Preserving the past: Texas Film Round-Up offers free digitization in Buffalo Gap

BUFFALO GAP, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – With the invention of the Motion Picture, humanity was given the rare ability to look back into our past for a more intimate view than still pictures can often provide. However, film, video cassette tapes, and even discs have their shelf life.

This is one reason that the Texas Archive of the Moving Image (TAMI), in partnership with the Texas Film Commission, has been working since 2008 to digitize films and home movies that have a connection to Texas. The free digitization event, Texas Film Round-up, is coming to Buffalo Gap’s Historic Village this weekend. KTAB/KRBC spoke with TAMI Managing Director Elizabeth Hansen for some insight into this long-running project.

“It’s focused on helping people preserve their films and videos, and also building a library of Texas history content,” Hansen said.

On Saturday, April 12, Big Country residents and those from surrounding areas can drop off their films and videotapes that they would like to have digitized. The digitization and archival services are free, and all original physical media will be returned to the owner. If you’d like a digital copy of your collection, a hard drive can be purchased from the TAMI website. Prices range from $15 to $80, depending on the size of the files.

In addition to preserving footage for the people that own it, Hansen says this Film Round-up project can help future generations better understand life when the footage was shot. Some of the videos digitized at this event will be added to the TAMI online archive, which hosts Texas-made home videos, amateur and professionally made films, newsreels, animation, interviews, and a wide array of other categories.

“If you think about a home movie, it’s actually a primary source document of Texas. We’ve found documentation of historic events in home movies; we also see documentation of culture and practices and local traditions. Parades are one thing that pop up in home movie collections a lot. A parade can show you the things that your community values. It often goes through a downtown, so now you’ve documented what your downtown looked like at that time,” said Hansen.

When it comes to preserving physical media, the sooner, the better. KODAK states that, over a 25-year period, VHS tapes can experience “up to 20% signal loss, even when the tape has been stored in prime conditions and has been played back sparingly.” Many older video formats could also be nearing their end date.

“Film can last for up to 100 years if it’s kept in good condition. Most are not. We say that videotape can’t wait because right now they’re saying that in 10 years either the tapes are going to be unplayable, or the machines to play it back are not going to exist anymore, or no one is going to be able to fix them. We really encourage people to get these things into a digital format now. And if you don’t do it with us, look for a place in your community that can. I think it’s really fun. Not only do you get this free service, but you get to be a part of this larger story of Texas,” Hansen said.

Those who would like to participate in the Texas Film Round-Up on Saturday, April 12, are encouraged to pre-register online.