Episode 67: Film Preservation and Archiving with Special Guest Oscar Becher

Discover the Horror

During conversations with serious film collectors, you might hear terms like inter-positive, or first negative, or even OCN, and have no clue to what they actually mean. Don’t feel bad because a lot of us are in the same boat. These are some of the many terms used when discussing the preservation and archiving of films, not to mention the amount of work that goes into doing just that. Plus, we’re not talking about the latest title coming from the MCU, but ones that were made for pennies a half a century ago, or longer, that got very little distribution, sometimes not even here in the states. But due to the thankless job (that we’re hoping to change) of some dedicated cinephiles, they are doing their best to bring those titles back from nearly being a lost film.

To help educate us on some of those terms, the processes, and just the sheer craziness of it all, we’ve asked Vault Manager and Archivist Oscar Becher from Vinegar Syndrome to do just that. While we’re not covering specific films for this episode, we're pretty sure you’re going to learn a thing or two, maybe be even amazed at hearing some of the processes that go into bringing you that nice and spiffy new Blu-Ray of one of your favorite films.

Titles mentioned in this episode:

Against the Grain (2023), Blood for Dracula (1974), Deep Inside Annie Sprinkle (1981), Dog Tags (1987), Enter the Clones of Bruce (2023), Flesh for Frankenstein (1973), Frankenstein (1931), Grindhouse (2007), Martyrs (2008), New York Ninja (2021), The Night of the Hunter (1955), No Tears for the Damned aka The Las Vegas Strangler (1968), Piranha (1978), The Playgirls and the Vampire (1960), Putney Swope (1969), The Rare Blue Apes of Cannibal Isle (1975), Singin’ in the Rain (1952), Star Wars (1977), Thriller: A Cruel Picture (1973), Voodoo Heartbeat aka The Sex Serum of Dr. Blake (1973)