Audio- Visual Research Documentation

Since the inception of IGNCA, it was envisioned that the Centre would develop into a huge digital repository in future.

Quarter century back Media Centre started as a small Unit with VHS camera and few recording systems. However, with time the Media Centre has evolved into a major repository of audio/visual documentation encompassing all the arts, creativity and culture enveloping a Pan-Indian theme.

Media Centre has created its documentations in various formats namely in VHS, U-matic, low-band, high-band, Beta and present digital format. To salvage huge old material, Media Centre has upgraded the format into DVCAM format and this digital format is available for public access, no matter the original format players are almost obsolete today. So Media Center has taken care of preserving the culture of audio/visual documentation with changing times.

Media Centre has been endeavouring to do audio/visual research documentation and archiving them for prosperity and implementing worldwide dissemination as well.The major work of Media Centre is:

1. Audio/visual documentation in field and in Media Centre studio.
2. Media Centre Library holds around 10000 hours of audio/visual material mostly in digital format today. The major work of Media Centre Library is to allow preservation of audio/visual material and facilitating post production for new documentaries which are being created constantly.
   Media Centre Library has limited Listening and viewing counter for research access to scholars.
   Media Centre Library holds all the documentaries published in DVD format and facilitates creation of new DVDs.
3. Post production: Media Centre is not limiting itself to just documenting and archiving rather it has developed a new role to edit the footage and create long documentations also to create documentaries and small films for new media for mass dissemination.
4. Media Centre outreach:Media Centre is organizing regular film shows, screened twice in a month in the Media Centre auditorium and constantly create programmes for DD-Bharati outreach.
   DVD publication is a major outreach activity of IGNCA. Till date around 110 documentaries are available in DVD format for worldwide scholars.
   Apart from regular film shows, Media Centre also engages itself in academic collaboration for joint screening of films in various Institutions and even curating film festivals out of IGNCA collections.
5. Collections:IGNCA has acquired BD Garga collection in the field of history of Indian cinema, which includes photographs, posters, books, Lobby cards, negatives of early times.