Home Movie Day helps attendees preserve memories

Two small children in their pajamas smile as they tear off wrapping paper from presents given to them, while their mother, wearing a conservative flowered dress and cat-eyed glasses, walks around the over-decorated Christmas tree holding a food platter. It is forgotten memories like this one that led people to the UCF Home Movie Day to donate and transfer their old home films onto DVDs.

The UCF Film celebrated their fourth annual event, UCF Home Movie Day –a free event that allowed attendees to watch home movies of other families from past decades.

The UCF Film Department partnered with the UCF Library, the Cultural Heritage Alliance, the UCF History Department, and Regional Initiative for Collecting the Histories, Experiences, and Stories of Central Florida to celebrate and recognize 8 mm, Super 8 mm, and 16 mm films. The event took place on Saturday at the UCF Center for Emerging Media.

"Home movies were being made ever since film was being invented," Stephen Schlow, UCF film department chairman said.

The UCF Center for Emerging Media set up a dark-lit auditorium with chairs set up for the audience to view the silent featured films on the projector screens. UCF student volunteers, cinema studies and film interns played the films on projectors, while audience members watched.

"It's really interesting to see such old films," Anais Santiago, a cinema studies sophomore said.

Some of the footage included families celebrating Christmas parties, birthday parties, driving in old vintage automobiles, WWII footage. Though the films being reeled were silent, jazz music was softly played in the background to stifle out the silence.

Snacks, such as free drinks, popcorn and chocolate chip cookies, were provided on the side to add to the home movie experience. Attendees were encouraged to bring in any films that they wished to donate to the Home Movie Archive in the UCF Library, as well as any films that they wanted to be cleaned and/or repaired.

Bill O'Brien attended the event for the first time and brought in 25 films to donate to the archive. His films contained home movie recitals and July 4 celebrations from the 40s and 50s.

"It's great to have my memories in the archive, even after I'm gone, they'll still be preserved," he said. "This event is a great idea, I love the archive idea and I believe in supporting UCF and their education."

Before this year's Home Movie Day event, cinema studies senior Rebecca Wack held training sessions for students and volunteers who were given tips and advice in cleaning and "splicing"--bridging film that has been torn--the films that would be donated and/or repaired.

"Film's so tangible and chemical. It's got a vintage charm and shows the signs and flaws of aging. Unlike the digital stuff, it has a soul to it," Sam Huss, a film production freshman said.

Students cleaned all of the donated films and other films that were waiting to be freely transferred onto DVDs for individuals who wished to keep their memories but still have their original film added to the archive.

Though this year's event didn't have as many people in the audience compared to years past, it was by far the highest in the amount of film donated. With only about 15 to 20 in the attendance, each person brought in at least three films to donate, with one person who donated at least 30 films to the archive.

Schlow spoke of the many purposes the UCF Library's Home Movie Archive serves. He said it holds value for historians, serves a sociological aspect for sociologists in seeing how people used to live, and having an aesthetic purpose in showing film used in experimental ways. Schlow also spoke about archiving as a growing interest and career path for an increasing number of students.

"Every year I've learned there's a certain number of students who want to become archivists…they love learning about it, protecting it, preserving it…it's almost become like a sort of religion," Schlow said.