Counting Down To World Cup Kick-Off , Huntley Discovered Rushes of a1981 Qatar Win
The depth of an archive’s collection is its strength, but when the volume of material arriving outweighs the speed it can be processed by over-stretched archivists, fascinating footage with licensing potential and cultural value can sit on the shelf, awaiting its turn in the limelight.
Huntley Film Archives managing director Amanda Huntley found herself facing that dilemma after 39 years collecting films. Major sporting events such as the 2022 World Cup in Qatar represent the perfect opportunity to investigate those unopened 35mm cans, and her experiences illustrate just what can be discovered.
“We’re a big collection pushing 100,000 elements and there must be around 25% where we’ve never even opened the can. We found a football collection that came to us about 30 years ago and one of my team noticed ‘World Cup’ and ‘Qatar’ on some of the cans, so it was time to take a closer look!”
“It consists of thousands of rushes for a film never completed. The footage that’s exciting people is England playing Qatar in 1981 at the FIFA World Youth Championships and, remarkably, Qatar won. The material focuses on training sessions, players warming up and locker room footage. It’s been very popular as it creates an interesting perspective on Qatar whilst it’s hosting the World Cup. We’ve been really pleased about the way people have reacted to it.”
When in possession of such compelling footage with a historic sporting legacy, it raises key questions about how to make the most of the opportunities it presents and how proactive archives should be when licensing their material.
“We try to be proactive. We knew the World Cup was coming so we contacted people who we knew produce sports programming and we used our networks to send out clips to publicise our films. We’ve included an anniversary section on our website that focuses on highlighting events that might interest programme-makers and generate ideas from the type of footage we have that covers those topics. We may have some unique films, but they are never going to see the light of day unless producers or commissioners are thinking the same way.”
Huntley Film Archives celebrate their 40th anniversary next year and the organisation has accumulated a superb collection of rare celluloid films over this period. The future of not only this footage, but of all archive collections is a pertinent problem the industry must face.
“The tendency is for people to think digital is best, but there will always be the most information and best quality in master celluloid form. People assume that once material is digitised, it’s end of story but that’s not the case. We will be scanning again one day as technology moves forward, and we will want to return to original celluloid masters. Film is an object that exists, and it won’t disappear into the ether as digital files can.
“Celluloid collections should be preserved as celluloid if your view is long term. We know it can last for at least 120 years, and that can’t currently be said of any digital platform or storage solution. The industry hasn’t created anything suitable in terms of digital archiving, and this is a real problem for anything born digital. We need a digital archiving solution that is stable, international and universal – like 35mm.”
Archive collections will always form an integral part of programme-making despite concerns about the road ahead. Huntley Film Archives have demonstrated that combining the power of standout footage with a proactive approach can significantly increase the commercial potential of films whilst ensuring they are available to the public for the enrichment of future generations.
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