Today, a year has passed since our journey to Pornichet, La Baule and Le Pouliquen. It is also a long time since I have written here but nothing new has appeared.
However, it is time to continue the search and think of something new. Any suggestions?
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Saturday, February 10, 2007
An article about the films
The latest Finnish journal Ethnologia Fennica (2006, vol. 33) includes an article called “Searching for a 9,5mm Family - Aspects on the Privacy of Home Movies” in which I have discussed ethical questions concerning home movies. As an example, I have had the old French films described here at the blog.
The following text fragment is a direct quotation from my article:
”The main purpose of the following article is to consider two important themes connected with amateur film material. Firstly, what it means when we say that amateur films are private and intimate and secondly, ethical questions which are closely linked with the privacy. In general, these themes should be handled in nearly every project concerned with amateur footage. Who owns the copyright? How can I use material so private and intimate? Or can I use it at all?
Ethical problems become even more essential in the context of anonymous films as is the case in this article. Do I have any rights to use material found on an internet auction for my research? Is it ethically suitable to establish a webblog with images, examples and information written on films like I have done? And furthermore: what makes the situation of the films in question difficult is that they have been shot in France and now they are in Finland. Shall we thus handle them under the Finnish or French law? Are they Finnish or French films?”
In the text, I have made a difference between ethical questions and law. The paragraphs of the copyright law may state that particular films can be used for example in research but ethical consideration and the respect of privacy may turn the situation upside down.
In the end of the article, I write as follows:
”The establishing of the web blog has helped me to find some glues on the origins of the films in question even though at the same time I have put myself into a questionable position especially from the ethical point of view. However, without the blog the films would have remained mute – just a collection of small film reels from the distant past and place. The blog has enabled French genealogists and amateur historians to participate the project, to recognize places, buildings and persons thus helping me to get closer to the original family. Whether I will be able to donate the films to the descendants of the original family or to some French film archive while my journey to the filmed places in France – it will be revealed in the future.”
Tenkanen, Salla (2006): “Searching for a 9,5mm Family - Aspects on the Privacy of Home Movies”. Ethnologia Fennica, vol. 33, pp. 24-31.
The following text fragment is a direct quotation from my article:
”The main purpose of the following article is to consider two important themes connected with amateur film material. Firstly, what it means when we say that amateur films are private and intimate and secondly, ethical questions which are closely linked with the privacy. In general, these themes should be handled in nearly every project concerned with amateur footage. Who owns the copyright? How can I use material so private and intimate? Or can I use it at all?
Ethical problems become even more essential in the context of anonymous films as is the case in this article. Do I have any rights to use material found on an internet auction for my research? Is it ethically suitable to establish a webblog with images, examples and information written on films like I have done? And furthermore: what makes the situation of the films in question difficult is that they have been shot in France and now they are in Finland. Shall we thus handle them under the Finnish or French law? Are they Finnish or French films?”
In the text, I have made a difference between ethical questions and law. The paragraphs of the copyright law may state that particular films can be used for example in research but ethical consideration and the respect of privacy may turn the situation upside down.
In the end of the article, I write as follows:
”The establishing of the web blog has helped me to find some glues on the origins of the films in question even though at the same time I have put myself into a questionable position especially from the ethical point of view. However, without the blog the films would have remained mute – just a collection of small film reels from the distant past and place. The blog has enabled French genealogists and amateur historians to participate the project, to recognize places, buildings and persons thus helping me to get closer to the original family. Whether I will be able to donate the films to the descendants of the original family or to some French film archive while my journey to the filmed places in France – it will be revealed in the future.”
Tenkanen, Salla (2006): “Searching for a 9,5mm Family - Aspects on the Privacy of Home Movies”. Ethnologia Fennica, vol. 33, pp. 24-31.
