These days, you expect footage to be digitised and easy to ingest into your editing suite of choice, but when a documentary is sent your way that requires a lot of old footage, you sometimes get to have the fun of looking at a physical footage library.
And that's exactly what I've spent a few days doing over the past six weeks.
This is way bigger than your old VHS tape
Myself and a producer have been tasked with making a thirty minute documentary about an iconic theatre that is about to go through a multi-million pound face-lift and overhaul.
Consequently I've had to watch a lot of footage from the past 50 or so years, picking out suitable interviews, GVs and rehearsal shots, with the goal of combining it with interviews I've shot over a couple of days.
Look at the size of this tape
Looking at old footage is always fascinating.
It not only gives you an insight into the world around you, but it also lets you see how things were done, filming wise, back in those days.
Tilts, pans and slow zooms were the most that was allowed it seems, though I suspect that was probably down to the size of the equipment rather than a lack of creativity.
Seeing familiar places and how they have or haven't changed is really compelling, but even more so is seeing familiar faces and how they have changed.
Presenters and newsreaders you grew up watching never seemed to really change, but it's only once you see an image of them from your childhood you realise how different they now are.
Alas it seems, age really does catch up with us all.
However listening to a grumpy sound man be very short tempered with a presenter was a particular highlight, especially considering the presenter seemed to be more concerned about the ambient noise of busses, pedestrians and noisy lorries, than the sound man did.
I'd be lying however if I said I've been looking through the archive by myself.
No, the person who has really been doing most of the work is Mel.
All I've done is given a description of the type of footage I'm looking for, and like a hero she's trawled through the databases and dug through the shelves of tapes looking for the right ones.
She then hands them off to me and I get the easy job of looking at them and then either discarding it if it's not of any use, or logging a timecode so that when I take them to the Ingest department they can find the clips I'm after, rather than taking in a whole tape.
Mel also showed me how to use the tape decks and viewing station, although that didn't go particularly well the first time as not 30 seconds after she'd left me, the tape deck broke and was put out of action for a day or two.
She insists that it wasn't my fault and that it happened because the tape was dirty and the deck was old, but I think she was just being kind.
Fortunately for Mel, but unfortunately for me as I was enjoying looking at all these old tapes, we now have all the footage we require so my wander through the archives is over, but if I've learned nothing else from this experience it's that you shouldn't take your librarians or archivist for granted.
Not only do they have the keys to a potential treasure trove, but they're also responsible for labelling and logging all the footage they're given, so they are the ones who'll know of a long forgotten tape or find you that vital piece of footage you need.
Don't underestimate them.
M