Maximillian Briggs

I worked with the American Cinematheque, the non-profit and independent organization based in Los Angeles that aims to further efforts in preserving all types of the moving image. They pursue this goal with close collaboration and attention to other institutions and individuals with a similar goal in mind and provide significant access to events of this sort. I spent 10 hours a week working on my assignments and attending meetings. My weekly workload consisted of my supervisor sending me a batch of weekly files in Microsoft Word and audio form. We were instructed to listen to audio transcripts from past American Cinematheque events featuring a wide variety of guest speakers who worked in the film industry. The majority of the discussions were either brief introductions to the events where screenings would later take place, or capturing entire audience Q and A sessions. Each of the documents provided base formats that we were instructed to edit for archival purposes.

The first task consisted of identifying the speakers through context clues gleaned from the discussion, where we would then build a database of keywords relevant to the file. We then transcribed the entire work and provided a summary for people to easily narrow down and navigate what they were looking for. If the information in the preexisting file was inaccurate, we had to find the information and correct it. After completion of the weekly files, we were instructed to streamline the completed work into a collective spreadsheet that consisted of the key parts of each event covered. Our individual contributions would then be cross-referenced with any existing data already found in the master archive. After a week’s worth of work, the annotation team would meet and consolidate with our supervisor to notify her of any impending issues within the process.

I brought forth my knowledge of working in collective archives to the job and my extensive film knowledge. My time spent crafting my projects and watching films throughout my life have granted me the ability to recognize figures and works relevant to international film. Overall, my time with the organization provided me with valuable experience with primary sources and a contribution to a small part of film history.