My Family legacy

I manage an extensive project within my family known as the Archive, which involves cataloging and preserving a vast collection of artwork, photographs, short films, and home movies. This content, spanning several decades, is being documented and archived in both physical and digital formats.

An important resource in this effort is the website my aunt created, which provides insight into our family’s history and origins. You can explore it at praamsma.org.

The goal of the Archive project is to document and preserve the journey of our family, from our early days to our present accomplishments. My family immigrated to the United States in 1959, following a ten-year stay in Australia, and I am the first generation born in America.

Currently, the archive occupies approximately 60TB of storage, a figure that continues to grow monthly with the addition of scanning projects and data ingestion. To manage this vast collection, I am developing custom software to handle the workflow of capturing and cataloging the content, a significant challenge in itself.

The Archive consists of several key components:

• Data Ingestion: Capturing and archiving content across various mediums, including uncompressed video, high-quality photographs and negatives, and written documents.
• Cataloging and Analysis: Using OCR and image recognition technologies to organize and index all content efficiently.
• Video Upscaling: Enhancing the quality of old videos using AI-based tools like DeOldify, primarily for archival and experimental purposes.
• Presentation: Making the collection available online as part of the Praamsma Family Foundation, showcasing our heritage for future generations.

 

If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.

– Benjamin Franklin

The criteria

A significant part of the Archive project has involved developing an AI-based image recognition system to classify and catalog nearly 500,000 images and photographs. This phase of the project has been slow and challenging, as it is a learning experience, and also costly, given that I am using Azure to process and catalog the images.

The next major phase of the project will focus on text and scanning, which will require a different approach, logic, and code. Once the system is refined, I plan to release it as an open-source project, allowing families around the world to use it for their own archival purposes. Additionally, I hope that some of the work on handwriting recognition might be of value to national archives, particularly in the Netherlands.

This has been a multi-year effort that I began in 2002, with the goal of preserving my family’s history and contributions to the Los Angeles film industry. This project is a legacy I hope will provide future generations with a valuable resource for understanding our heritage.

I will be sharing additional photos and content from the curated collection soon, so you can see the progress we’ve made.

Criteria for Including All Images in Family Possession

The Archive project encompasses a wide variety of media types, and determining the criteria for including all images in the family’s possession has been an essential part of the preservation process. The core criterion is that any image or visual artifact that contributes to telling the story of our family’s journey, legacy, and contributions to culture—particularly in the Los Angeles film industry—is included. This comprehensive approach ensures that the Archive remains a complete and accurate representation of our family’s history. Images range from personal snapshots, artistic works, and family portraits, to production stills, film reels, and even everyday moments captured on various formats. This careful documentation ensures that the family’s story is preserved for future generations.

Media Types and Hardware Used for Preservation

The hardware required to process and preserve these images and media formats has been an ongoing challenge. Various types of media have been used to store and capture visual content over the years, and each one demands specific hardware for both digitization and long-term preservation. The collection includes a mix of older analog formats such as VHS tapes, MiniDiscs, DAT tapes, 35mm slides, 8mm video, as well as more modern digital formats like MiniDV and digital photographs. Each format requires specialized equipment to extract the content and convert it into a digital form that can be cataloged and archived.

VHS Tapes

For VHS tapes, a set of professional VHS-to-digital converters was essential. VHS tapes, commonly used for home movies in the 80s and 90s, are fragile and degrade over time. To prevent irreversible damage, I digitized these tapes using specialized equipment that allows for high-fidelity transfers. This process ensured that important home video footage, such as family vacations, holidays, and personal stories, was preserved in digital form, capturing moments from our family’s early years after immigrating to the United States.

Growing up in a family with such strong ties to the entertainment industry had its unique advantages, one of which was access to cutting-edge technology. Long before it became common for families to own VHS video cameras, my family had already embraced the technology. This early adoption was largely due to our extensive involvement in the entertainment sector, where capturing moments on film or video was a part of everyday life. As a result, we were able to document family events and milestones in a way that most other families couldn’t, even before home video became mainstream.

One of the greatest gifts of this early adoption was that my grandparents, who were avid hobbyist photographers, were able to capture moments from my infancy that are now invaluable. While many families may have a few photographs from this early stage of life, I am fortunate enough to have video footage of me as just a few months old. My grandparents had the foresight to record these moments, which has allowed me to see myself at that young age in a way that is so much more vivid and personal than a still photograph could convey.

Looking back, I realize how rare and special it is to have these early videos preserved. Not only do they offer a glimpse into my own childhood, but they also reflect the environment and the family dynamics at the time. Having these recordings has given me a unique perspective on my family’s history, especially considering that the technology to capture and preserve these moments was still new and not yet available to most other families. This early footage is a cherished part of our family’s legacy and a reminder of how technology, intertwined with our work in entertainment, shaped the way we documented our lives.