Monday, November 6, 2006
Best wishes from Brest
We flew to Nantes on Wednesday, 1st of November and walked around Pornichet next day. We visited an ancient fort in Pornichet, Parc des Dryades in La Baule and Le Pouliquen. It was interesting to walk through the same places the persons in the films have walked 75 years earlier. An ancient fort by the sea wasn´t, unfortunately, in as good a condition as in the old pictures. If we liked to find the house in which the family members lived in Pornichet, it would demand perhaps a week long stay in Pornichet. And you don't know, if it was a house of their own or only temporarily rented. Summarizing the visit in Pornichet, we got new information about the places mentioned here but not about the family. Happily, this is not all.
After visiting Pornichet we were in Brest participating the meeting of European Association of Inedits. I gave my presentations on two subjects, Children as amateur filmmakers and Searching for a 9.5mm family, so - about this project, which provoked interested thoughts when it comes to copyrights. We would have needed more time to discuss this subject! However, the question of copyrights will come up for discussion at the AEI meeting in Hilversum, the Netherlands in October 2007.
There is a paradox as far as copyrights are concerned. Is it allowed to present for example this kind of material publicly in internet? You have two possibilities: if you want to find the right owners of the films, you have to show the pictures of the persons and the places publicly or you can leave the films to your cupboard.
It has happened to me and it happens sometimes for genealogists that they are "too late". Perhaps you have waited too long and the person who would know something has passed away some years ago. You have to make your research now. There are thousands of old anonymous photo portraits. They seem to be of no value, because their value is tied to the information "around the photo". That's why you can find such old photos from second-hand shops. Time is not for genealogists. If you could find out the person in the picture it may have some value for somebody.
We donated the films to Cinémathèque de Bretagne. It doesn't mean that our search ends now. On the contrary, now we have better possibilities to find the family.
In front of an ancient fortress in Pornichet.
After visiting Pornichet we were in Brest participating the meeting of European Association of Inedits. I gave my presentations on two subjects, Children as amateur filmmakers and Searching for a 9.5mm family, so - about this project, which provoked interested thoughts when it comes to copyrights. We would have needed more time to discuss this subject! However, the question of copyrights will come up for discussion at the AEI meeting in Hilversum, the Netherlands in October 2007.
There is a paradox as far as copyrights are concerned. Is it allowed to present for example this kind of material publicly in internet? You have two possibilities: if you want to find the right owners of the films, you have to show the pictures of the persons and the places publicly or you can leave the films to your cupboard.
It has happened to me and it happens sometimes for genealogists that they are "too late". Perhaps you have waited too long and the person who would know something has passed away some years ago. You have to make your research now. There are thousands of old anonymous photo portraits. They seem to be of no value, because their value is tied to the information "around the photo". That's why you can find such old photos from second-hand shops. Time is not for genealogists. If you could find out the person in the picture it may have some value for somebody.
We donated the films to Cinémathèque de Bretagne. It doesn't mean that our search ends now. On the contrary, now we have better possibilities to find the family.
In front of an ancient fortress in Pornichet.
Friday, October 27, 2006
Summary 27.10.2006
Or what has been discovered so far
The house in Amiéns
The house in Amiéns has been recognized. It is situated on Rue Lisbonne. The owners of the house have been traced back to the 1940s but it is very likely that they are not the same persons as those seen on the films. However, I think that it has been Grandfather and Grandmother who have been living in Amiéns in the house so hopefully we can find out who they were!
The school in Saint Omer
The school in Saint Omer has been recognized as well: it is Lycée Alexandre Ribot. The event that is going on at the school yard is called ”Les Landis”. It has been a kind of sports competition or a sportive fete organized at the end of the school year. Correct me if I am wrong!
We think that it has been the family (mother, father and son Crap) which has lived in Saint Omer. The father may have been one of the teachers at Lycée Ribot. Pornichet, La Baule and Le Pouliguen have been places for holidays and the family has also visited friends in Guéméné and Camon.
Our journey to France
Our journey to Pornichet and Brest is getting closer; we will leave on Wednesday, the 1st November. Our journey goes from Nantes via Pornichet, LaBaule and LePouliguen to Brest where I will have an amateur film meeting.
