Some of the biggest German and international archives around, among them Getty Images, The Bundesarchiv and AP Archive are participating in this year’s edition of the Leipzig’s DOK Archive Market, held October 30.
“It’s wonderful to have both private and public/commercial archives altogether under one roof,” enthuses Elizabeth Klinck, the Canadian footage researcher and archive producer who has been closely associated with the event since its launch in 2022. She credits DOK Leipzig’s head of industry, Nadja Tennstedt, along with GRAP (German Researchers and Archive Producers association) and its indefatigable board member Monika Preischl, with kick-starting the event.
“Over the four years, we have been able to announce new developments, for example the Bundesarchiv’s pilot project for making some of its pre-World War Two material available. It’s much easier to obtain and much more cost-effective. Each year, there is something new.”
Other archive events in the calendar include Sunny Side of the Docs, Berlin’s European Film Market, Footage Fest in Los Angeles, and the Footage Marketplace London, but Klinck believes the Leipzig event is now especially well-positioned.
“I think DOK Leipzig is right up there and I am always so impressed by the quality of the programming that GRAP puts together from within their membership base.”
British Pathé may not be in attendance but there will still be a healthy UK presence at the DOK Archive market. Huntley Film Archives is due in town. Meanwhile; on the local side, B2B outfit PROGRESS will also be attending, as will a host of other German companies.
This year sees the first IMAGO Archive Award at the co-production market for a project that sources archive material and uses it in “interesting and creative ways.”
“And we’ll be talking about something that hasn’t had a lot of air time – and that’s how sports programming differs, because so often we are focused on historical programming.”
Klinck herself is chairing the session which will focus on sports footage licensing for the documentaries, FC Hollywoodand Girls Can’t Play Football. “It’s an area a lot of people are a bit nervous about because of the costs involved and some of the copyright issues,” she notes.
Each sport has its own idiosyncrasies. Filmmakers will often have to deal not only with the sports organisers but with the broadcasters who own the material (“that can often be quite expensive and difficult.”) An added challenge is marketing and branding. Leading players and teams are heavily sponsored. Documentary makers may have to pay close attention to the brands and corporations behind this sponsorship.
What’s more, different countries also have different copyright laws. “And a lot of the normal fair use/fair dealing avenues are not so accessible when you’re dealing with a big professional sports association, so your best hope may be to obtain bulk discounts if you’re using a lot of material.”
However, Klinck adds, some level of barter dealing may be possible. “There are lots of ways you can negotiate…It is going to be a wonderful, deep dive into all of these issues and I think it will be incredibly informative, almost like a masterclass,” she says of her hopes for the session. Klinck herself has worked on a couple of sports docs herself among them some films for ESPN’s much vaunted short film strand, 30 for 30.
Freelance archive producer Gregor Murbach is giving a keynote address looking in depth at how archive producers can help productions with everything from finding the material to dealing the legal and financial issues involved in licensing and actually using it. There is also a keynote from Kasimir Marks (Gruppe 5 Filmproduktion), giving an overview of the licensing process from rough-cut to delivery.
“We are finding more and more international co-productions where you find these stories that branch two or three countries,” Klinck observes. “To have the width, depth and expertise of an archive producer on the ground is really an invaluable tool. That is one of the things we like to promote at these markets. There is this group of people that work for many years [who are] not highly recognised – so it’s great to see them having their day.”
One burning issue the DOK Archive Market isn’t looking at directly this year is AI. “It changes so constantly that it’s almost a full-time job keeping on top of all the new developments,” Klinck jokes. “But I think it’s great that not every festival has the same menu.”
She notes, though, that Sheffield Doc Fest had a discussion on AI and that she herself will be moderating a session at IDFA next month looking at AI and archive.
There are obvious legal, ethical, environmental and production challenges associated with artificial intelligence and archives. Klinck hails the strong work already done by the Archival Producers’ Alliance (APA) which recently published a “wonderful document” on best practice for working with generative AI in documentary. She also acknowledges the obvious upsides to AI. It can be used to create audio that helps fill in gaps when all the source material may be missing, and can help “mask” sources who may need to protect themselves, for example whistle-blowers.
For obvious reasons, archival material was at a premium during the Covid years. Filmmakers in this period would sometimes even complain about price gouging, the practice of raising prices to an unfairly high level, especially during times of emergency.
“But most of the archives I work with are looking at bulk discounts and structuring deals so they are as affordable as they can be. I think there is real co-operation on both sides. They are becoming much more aware of what is a fair price. I read once that good negotiating is when both parties walk away feeling that they’ve made a fair deal.”
Archives participating at Leipzig’s archive market range from boutique outfits to some of the biggest companies in the world. Klinck believes they’re doing the best they can for the filmmakers.
“It’s a collegial group. I am always amazed at how helpful they can be. There is something called a ‘zap request’ that you can send out, and I am always amazed that when you send out a request, you’ll get a reply saying ‘we don’t have this material but this other archive might.’ There is this sense of ‘let’s get you the best possible material to make the best possible film.’ It’s a competitive industry but it’s not a cut-throat one…”
