Even with all of today's amazing technology, the lowly videotape is still the safest option for archiving. The most reliable and sturdy format to use when archiving analog footage is Betacam SP (often abbreviated to Beta SP). This 1/2" professional format is widely used in the broadcast industry and has a long history of being the standard for analog archiving. However, very few of you will have access to this format. Now what do you do?

When archiving analog footage, if you don't have access to Betacam SP, the best bet currently is Mini DV or the highest-quality format you can afford. Keep the originals and store them properly in two separate locations.

When archiving standard-definition digital footage, Digital Betacam (often abbreviated to DigiBeta), a digital member of the Betacam format family, is the format of choice. If, however, you cannot afford this format, make a duplicate in the digital format you are currently using and store separately until a more stable archival format becomes available and affordable.

Now that you know what media you will use to archive your footage, what process should you use to organize your media? The first step is to catalog your footage. Devise a simple but easily understood labeling system that you and others can easily translate when needed. Keep a comprehensive list of every tape and each project's naming shortcut. Perhaps you will put all of your wedding footage together and label each set of tapes with the initials of the couple. For example, you might make a series of labels that say "WCS&RS1," meaning Wedding with Candy and Ralph Snyder Tape 1. Or create an acronym for your production such as BFS 1 - Bahamian Field Station Tape 1. Organize your library into types of projects and sets of tapes. If you have created edit logs of the tapes, keep a file of the logs so that you can access particular shots you may want to use in later projects.

Always make sure to label the tapes with the date, title, tape number, running time and a designation for the master or archival copy. Place the labels on the tapes and their protective covers. For the best results, use archival labels you can get from a videotape supplier. The gum on the labels will not dry up, thus keeping the labels from falling off or deteriorating.

Add a description of the contents of each tape to the tape list, so that you have a record of the actual contents of that particular tape. For example, on your list you may have BFS 1 thru BFS 10. All well and good as far as keeping them organized in the same place, but what about their individual contents? In this case, it may be BFS 1, Tidal pool shots and a paddle through the mangrove. You may label BFS 2 as SCUBA underwater - Dive 1 - Turtle, schools of fish and shark! The more specific, the easier it is to find the footage later. Of course, if you have logged every shot on the tape, you can also add the reference timecode that matches the code on your tape log.

Once you have organized your footage, then you can begin the process of making copies, labeling and storing.

Always make sure to use high-quality new tapes to create your archival copy. Set up the machine that will play back the original, and attach the video and audio cables to your record deck. There are varying schools of thought on whether you can use a camcorder as a record deck. We say if your camcorder is well-cared for, kept clean and never abused, you shouldn't encounter any problems. However, dedicated record decks that stay on your desk generally have a more robust tape transport mechanism and will create cleaner copies (but you have to keep record decks maintained too, of course).

Make sure your playback deck or camera is in good working order and that the playback heads are clean. To test the setup, load a known good tape of footage or a completed program into the playback deck, place the new archiving tape into your record deck and start recording. Press Play on your playback deck or camera. Record for about 30 seconds or so, then stop the tapes and rewind both decks. Check to make sure you have a good audio and video recording. It is important that you use a monitor with sound or at least headphones to check the image you are recording and the audio. Once you have checked the system, you should be able to make more recordings without repeating the initial setup check. If you are attempting to archive a two-hour VHS tape onto two 60-minute Mini DV tapes, make sure you overlap the point where you change tapes, so that you duplicate a small portion of the original, preventing any holes in the archival footage. As soon as the recording is over, rewind the recorded tapes and do a spot check for quality. Do not rewind the original.