The Academy Digital Preservation Forum with Andrea Kalas

Host Chris Lacinak is joined by Andrea Kalas, Senior Vice President of Asset Management at Paramount Pictures to talk about her work as the Co-Chair of the Academy Digital Preservation Forum Project.

First, we dive into the fascinating career trajectory that Andrea has taken, from working with nitrate film in the UCLA Film and Television Archive to her work today in asset management at Paramount Pictures, with some amazing stops along the way.

After that, we jump into the details behind the Academy Digital Preservation Forum, a group whose mission reads, in part, "With the ascent of digital technology in the production, postproduction, distribution, and exhibition of motion pictures, and the concomitant decline in photochemical cinematography and practical disappearance of film projection, we want to engage with those with the greatest stake and influence to ensure that digital preservation is successfully achieved: filmmakers, studio executives, Academy members, archivists, operations professionals, technologists, and other practitioners charged with implementing digital preservation."

The Academy Digital Preservation Forum includes members from Sony Pictures Entertainment, The Walt Disney Company, Universal Pictures, Apple, Google Cloud, Netflix, Warner Bros. Discovery, NBCUniversal Media, and more.

Guest Bio:

Andrea is SVP of Archives at Paramount, ensuring the collection is available through film and television preservation, technical innovation in archiving, and archival exhibits and screenings. Prior to Paramount Andrea was Head of Preservation at the British Film Institute, Digital Studio Director for Discovery Communications, Archivist for Dreamworks SKG and preservationist and research data expert at UCLA Film and Television Archive. She is former President, Association of Moving Image Archivists. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and currently serves on the Science and Technology Council where she chairs the committee on Digital Preservation.

Connect with Andrea at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreakalas/

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Operational Model for DAM Success
• The Digital Dilemma
• Blue Ribbon Task Force on Sustainable Digital Preservation and Access
• UCLA Film & Television Archive
• DreamWorks Animation
• The Prince of Egypt
• Discovery
• British Film Institute (BFI)
• Paramount Pictures
• Association of Moving Image Archivists
• Academy Digital Preservation Forum
• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
• DAM Right Soundtrack

Topics discussed in the episode:

• Introduction and work history of Andrea Kalas
• The evolving definition of the entertainment industry
• The definition of cinematic holdings
• Analog vs digital preservation
• Advocacy as core skillset
• The business of digital preservation and asset management
• The goals and ambitions of the Digital Preservation Forum
• The role of for-profits in preserving cultural heritage
• The role of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in supporting digital preservation

Engage:

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License info:

Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/hey-pluto/the-gentleman

License code: WLM8ZKSN4EJ46CIE