Giddyup to the Home Movie Round-Up
Texas Archive of the Moving Image needs your old tapes
By Richard Whittaker, Fri., April 13, 2018
LBJ's campaign commercials. A family vacation to the Hill Country when the bluebonnets are in full bloom. Dick Clark espousing the virtues of hot Dr Pepper. If it was filmed in Texas, no matter how strange, wonderful, bizarre, or charming it is, it's probably preserved in the Texas Archive of the Moving Image, the state's massive online resource of films donated by Texans. Now it's time to go through those boxes of old tapes and reels of film again, as the archive is holding is 10th anniversary round-up, to collect and digitize these gems before they disappear forever.
It's a simple process: First, gather your old home movies or videotapes. As long as the footage was shot in Texas, or by a Texan, or is about Texas, it's perfect for the archive. Next, drop the tapes or reels off with the helpful archive staff at the Alamo Drafthouse Mueller. Films and videos will be accepted April 20-21, noon-7pm, and April 22, noon-4pm. The weekend begins early, with a special anniversary kickoff on April 19, 6-8pm, where you will have a chance to vote on some of the best material in the archive.
They'll take them away, and convert them to digital form, free and gratis; they'll return the original materials to you, plus you can obtain a digital copy on either DVD or portable drive. TAMI will then put the footage online as part of an ever-growing resource of Texas' visual and cinematic history. There's already a huge amount available on their website, including curated material such as the new online exhibits like True Crime Tales, or collections built around school lesson plans like Women on the Move.
Texas Film Round-Up will be held Thu.-Sun., April 19-22, at Barrel O’ Fun at Alamo Mueller. For details on the archive and accepted formats, visit www.texasarchive.org.
