Working in a facility that stores over 24,000 reels of nitrate film can sound daunting, but actually…I love it.  Everyday is a new adventure, as I wind through reels of film discovering new information.  One of the most frequent questions I am asked is: How do I know that I am looking at nitrate?

Well, first off, nitrate motion picture film was manufactured circa 1893 until 1951.  If a film was made after 1951 it is most likely not nitrate. In 1951 companies such as Kodak began the manufacturing of film stock to a newer compound called acetate (commonly referred to as ‘safety’.) Original nitrate stock was highly flammable… unlike acetate, which does not burn. One of the most common and simple ways to see which stock you have is to look at the edges of the film!

For example, Kodak printed clearly in black letters on the edge of the film indicating the stock.

As you can tell it is pretty simple and straightforward.

Now, if you see this information printed with WHITE LETTERS ON A BLACK BACKGROUND you are looking at print-through, or information coming from a previous generation of the source.  Always look for the clear black writing! In this photo, you can see the words ‘Agfa’ printed clearly in black and the words ‘nitrate film’ are in white.

This white lettering does not mean your film was manufactured on this stock.   It is print through!

The physical material is a story of its own, regardless of the images and sound printed on the film.  This is what we look for to help us identify when the film was made: if it is an original, a censored, foreign, or altered film.  This is what helps us preserve the images for tomorrow.

Oh, and if you are unsure of what materials you have in your home, here’s a reassuring hint: 8mm, super-8mm, and 16mm film stock were never manufactured on nitrate, regardless of the maker.  So if you have these around the house, don’t worry… they are safe!

Tune into future blog entries for more tips on how to identify your home movies…

The United States Post Office is one service that everyone uses, almost daily.  We use it to send all sorts of things – letters, photographs, gifts.  But how do you ship dangerous goods? 

Nitrate film is considered a class 4 flammable solid, cannot be shipped using regular methods, and must meet strict handling and documentation requirements. In other words, you cannot send it through your mailbox!

Using the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) http://www.icao.int/ and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) http://www.iata.org/index.htm the United States follows set standards for shipping goods by air transport at both domestic and international levels.  Every aspect is tested, monitored, and regulated ranging from strength of shipping containers to size of labels, to specifically formatted declaration forms.  Every dangerous good is given a four digit number to identify the material in any country-regardless of the native language.  The person packing the hazardous material must be a trained and certified shipper, with his or her certificate lasting only two years before re-training is required.

Since 9/11, air transport in the USA has been under strict scrutiny, and changes were made not only to declaring goods, but to the regulation of maintaining safe passage.  So while many Americans saw an increase in security at the airport, they were unaware of the many changes made in shipping consumer goods across the country.   

Over the years, the motion picture department at GEH has been involved in extensive shipping of nitrate film both in the USA and around the world.  By sending nitrate film to places such as Los Angeles, Amsterdam, Sweden, Australia and Japan, we have truly made ourselves an international archive.  And here goes another shipment out the door…

George Eastman and Kodak, the company he founded, have had a long history with motion pictures as well as the Academy Awards®.

In this 1928 publicity photo, George Eastman, left, and Thomas Edison assume their positions in motion picture history — Eastman with his film and Edison with his camera. This photo hangs in the George Eastman Green Room at Kodak Theatre.

Eastman is known to the world as the father of popular photography, yet he is also the father of motion picture film. Eastman and his Kodak engineers adapted the film from the 1888 Kodak camera for Thomas Edison’s movie machines, thus giving birth to the motion picture industry. Folklore has it, when Edison received the first film sample from Eastman, he shouted to his workers, “Gentlemen, now we have it. Work like hell!”

George Eastman at age 36, when he began collaborating with Thomas Edison on motion pictures.

And Kodak film continued to be perfected. The original film was made on glass tables and had a maximum length of 200 feet. In 1902, Eastman’s engineers created a machine that made it possible to manufacture continuous lengths of film — and movies, in their current form, were born. 

The late 1920s were important years for Kodak’s involvement in the entertainment industry.  As Hollywood was adding sound to movies, Eastman was already demonstrating motion picture film in full color.  And, as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was being established, Kodak was establishing its own operations in Hollywood.

Eastman was named an honorary member of the Academy in 1930 in recognition of his “fundamental contributions to the arts and sciences of the motion picture.” To this day, Eastman and Edison are the only two people ever named honorary members of the Academy.

Also in 1930, Eastman spoke before the Society of Motion Picture Engineers – the only recording in existence of Eastman’s voice. In that speech he said, “During the past 50 years I have witnessed with the greatest interest and satisfaction the growth of the motion picture industry. Of recent years that industry has demanded to an increasing extent the application of scientific and technical knowledge and it will be far more dependent upon the work of the engineers in the future as it has in the past.”   

