Meeting the Challenge of Film Research in the Electronic Age

Owen, Catherine; Pearson, Tony; Arnold, Stephen

doi:10.1045/march2000-owen

Cited by 2 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…Comments on the usefulness of such a system were enthusiastic; the most common remarks related to the collection being more accessible and better organised. The possibility of accessing the material from beyond the archive walls by using the Web was greatly appreciated, thus supporting the view that access is more important than quality (Bouche, 1999, Owen et al, 2000.…”

Section: Automatic Video Retrievalmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…The possibility of searching the archive would improve their research and watching the selected relevant material could be postponed until the next visit. This should be carefully considered as it shows how an illustrated online catalogue, without any possibility of video play, can satisfy the need of users willing to search or simply get to know the archive better (Owen et al, 2000).…”

Section: Automatic Video Retrievalmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although based on some truth, this view does not consider how computers could help in providing a better service. If film archives offered digital access, the number of enquiries would decrease as the surrogate material would be likely to satisfy the needs of all but the most demanding researchers (Owen et al, 2000). Moreover, a rich online catalogue would not only allow users to search autonomously and identify individual resources, but would also be a valuable means to promote the collection (Owen et al, 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Digital files are resistant to decay and help to guard against the complete loss of information held on volatile and delicate media, but attention is needed to migrate files to the next technology generation, to keep the digital form accessible and cut down redundancy (Owen et al 2000). The need to keep up with technology advancements raises concern about digital information being lost in the migration and the possibility that files will eventually become unusable (Cain 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…If film archives offered digital access, the number of enquiries would decrease as the surrogate material would be likely to satisfy the needs of all but the most demanding researchers (Owen et al 2000). Moreover, a rich online catalogue would not only allow users to autonomously search and identify individual resources, but would also be a valuable mean for the promotion of the collection (Owen et al 2000). Benefits are likely to be higher for small collections or highly-focussed parts of bigger video archives as rarely seen material, often unique, can become more accessible through the digital medium.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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An examination of automatic video retrieval technology on access to the contents of an historical video archive

Petrelli

Auld²

2008

Program

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Purpose -This paper aims to provide an initial understanding of the constraints that historical video collections pose to video retrieval technology and the potential that online access offers to both archive and users. Design/methodology/approach -A small and unique collection of videos on customs and folklore was used as a case study. Multiple methods were employed to investigate the effectiveness of technology and the modality of user access. Automatic keyframe extraction was tested on the visual content while the audio stream was used for automatic classification of speech and music clips. The user access (search vs browse) was assessed in a controlled user evaluation. A focus group and a survey provided insight on the actual use of the analogue archive. The results of these multiple studies were then compared and integrated (triangulation). Findings -The amateur material challenged automatic techniques for video and audio indexing, thus suggesting that the technology must be tested against the material before deciding on a digitisation strategy. Two user interaction modalities, browsing vs searching, were tested in a user evaluation. Results show users preferred searching, but browsing becomes essential when the search engine fails in matching query and indexed words. Browsing was also valued for serendipitous discovery; however the organisation of the archive was judged cryptic and therefore of limited use. This indicates that the categorisation of an online archive should be thought of in terms of users who might not understand the current classification. The focus group and the survey showed clearly the advantage of online access even when the quality of the video surrogate is poor. The evidence gathered suggests that the creation of a digital version of a video archive requires a rethinking of the collection in terms of the new medium: a new archive should be specially designed to exploit the potential that the digital medium offers. Similarly, users' needs have to be considered before designing the digital library interface, as needs are likely to be different from those imagined. Originality/value -This paper is the first attempt to understand the advantages offered and limitations held by video retrieval technology for small video archives like those often found in special collections.

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Section: Automatic Video Retrievalmentioning

confidence: 86%

Section: Automatic Video Retrievalmentioning

confidence: 99%