I will donate the original films to some French film archive, perhaps to Cinémathèque de Bretagne if they are willing to take them to their collections. In the case I can find the original owners the films are already in France and thus it is possible to discuss their final place.
At this point, I wish to thank all of my assistants and informants but especially five of them: Mireille, Angélique and David and the two Marie-France. They have been of great help! (And sorry if I have forgotten someone... I thank you, too!) I hope you still have energy to continue our shared adventure!
The house in Amiéns
The house in Amiéns has been recognized. It is situated on Rue Lisbonne. The owners of the house have been traced back to the 1940s but it is very likely that they are not the same persons as those seen on the films. However, I think that it has been Grandfather and Grandmother who have been living in Amiéns in the house so hopefully we can find out who they were!
The school in Saint Omer
The school in Saint Omer has been recognized as well: it is Lycée Alexandre Ribot. The event that is going on at the school yard is called ”Les Landis”. It has been a kind of sports competition or a sportive fete organized at the end of the school year. Correct me if I am wrong!
We think that it has been the family (mother, father and son Crap) which has lived in Saint Omer. The father may have been one of the teachers at Lycée Ribot. Pornichet, La Baule and Le Pouliguen have been places for holidays and the family has also visited friends in Guéméné and Camon.
Our journey to France
Our journey to Pornichet and Brest is getting closer; we will leave on Wednesday, the 1st November. Our journey goes from Nantes via Pornichet, LaBaule and LePouliguen to Brest where I will have an amateur film meeting.
I will donate the original films to some French film archive, perhaps to Cinémathèque de Bretagne if they are willing to take them to their collections. In the case I can find the original owners the films are already in France and thus it is possible to discuss their final place.
At this point, I wish to thank all of my assistants and informants but especially five of them: Mireille, Angélique and David and the two Marie-France. They have been of great help! (And sorry if I have forgotten someone... I thank you, too!) I hope you still have energy to continue our shared adventure!
Thursday, October 5, 2006
Courses de Pornichet, Août 1931
Original picture here, 1.8 MB.
Here is a "movie panorama" from Pornichet, "Courses de Pornichet, Août 1931". It's quality is poor but you get a nice feeling of space. No new news about the films but our date of departure comes closer and closer ;-)
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Some extra pictures
There are seven extra pictures below. The house seen on the first four pictures may be the one in Pornichet. The last picture is from Amiens – the same landscape you can see in the older part of the blog. Only now with more surroundings visible.
Unfortunately, we haven´t been able to watch nor transfer five of the films because we missed them while transfering other films and now we don´t have a 9.5 mm projector anymore...
There are some extra clips here in realmedia (46.2 MB) and windowsmedia (47 MB) format. There is perhaps nothing special in them, mostly people.
Original 9.5 mm Pathé format has good quality. If I don't find the descendants, I'll donate the films to a french archive and perhaps then it's possible to have good digital copies.
These two pictures up are from the film "Crap a Pornichet - dans le jardin."
Tuesday, September 5, 2006
A house in Amiens and "lycée" in St Omer have been recognised
I got a message with nice pictures of the house which can be seen in the beginning of the film Sortie rue Lisbonne. Carpentier. Yvette. Hiver 1931-32. Thank you, Marie-France!
In Google Maps
Here is another film shot in Amiens: Amiens_Camon
(Windowsmedia)
I'm not 100% sure, if all the shots are from Amiens. For example that Cathedral in the end can be from somewhere else.
The school on the films is Lycée mixte Ribot.
* * *
Pictures from Amiens and Pt Noyelles:
Crap au Jardin Camon, Pentecote 1931
Bd Pt Noyelles, Hiver 1931-32
In Google Maps
Here is another film shot in Amiens: Amiens_Camon
(Windowsmedia)
I'm not 100% sure, if all the shots are from Amiens. For example that Cathedral in the end can be from somewhere else.
The school on the films is Lycée mixte Ribot.
* * *
Pictures from Amiens and Pt Noyelles:
Crap au Jardin Camon, Pentecote 1931
Bd Pt Noyelles, Hiver 1931-32
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