Through the years, working with the entertainment industry, Kodak innovations in sound, color, and quality have earned numerous Oscars®, and have made it possible to tell more creative and compelling stories in motion.  And from the beginning, the vast majority of motion pictures presented with Oscars® have been made on Kodak film .

George Eastman received his first star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1961. A second was unveiled in 2002 in front of Kodak Theatre.

There are two stars honoring George Eastman on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The first was unveiled in 1961, bearing a symbol of a movie camera, located on Hollywood Boulevard near the intersection of Highland Avenue. A second was installed in 2002, facing the entrance to the Kodak Theatre, home of the Academy Awards® where the best motion pictures are honored — and named for the company Eastman founded and the entertainment-imaging legacy he created.

Inside the Kodak Theatre you will find the George Eastman Green Room, in which hangs a large portrait of Eastman alongside Edison at the Kodacolor Party of 1928, on the Eastman estate in Rochester, N.Y. In the famous publicity pose, the two men assume their place in history: Eastman with his motion picture film and Edison with a motion picture camera. This was their last public appearance together, with Edison passing two years later and Eastman within four years.

At the Kodacolor party, Eastman introduced amateur color motion pictures to the world. He invited national press and Hollywood executives to his home for the product launch. After dinner, he showed his guests themselves in moving color, for the first time in their lives. Eastman had his guests filmed earlier in the day and rushed the processing, his announcement to be that much more dramatic. He made headlines around the world. A marketing genius and innovator till the end …

’Tis the season for deciding your Oscar party fashions for the red carpet … not only in Hollywood but at the 14^th annual party celebrating the Academy Awards® this Sunday, March 7, at George Eastman House — the home of the father of motion picture film.

To create this dramatic event, the staff teams with the Eastman Young Professionals, a group of volunteers who assist on all levels, from decorations to the silent auction. This popular party is the Eastman House’s largest annual fundraiser.

While not a black-tie affair, the event is a night for toasting the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. “Dress to Impress” is the Eastman House-recommended attire for the Academy Awards® party.

Well, you may ask, what does that mean exactly?

John Vander Brook, a stylist from Adrian Jules Custom Clothiers, helps us explain.

“It’s a night of nights and it’s all about you,” he said. “The Oscars®! When you Dress to Impress, anticipate everyone at this event is going to be doing the same. Pull out all the stops — the glamour, flair, and sophistication.”

Vander Brook will be joined at the Eastman House by two fellow Adrian Jules stylists as the evening’s Red Carpet Hosts, discussing fashions with the guests.

In defining “Dress to Impress,” Vander Brook noted the gentlemen should “think classic elegance,” and named Clark Gable, Cary Grant, and The Rat Pack.

For the women, he referenced Sophia Lauren and Natalie Wood, noting, “Ladies, it’s all about the drama … you will speak millions without saying a word, if you let your elegance do the talking.”

At past Eastman House Oscar® parties, the fashions has been as varied as cocktail dresses to gowns and sport coats to tuxedos.

“This is not an evening to be taken lightly,” Vander Brook said. “It only comes once a year and you are the star of the show. Timeless elegance is a virtue. Don’t we all like to look timeless?”

For more on the Party, visit academyawardsparty.eastmanhouse.org

To view silent auction items including a hockey stick signed by MVP Olympian Ryan Miller visit the auction online.

Last week I received the March edition of Turner Classic Movie’s ‘Now Playing’ guide.  I always get excited when this arrives in my mailbox.  Breaking the seal, grabbing a highlighter and, like a kid in a candy store, I scan the rows of featured films.  I ask myself important questions, such as “How much open space is on the DVR?”  “How many can I watch in a day without drying my eyes out?”  But most importantly, I ask “What are the silent films of the month?”

 Most Sunday nights, TCM offers a silent movie, usually around midnight, Eastern Time.  This March 7^th is one of my favorites-SHOW PEOPLE (1928). 

Directed by King Vidor and starring Marion Davies and William Haines, it tells the story of a young girl who goes to Hollywood to become a dramatic actress and finds herself cast in slapstick comedies.

  Cameo appearances are made by such popular actors as Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, John Gilbert, and Mae Murray.  A funny, sweet and revealing story, SHOW PEOPLE is a wonderful behind the scenes look at life in the movies.  But while the title says it is about the people of show business, that isn’t the only thing you will see.  According to the TCM website: “Studio scenes were taken at the, by then, derelict Essanay studios, where such comedy greats as Chaplin and Mabel Normand had gotten their start. Shortly after filming, the whole place was demolished.” 

 George Eastman House holds the original nitrate camera negatives for SHOW PEOPLE in its vaults.  It is not available on DVD or video, but is fully preserved at GEH.  For more information on SHOW PEOPLE (and to vote on the TCM website for its release on DVD) please see   http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title.jsp?stid=2609.  Enjoy!