Mental Hygiene: Classroom Films 1945-1970.
Bio of Craig Baldwin, arguably the universe's premier
recontextualizer of found images and sounds
Media Meltdown, David Cox's 1997 article for 21C on Craig Baldwin.
People of the Pavement Film Library, a project of Karen Ciccone and Valarie Schwan
Jay Schwartz's Secret Cinema, an ongoing project in Philadelphia
Search the catalog at Iowa State University's American
Archives of the Factual Film (AAFF), the primary public repository of films representing unappreciated genres
The AAFF's Collection Guide
MacDonald & Associates, a major collection of ephemeral films, documentaries, television and much more
Jack Stevenson, a connoisseur of the weird moving image; also
an interview
Oddball Film & Video, San Francisco
The Factual Film Archive at the University of California, San Diego Library
Interview with Ralph Coon, creator of the Last Prom zine
Something Weird Video sells a number of compilations of ephemeral films, including some of the
most memorable "safety" film epics. Some items on these tapes bear a striking resemblance to film elements and master videotapes owned by Prelinger Archives.
Here's a site listing other free online footage sources.
Any other link suggestions? Please email me!Bibliography of ephemeral film resources (in preparation)
Hopefully, you didn't miss Orphans of the Storm II (March 29-31, 2001), a symposium on the preservation, study,
and use of "orphan films," which happened at the University of South Carolina (Columbia, S.C.) under the direction of Dan Streible. A book containing
papers presented at Orphans I and II is in preparation.
August 2, 2001