Post by Terry Harbin on Jun 3, 2005 1:26:23 GMT -5
Ithaca-Made Movies is dedicated to the acquisition and historic preservation of the artifacts and local history as it pertains to the early film making in Ithaca New York.
Furthermore, the board of directors is dedicated to the sponsorship of various activities,and to the establishment of a permanent archive, to preserve this heritage.
Ithaca-Made Movies pledges to provide a safe haven for a collection of movie memorabilia particularly as it pertains to Wharton Incorporated of Ithaca, New York. Our collection will be available as reference material for public education about the unique role that Ithaca and its residents played within the silent film industry.
Ithaca-Made Movies has a large and growing collection of unique moving-image materials relating to the history and culture of movie-making in Ithaca New York.
The organization will be working with nearby communities, local citizens, regionally, and throughout New York State, who care about this historical resource and are committed to supporting such efforts.
The Reel is the newsletter of Ithaca-Made Movies.It is published twice a year. The Reel contains news and articles on archival matters, current preservation work, as well as historical information and biographies of actors and actresses who appeared in Ithaca-Made Movies.
Ithaca-Made Movies collects non-moving images and footage from other museums around the world.
IMM collects and preserves objects that relate directly to Ithaca Made movies. IMM will collect and preserve selected items relating to IMM with special attention to films that are "lost." Such materials might include Photoplay Editions, programs, and still photos.
This area of collecting supports the IMM Mission Statement goal of creating an archive of moving pictures of Central New York.
IMM will collect posters from the silent era, and all post-1920 posters of films with a Central New York connection.
IMM may also collect and preserve items relating to film exhibition and the history of movie theaters and their audiences in Ithaca New York.
These materials can include business records and correspondence, programs, postcards, posters and lobby cards, lantern slides, photographs, and other images. The primary collecting focus is on Ithaca related materials.
Since so many aspects of film exhibition and audience practices were similar throughout the nation, materials from across the country would show similarities and contrasts.
Ithaca-Made Movies was founded Ten years ago and is one of New Yorks States newest non-profit corporation. It's been quite an effort, the energy and generosity of IMM's many friends has made many successes possible.
Now we need to consolidate IMM's gains and become better able to share them with the public.
Your donation is important.If everyone gives as generously as they can, the goal is not far away.
Terry Harbin
Founder Ithaxa-Made Movies
Terry Harbin
Saving Ithaca's Silent Films
I have somehow now become Ithaca's Silent Film Historian. Yes, there had been research done before mine focusing on the local movies. But as my research progressed, I realized that I had gathered more information than was probably needed on the movies made here. More than the local museum even had!
Over the years the discovery of Ithaca Made Movies in museums and private collections has brought these lost images from the past back to the screen once more. But just finding and locating these lost treasures is only half of the quest. How to make these films viewable again to the public requires acquiring them at a cost from their source, adding music and repackaging them so they can be enjoyed all over again. The cost to save and preserve these heirlooms has fallen into my hands alone.
How my moviemaking began.
It was a documentary I was producing for The Ithaca Centennial Commission in 1988 that started it all. The Tompkins County Public Library (which is where I still work) had agreed to make three documentaries for the Education Committee which was a part of The Centennial Commission.
One of the subjects was Ithacas’ trolley days; another was the preservation movement to save Ithacas’ historic buildings. The third was on the silent movie-making that occurred in the city from 1913-1920. I had pushed the idea past the library director Louis Mezgar, who had the foresight to establish a TV production facility within the library, about the library stepping in to produce some programs as part of the centennial celebration.
Mr. Mezgar then got reference librarian Drew Stevenson to be on the education committee. The program ideas were approved and 1988 would become the busiest and most productive year of my life. I was the producer, director, editor, cameraman and I even played back the productions on the library's connection to the public access airwaves located in the old library building on the corner of Court & Cayuga Streets.
That was almost twenty years ago but it was quite the experience and that is what got me going on local history researching. I now feel like one of the Whartons. Ironically some of the same pitfalls that befell the Whartons would also occur to my own movie-making. No, I did not ever film anything like a feature film, but I did produce several different series.
The titles for some were Focus on Arts, Distinctive Voices, Community Watch, Focus on Music, Focus on Poetry, Studio Portraits, An Inner view and What’s Happening. All of which were weekly programs that I personally produced through my job at the library.
These programs that I produced like the Whartons films were also well received locally. And just like the Whartons financial difficulties would spell the end of my movie-making and also the end of the library's video project. The Whartons near the end continued on always expecting some change, some miracle, to save them from fate. I was not going to let what happened to the Whartons happen to me.
I produced one last documentary which would feature the library's' video project highlights during its rein from 1980-1991. I wanted future Ithacan s to know what went on in the community during this period in Ithacas history.
I believe we are living history everyday and losing history every day.
I wish only that the efforts of Ithacas early film pioneers had been saved, documented and preserved for future generations to see and enjoy again.
I have saved the things I’ve done on videotape but alas they are becoming frail they are not in an archival format. The local museums do not have the means or funding to preserve today’s history for the future they are still cataloging things from the 1930’s 40’s and fifties.
By the time the 1980’s are being collected all the materials and events will truly be history. Without enough community support our recent history will be lost, and not until it is too late will people start to care and ask why?
I ask why every time I research something from our past why, why is there not more support for our past.
I believe we live and look at the past through rose colored glasses we're always looking ahead and not behind.
