Case Studies

Farnborough Air Sciences Trust Digitisaton Project

Farnborough Air Sciences Trust (FAST) exists to safeguard and promote Farnborough’s great heritage in aviation science. The FAST Museum, adjacent to Farnborough airfield holds a collection of aircraft (actual and model), satellites, simulators and other unique material related to Farnborough’s world famous Royal Aircraft Establishment.

The FAST archive comprises of a substantial volume of film assets. This situation required a strategic approach to uncover and manage the diverse content within the archive effectively and within budget.

Why FAST Chose The Ark Heritage

Following a meeting at the Museum and Heritage Show, our team conducted an onsite visit, exploring three locations brimming with over 8000 assets. To guide our efforts, a Priority List was devised, leveraging their insights from previous clip sales. Securing heritage funding of approximately £35,000 fortified the project’s financial foundation.

How The Ark Heritage Responded

The process unfolded with the monthly collection of assets from Farnborough, including a comprehensive cleaning regime and necessary repairs to prepare film assets for the preservation journey. Subsequently, assets were meticulously scanned to a high-quality 2K DPX format. An in-depth assessment of the raw scan ensued, accompanied by essential restoration procedures such as stabilization, flicker correction, and removal of dust and dirt to ensure the assets’ integrity.

The culmination of these efforts resulted in the creation of two distinct files from the Raw Scan; a YouTube file tailored for public viewing and an HD ProRes file crafted for archival purposes.

Additionally, a collaborative initiative with FAST led to the establishment of a dedicated YouTube Channel, serving as a prominent showcase for the preserved material.

The Results

To ensure lasting accessibility, the HD ProRes archive files are systematically transferred to the client’s hard drive, creating a robust archival system. Looking ahead, the project has been designed with adaptability in mind. Should clips be required for future use by other organisations, accessing the broadcast file from the drive allows for seamless retrieval and the potential for further restoration, ensuring the heritage assets’ enduring significance and utility.

Zaha Hadid Foundation Digitisation project

Zaha Hadid was an architect known for her radical deconstructivist designs. She was the first woman to be awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize, in 2004. Her buildings included the Heydar Aliyev Centre Baku, Azerbaijan, and the MAXXI museum of contemporary art and architecture in Rome.

Her archive comprised a substantial volume of video assets, and there were limited records detailing the contents of these assets. This situation required a strategic approach to uncover and manage the diverse content within the archive effectively and within budget.

Why Zaha Hadid Archive Chose The Ark Heritage

The Zaha Hadid Foundation’s archivist approached our team after a productive meeting at the Museum and Heritage Show. They possessed a collection of 150 VHS tapes with unknown durations, presenting a challenge in estimating project costs. Given this uncertainty, we proposed a pricing structure that included a base cost for a minimum of 30 minutes of footage, supplemented by an additional per-minute rate for longer tapes.

How The Ark Heritage Responded

The project unfolded in several distinct phases. Initially, the client provided a priority-ordered list of VHS tapes, emphasizing budget constraints. We meticulously cross-verified this list against the physical assets received, addressing any anomalies that arose. Once the inventory was confirmed, the digitisation process commenced. VHS tapes were systematically captured as SD Pro Res files, with detailed notes on each tape’s duration for accurate cost estimation. Concurrently, we diligently updated the project spreadsheet to reflect ongoing progress and associated costs.

To ensure ongoing collaboration, we reported the total project cost to the client on a weekly basis, aligning with their budgetary requirements. Additionally, H.264 viewing files were generated and shared with the client weekly via WeTransfer, facilitating their review and feedback throughout the digitisation process.

Proactive budget management played a pivotal role in our approach. We maintained open communication with the client, alerting them as the project approached the specified budget limit. This transparent approach allowed for adjustments if necessary, ensuring a collaborative and informed decision-making process.

The Results

Upon completion of the digitisation process, the final deliverables included SD Pro Res files transferred to a Hard Drive provided by The Ark. The VHS tapes, along with the Hard Drive and an updated asset list, were then collected by the client.

In summary, our comprehensive solution addressed the unique challenges posed by the Zaha Hadid Foundation’s VHS tape collection. Through meticulous planning, transparent communication, and diligent execution, we successfully transformed the archival material into digital formats while adhering to the client’s budgetary constraints. This case study highlights our commitment to delivering effective solutions in the field of archival digitisation.

Whitgift School Digitisation project

For more than 400 years, Whitgift has been transforming boys’ lives through education. Whitgift is an independent day school for approximately 1300 boys aged between 10 and 19. It was founded by John Whitgift, Archbishop of Canterbury, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. The school has some of the finest facilities available nationally and a record of outstanding achievement in academic work, music and sport.

The School had a number of film assets from the drama department that they wished to digitise.

Why Whitgift School Chose The Ark Heritage

The archivist at Whitgift School initially spoke to us at our stand at the Museum and Heritage Show. Through conversations and visual aids, The Ark was able to demonstrate an ability to complete their requirement to digitise approximately 20 film assets.

How The Ark Heritage Responded

In the initial stage of the digitisation process, we engaged in thorough discussions with Whitgift School to determine their preferences for file formats. Following a consideration of archival best practices, a decision was reached to utilize FFV1 for archiving purposes and HD Pro Res for enhanced future ease of use.

Subsequently, the process advanced to the collection of film cans from Whitgift School, a task efficiently executed by The Ark. In tandem with this, an inventory list was meticulously compiled and cross-verified against the physical assets received, ensuring accuracy and identifying any potential discrepancies.

The films underwent a comprehensive evaluation of their condition. This stage involved assessment, with subsequent cleaning and necessary repairs carried out to guarantee optimal quality for the subsequent digitisation process. The digitisation itself was conducted through the scanning of films to 2k DPX resolution, meticulously ensuring a superior digital representation of the original content. As the project progressed and the actual durations of the films became known, a final quote for the digitisation process was confirmed, ensuring transparency and clarity in the scope of the project.

The Results

Following the digitisation, a viewing file in H.264 format was created and promptly sent to Whitgift School via Wetransfer for their review. The client engagement continued with a thorough review of the files, during which feedback was provided, specifically addressing any requirements for grading or restoration.

To meet the final deliverables, HD Pro Res and FFV1 archive files were created based on the client’s preferences and any adjustments deemed necessary. Subsequently, all digitised files were systematically transferred to a hard drive provided by the client. The completed digitised assets, along with the hard drive, were then safely delivered back to Whitgift School.

The wider school community can now enjoy watching these assets.