Overview of the role
The archive researcher’s role is to work with the editorial team and the archive producer, to assemble the best possible footage and stills to help convey the narrative of the programme.
Following specific requests or guidance from the editorial team and archive producer, the archive researcher will source material from archive houses and libraries, picture libraries and stock footage suppliers. They will view, log and label material that best meets the requirements.
As an archive researcher it is important to establish and maintain contacts at different archive libraries, broadcasters and other archive sources such as academic institutions or public libraries.
The archive researcher will work to support the archive producer to ascertain whether the material is licensable for the specific terms of the project and that the fees involved are within budget. If the material is not licensable, then you will need to supply clearable alternatives.
Once the material has been selected and the programme is finalised, the archive researcher will liaise with the license holders to obtain high res master versions of the material, confirm end credits, declare the exact amounts of footage/stills used and request the licensing paperwork. This will be done with the support of the archive producer, or production manager/line producer.
Core responsbilities
These core responsibilities are provided as a guide and are not exhaustive. The exact responsibilities in a particular job will vary depending on the scale / budget band / genre of the production.
- Work with the archive producer and editorial team to identify what archive materials will be best to illustrate the narrative of the programme.
- Identify the archive houses, libraries and other sources that will hold the best material most relevant to the project
- Search through their holdings to source appropriate archive
- In some instances, archive houses will carry out the research in-house and supply the archive researcher with the results
- View the material and log it with detailed descriptions – which will help to identify any shot that is needed at any point in the edit
- Label all archive material with unique identifying names and keep an accurate and up to date log of all the material that comes in
- Pass the material to the director or producer for viewing.
- Maintain a log with details of the clearance status for each piece of archive, as well as a note of the costs
- Ensure file naming conventions are maintained
- Working with the support of the archive producer or production manager, ensure that the material supplied to the edit is clearable and affordable
- Keep the production team and archive producer informed as to the licensors requirements to clear the material and making sure they are aware when third party clearances are required
- Communicate clearly to production management, the archive producer and the editorial team any legal restrictions around using archive materials
- Establish that the materials are accurate and representative of events and the story being told
- Ensure material is dated and described clearly and accurately and that this information is passed along to the edit
- Be aware of all the archive contained within the cuts by viewing each playout of the cut at regular intervals
- Assist the archive producer with keeping an up-to-date log of each cut which details the shot description of the archive material, the status of its clearance and the cost
- Once the cut has been finalised the archive researcher may assist the archive producer in creating a final, accurate log of all archive materials within it
- Assist with ordering high-res master material from the licensors
- Help to create a final list of end credits that includes all archive suppliers
- Licensing paperwork must be requested from all archive suppliers and passed onto production management for legal approval and signing
- An accurate declaration of the total amount of footage and stills used in the cut, must be made to all archive suppliers
Skills
Check out role specific skills, transferable skills and attributes for the role of archive researcher.
- An ability to watch and log a large amount of archival footage and still materials
- An understanding of editorial policy, accuracy and fairness when re-telling a story
- An ability to prioritise a lot of different tasks that may all have the same deadline
- Able to work fast and efficiently under tight deadlines
- Maintain a good working relationship with the editorial team, post facilities and archive sources
- Highly organised with strong administrative skills
- Communication: an ability to clearly and concisely communicate with the editorial and production management team the status of each piece of archive
- Working within a team: work closely and effectively with an archive producer, editor, and director to deliver a finished programme
- Problem-solving: when archive is not available, the archive researcher can suggest suitable alternatives, often thinking in a lateral way to suggest different solutions that may work
- Multi-tasking: keeping the edit supplied with new archive material whilst juggling on-going requests
- Working well under pressure: a calm, clear head whilst juggling many tasks, with tight deadlines
- Productivity: an ability to prioritise effectively and work quickly across different tasks
- Patience: often it can take time and patience to sift through and identify the most suitable archive materials, discounting many options along the way
- Editorial judgement: an eye for footage or stills that will accurately and fairly represent the narrative
- A passion for film and television: a wide knowledge and interest of past programmes, talent and broadcasters will help to direct searches for the best material for the programme
- Good communicator: communicating clearly and supportively with other team members to create and deliver the final programme