We should all stop and look back and appreciate what went before us and honor the past by acknowledging its importance to us all.
Terry Harbin
Furthermore, the board of directors is dedicated to the sponsorship of various activities,and to the establishment of a permanent archive, to preserve this heritage.
Ithaca-Made Movies pledges to provide a safe haven for a collection of movie memorabilia particularly as it pertains to Wharton Incorporated of Ithaca, New York. Our collection will be available as reference material for public education about the unique role that Ithaca and its residents played within the silent film industry.
Ithaca-Made Movies has a large and growing collection of unique moving-image materials relating to the history and culture of movie-making in Ithaca New York.
The organization will be working with nearby communities, local citizens, regionally, and throughout New York State, who care about this historical resource and are committed to supporting such efforts.
The Reel is the newsletter of Ithaca-Made Movies.It is published twice a year. The Reel contains news and articles on archival matters, current preservation work, as well as historical information and biographies of actors and actresses who appeared in Ithaca-Made Movies.
Ithaca-Made Movies collects non-moving images and footage from other museums around the world.
IMM collects and preserves objects that relate directly to Ithaca Made movies. IMM will collect and preserve selected items relating to IMM with special attention to films that are "lost." Such materials might include Photoplay Editions, programs, and still photos.
This area of collecting supports the IMM Mission Statement goal of creating an archive of moving pictures of Central New York.
IMM will collect posters from the silent era, and all post-1920 posters of films with a Central New York connection.
IMM may also collect and preserve items relating to film exhibition and the history of movie theaters and their audiences in Ithaca New York.
These materials can include business records and correspondence, programs, postcards, posters and lobby cards, lantern slides, photographs, and other images. The primary collecting focus is on Ithaca related materials.
Since so many aspects of film exhibition and audience practices were similar throughout the nation, materials from across the country would show similarities and contrasts.
Ithaca-Made Movies was founded Ten years ago and is one of New Yorks States newest non-profit corporation. It's been quite an effort, the energy and generosity of IMM's many friends has made many successes possible.
Now we need to consolidate IMM's gains and become better able to share them with the public.
Your donation is important.If everyone gives as generously as they can, the goal is not far away.
Terry Harbin
Founder Ithaxa-Made Movies
Terry Harbin
Saving Ithaca's Silent Films
I have somehow now become Ithaca's Silent Film Historian. Yes, there had been research done before mine focusing on the local movies. But as my research progressed, I realized that I had gathered more information than was probably needed on the movies made here. More than the local museum even had!
Over the years the discovery of Ithaca Made Movies in museums and private collections has brought these lost images from the past back to the screen once more. But just finding and locating these lost treasures is only half of the quest. How to make these films viewable again to the public requires acquiring them at a cost from their source, adding music and repackaging them so they can be enjoyed all over again. The cost to save and preserve these heirlooms has fallen into my hands alone.
How my moviemaking began.
It was a documentary I was producing for The Ithaca Centennial Commission in 1988 that started it all. The Tompkins County Public Library (which is where I still work) had agreed to make three documentaries for the Education Committee which was a part of The Centennial Commission.
One of the subjects was Ithacas’ trolley days; another was the preservation movement to save Ithacas’ historic buildings. The third was on the silent movie-making that occurred in the city from 1913-1920. I had pushed the idea past the library director Louis Mezgar, who had the foresight to establish a TV production facility within the library, about the library stepping in to produce some programs as part of the centennial celebration.
Mr. Mezgar then got reference librarian Drew Stevenson to be on the education committee. The program ideas were approved and 1988 would become the busiest and most productive year of my life. I was the producer, director, editor, cameraman and I even played back the productions on the library's connection to the public access airwaves located in the old library building on the corner of Court & Cayuga Streets.
That was almost twenty years ago but it was quite the experience and that is what got me going on local history researching. I now feel like one of the Whartons. Ironically some of the same pitfalls that befell the Whartons would also occur to my own movie-making. No, I did not ever film anything like a feature film, but I did produce several different series.
The titles for some were Focus on Arts, Distinctive Voices, Community Watch, Focus on Music, Focus on Poetry, Studio Portraits, An Inner view and What’s Happening. All of which were weekly programs that I personally produced through my job at the library.
These programs that I produced like the Whartons films were also well received locally. And just like the Whartons financial difficulties would spell the end of my movie-making and also the end of the library's video project. The Whartons near the end continued on always expecting some change, some miracle, to save them from fate. I was not going to let what happened to the Whartons happen to me.
I produced one last documentary which would feature the library's' video project highlights during its rein from 1980-1991. I wanted future Ithacan s to know what went on in the community during this period in Ithacas history.
I believe we are living history everyday and losing history every day.
I wish only that the efforts of Ithacas early film pioneers had been saved, documented and preserved for future generations to see and enjoy again.
I have saved the things I’ve done on videotape but alas they are becoming frail they are not in an archival format. The local museums do not have the means or funding to preserve today’s history for the future they are still cataloging things from the 1930’s 40’s and fifties.
By the time the 1980’s are being collected all the materials and events will truly be history. Without enough community support our recent history will be lost, and not until it is too late will people start to care and ask why?
I ask why every time I research something from our past why, why is there not more support for our past.
I believe we live and look at the past through rose colored glasses we're always looking ahead and not behind.
We should all stop and look back and appreciate what went before us and honor the past by acknowledging its importance to us all.
Terry Harbin