2024 Giving Goal: $30,000
In 2004, Old Segundo Productions produced the first documentary based on work in the East Anglia Air War Project. Over the years, all income from these films have benefited the East Anglia Air War Project. No salaries have ever been paid to Dr. Vernon L. Williams for work done in film production or in the oral history interviews that have been done since the inception of the Project. Revenue from the sale of films have been used for travel expenses for interview production and filming on site at historic sites in England, Germany, and the United States. Funds have also been used for contract labor for narration, graphic production, and other third party work necessary for the finished film.
During the early days of EAAWP’s documentary production, most historic WWII film footage was fullscreen format (not widescreen) and of limited quality due to the age of the film and the lack of funding for professional transfer to digital by vendors approved by the National Archives. In recent years, three factors have occurred to make possible remastering to the 4K level.
- Donations and documentary sales have increased to allow for purchasing some transfer work on National Archives footage.
- National Archives copying policies require that firms purchasing transfers must deposit a Beta tape copy of that digital transfer into the National Archives. This has made it possible to copy the Beta tape copies at a much reduced cost than transferring the film to digital.
- AI video and photograph software is now available that allows for extraordinary enhancement of previous footage, images, and films.
This project will remaster all finished documentary films completed by Old Segundo Productions, including remastering those films remastered before the AI software was available. The remastering process will include widescreen format, new transitions, new graphics, new animated movement maps where needed, and upscale to 4K. The target list of twenty-five films for remastering includes the following:
- Fourteen documentary films in the Air War Series.
- Six documentary films in the Military History Series
- Five documentary films in the History of the American West Series.
Consider partnering with OPHF to remaster these valuable documentary films that are based on ordinary people who have done extraordinary things. These twenty-five films are a valuable testament of the role that Americans have played in shaping the 20th and 21st centuries. These remasters will guarantee that these films will be available for generations of Americans who are not yet born. That is our mission.
Donate now to support this project!
Click the Donate Now button and be sure to select the “Remaster Documentaries” as the cause for your donation.