NATIONAL MOTOR MUSEUM FILM & VIDEO LIBRARY

Description

As the National Motor Museum, we seek to collect, preserve, display and interpret material relating to the history of motoring on the nation’s roads. The Museum is situated on the Beaulieu Estate, and this also has its own heritage which we interpret for our visitors.
The film archive was created in 1976 by the Trustees of the National Motor Museum, and was formally established with the appointment of a Sound and Film Archivist in November 1979. Since the Montagu Motor Museum was established in 1952, a number of films have been donated to Beaulieu, mostly from industrial sources. This material is now being fully catalogued, along with newer additions to the archive. The Library is further enhanced by its own in-house broadcast standard telecine facilities and standards conversion, which it is also able to offer to outside users.

Artefact description

One of the departments within the National Motor Museum Trust is the Film & Video Dept. Originally set up in 1979 as the Sound & Film Archive, it set out to rescue collections of film endangered by the changing economics of the late 1970s that resulted in many of the motor manufacturers closing their in-house film units and disposing of their collections. Since those days, the department has grown enormously and now hosts many of the most important motoring collections. Among these are The Ford Film & Video Library, Vauxhall, Rootes Group, Peugeot Talbot, Dunlop, Castrol, BBC Top Gear Rushes archive and Whitbread. Many of the cars in the collection have been used in films. Such cars include Marlene Dietrich’s 1935 Auburn as used in Desiree

Website

http://www.beaulieu.co.uk/motorlibrary/filmlibrary.cfm

Keywords

Speed records, sport; Cars; Sport; Automobile Association; Ford cars; Vauxhall cars; Royal Automobile Club

Access

The Dept is open normal office hours, and viewing is by appointment only.

Facilities

Viewing on premises. Duplicating. Telecine facilities to make viewing copies for those not able to visit in person.

Charges

Charges for research for broadcast productions. Charges for facilities and handling. Charges for other services.

Copyright

Copyright held. Apart from own material, other material is held on an agency basis. Copyright advice available. Copyright adviser: J. Stephen Vokins.

Moving Image, Audio and Related Documentation Holdings

Video/Film

Video components: VHS Video, 8mm Video, hi-band U-Matic, lo-band U-Matic, Beta/Beta-SP, 1-inch Video.
Film: The collection concentrates on motoring matters. It extends from the beginning of the century up to the present day, and efforts are made to keep up to date with current material. Areas of particular strength are Ford, Vauxhall, Rootes, Peugeot Talbot, Dunlop, AA, RAC, Metropolitan Police, the land speed record and motor sport. There is also a sizable collection of classic cars of all ages shot more recently on videotape. Small amounts of nitrate are also held. The collection is still growing, especially the video content.
Film components: 8mm, Super 8mm, 9.5mm, 16mm, 35mm, positive film, negative film, fine grain print, final mix.

Artefact and Related Documentation Holdings

Cinema

Rewinders; Projectors

Documents

Scripts and treatments; Posters and promotional artwork; Photographs

Film-making

We are very fortunate to have 2 Rank Cintel MkIII Telecines, which we use not only for transferring our own material to broadcast standard formats, but also offer as a service to other archives and collections at prices more suited to their restricted budgets than they are likely to find elsewhere.; Editing equipment and viewers

Installations

Art works

Projection & Viewing

Data projectors; Slide projectors; Computer control and slide/tape synchronisation devices

Sets & Costumes

Locations - we are part of an 8000 acre Estate bordering the Solent and have been used as a film location many times over the years.

Sound

Microphones; Sound mixers and desks; Music; Sound effects recordings; Microphone stands and mounts (including booms); Sound transfer and striping equipment

Toys & Games

Toys; Video games, computer games

TV, Video & Digital

2x Rank Cintel MkIII Telecine machines, capable of transferring to video Super 8mm, 16mm & 35mm film, plus 35mm slides.; Repair/maintenance; Television monitors; Television receivers; Video recording equipment; Video editing equipment; Vision mixing equipment

Catalogues

Computerised database

Available.

Card catalogue

Available.

Additional Information

Artefact notes

The film collections are catalogued on Access: other collections are catalogued using CALM

Main Contact

Name

Stephen Vokins

Job title

Manager

Department

Film & Video Department

Telephone

01590 614664 / 07818 454522

Fax

01590 612655

Email

filmandvideo@beaulieu.co.uk

Address

National Motor Museum
Beaulieu
SO42 7ZN