MiniDisc

The MiniDisc format, though not as widely used, contains important audio-visual content recorded by family members in the early stages of home movie creation. MiniDiscs were primarily used for audio, but some early projects were recorded in video format. To digitize this media, I located a vintage MiniDisc player capable of outputting high-quality video. For audio content, a digital conversion tool helped ensure the recordings were preserved at the highest quality, including family interviews and narrations that accompany visual media.

DAT Tapes

DAT tapes (Digital Audio Tapes) hold valuable audio content such as soundtracks, narrations, and family interviews that were recorded to accompany the home videos and films. The conversion of DAT tapes to digital files required a high-quality DAT deck, which I was able to refurbish and use to transfer the audio content. This step ensured the preservation of the soundscape of our films and home movies, which is an important aspect of the family’s audiovisual history.

35mm Slides

For 35mm slides, I used a high-end slide scanner to preserve the quality of these images. These slides are some of the oldest forms of visual content in the family collection, and they hold a significant place in documenting family events and early photographic work. The slide scanner provides high-resolution scans, ensuring the images remain crisp and clear for future generations.

8mm film

The 8mm film format presented a unique challenge. While I did not have the specialized equipment required to convert the 8mm film into a digital file, I outsourced this task to a professional service that specializes in film conversion. The service uses advanced equipment to digitize 8mm films while preserving their visual quality. This step was crucial, as these reels contain early family films and memories that are irreplaceable.

MiniDV Tapes

The MiniDV format, which gained popularity in the early 2000s, was used to capture high-resolution video of important family milestones. To digitize these tapes, I sourced a compatible MiniDV camcorder that could output the content into a digital format. This allowed me to preserve videos of major family events, including births, weddings, and other celebrations. MiniDV tapes remain an important part of the collection, as they bridge the gap between older analog media and modern digital formats.

Digital Photography

As digital photography became more prevalent, it became essential to preserve these digital images as well. For the digital photos, I utilized cloud-based storage to organize and catalog the images. This method ensures easy access while maintaining proper backups. These digital files represent the more recent phase of the family’s history, capturing everyday moments, family gatherings, and other personal events.

Hardware Acquisition for Media Ingestion and Scanning

Acquiring the necessary hardware for media ingestion and scanning was an intricate process. Many of the media formats used by the family are now obsolete, and finding the right equipment to process them was a major challenge. I turned to a variety of sources, including online marketplaces and vintage hardware stores, to find functional equipment that could handle older formats like VHS, MiniDisc, and DAT tapes. Some devices needed to be refurbished or repaired to ensure they could perform optimally. Additionally, for 35mm slides, I had to invest in a high-resolution scanner to ensure the integrity of the images was maintained during the scanning process.

The Challenge of Sending Out 8mm Films for Digitization

While I was able to acquire the appropriate hardware for most of the media formats, the 8mm video required a different approach. Since I lacked the specialized equipment to digitize the 8mm film, I needed to send it out to a professional service. These services use advanced film transfer machines that can carefully digitize old films without damaging the delicate material. The decision to outsource this step was not taken lightly, but it was the only feasible option to ensure that the 8mm videos were preserved at the highest possible quality.

Managing the Digital Conversion Process

The process of managing and overseeing the conversion of the media has required careful attention to detail. As each format was digitized, the challenge was not just converting the files but also ensuring that the metadata, organization, and categorization were all accurate. With thousands of images, video clips, and audio files being processed, this step requires both manual oversight and the development of custom software to ensure everything is properly cataloged. This software, which I am still working on, automates the workflow and integrates the data from different sources, making the process more efficient and scalable.

Ongoing Hardware and Software Development

The hardware and software required to process and catalog the media continue to evolve. As the Archive grows, new tools and systems are needed to ensure the quality of the conversion process and to maintain the integrity of the content. The development of custom software to handle the cataloging and organization of the content has been a major focus of the project. The integration of AI-based image recognition, OCR, and other advanced tools will help automate the cataloging process, allowing me to scale the Archive efficiently while maintaining accuracy.

Conclusion: A Multi-Year Effort to Preserve Family Legacy

This Archive project, spanning multiple years, represents a significant effort to preserve my family’s legacy and contributions to the Los Angeles film industry. The hardware acquisitions and media conversion processes, while challenging, are essential steps in ensuring that the content is properly archived for future generations. Each piece of media—whether it’s a VHS tape, 35mm slide, or MiniDV file—adds another layer to our family’s story, and I’m committed to preserving these memories in a digital format that will last for generations to come.