Photographic and Cinematographic Film Repository (FiRE): identification of films for digital restoration

Among the great variety of our Cultural Heritage, photographic and cinematographic materials are fundamental and direct witnesses of the past. The classification and restoration of these materials are often needed as they can undergo severe deterioration, aging and fading. In the work of film and photo restoration, conservation and preservation, it is fundamental to analyse and study the original materials, in order to perform a retrieval or a correction faithful to them. In this context, the lack of technical information (especially for the oldest materials) and the absence of open source archives of the production companies, underlines the actual and concrete need of a database of physical, chemical and sensitometric data of films and photos. The aim of this work is the creation of a big database of cinematographic and photographic technical materials, in order to support the work of conservators, restorer and researchers, as the availability of information is essential for the preservation of our Cultural Heritage.