What's New

Posted January 07, 2012

Visual Researchers Delegation

History Makers International is delighted to announce the 2012 Visual Researchers Delegation for January’s annual summit in New York City. Adding to the program launched last year in conjunction with Thought Equity, this year there are 42 researchers in the program, joining us from the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Germany. 12 members of the VRSC/ARAC will be attending to represent the Canadian visual research community. The following partners supported this initiative and made the expansion possible; Thought Equity, INA, ACSIL, Focal, The Visual Researchers Society of Canada, and Footage.net. More information can be found here.

Posted January 07, 2012

Visual Archives Forum

The Visual Researchers’ Society of Canada (ARAC / VRSC) in collaboration with Doc Québec will be presenting the first Visual Archives Forum in Montreal on February 20th 2012 as part of the 30th edition of the Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois. It will run for a full day and will establish an exchange between the Quebec documentary community and the major international players in the world of archival sources. A roundtable will be held with the participation of CBC, NFB, WPA, Gettyimages, Thought Equity Motion, INA, Pond 5 and ITN at the Norman McLaren Room of the Cinémathèque québécoise in Montreal.

Posted August 11, 2011

Gemini Awards

Congratulations to all of the VRSC/ARAC members who were nominated for this year’s Gemini Awards. See list here.

Posted May 31, 2011

FOCAL Awards

Congratulations to Reel Injun for receiving a FOCAL Award for Best Use of Footage in a Factual Production. VRSC/ARAC members Elizabeth Klinck and Laura Blaney were the visual researchers for this documentary. Elizabeth Klinck represented Rezolution Picture International at the award ceremony. Photo attached or visit the website for more information.

Posted April 12, 2011

Gemini Award Renamed

The Academy of Canadian Cinema has just announced that the Gemini Award for Best Editorial Research has been renamed The Barbara Sears Award for Best Editorial Research effective this year.

A wonderful way to honor one of our founding members!

Posted March 15, 2011

History Makers 2011

New York in heavy snow is still New York – busy and bustling, and a great place for the meeting of minds to network, share information, and have fun. For me, the professional development opportunity of History Makers 2011 was to learn more about our clients and the production and distribution challenges that they have to deal with, particularly in an American context.

The first day’s keynote address by Bill Moyers was inspiring; reminding us of how vitally important documentaries are for democracy. Through the conference I had the opportunity to meet the passionate community that takes on this important work despite many difficulties. It was exciting to see veterans such as Moyers and David Fanning (of Frontline) sharing ideas in a true collegial spirit with the new guard (such as the impressive representatives of ProPublica and the Huffington Post, and numerous independent producers working in all platforms).

There were a lot of workshops and I had to make hard choices about what to see. I made it to the workshops on international co-productions, on fair use of archival, and on the future of investigative programming (the latter organized by VRSC’s own Elizabeth Klinck). I regret missing the master class on editing by Frontline’s Steve Audette, and the workshop on social media strategies for documentary filmmakers. The gala awards night with clips shown from nominated productions was great for providing glimpses of cutting edge work across many formats from educational multimedia to feature films.

Since I am geographically removed from most of the VRSC’s activities, it was a treat for me to have some face time with other visual researchers. At the fair use workshop, I sat at a table with these illustrious people: Prudence Arndt and Judith Aley, Kate Coe of Footage Monster, and Rich Remsberg. In the Q&A they provided an impressive depth of understanding of the issues around fair use, demonstrating the professionalism and expertise that a top archival researcher can bring.

I am grateful for the opportunity that Thought Equity provided to get out of the trenches of day to day work and see our vibrant field and community from a wider perspective.

Posted February 8, 2011

VRSC/ARAC Panel at RIDM, Montreal, November 2010

Members of the VRSC/ARAC recently produced, moderated and participated in the panel entitled “Hotspots: New media and new internet archive sources”

The arrival of new delivery platforms has changed the way we look at copyright. It has had a definite impact on the costs associated with visual archives in the production of documentaries and television series. How have the rights definitions changed for these new markets ? We are witnessing a spiraling increase in the fees for archival footage. How long can producers afford to use archives in the current budgetary climate?

Meanwhile, internet research has evolved a lot in recent years and it is now possible to find archives on sites online like You tube and Google. Often however, there are nebulous areas of copyright and challenges in obtaining a license that will satisfy the E&O insurers. When is it acceptable to use an archive online and when can it become a problem?

New platforms and their associated costs and the new internet archival sources were discussed with an expert group comprised of members of ARAC and international archive houses and copyright lawyers. The panel looked at case studies and were available to answer many of the questions from the audience.  Photo 1 Photo 2

Posted February 8, 2011

Development Program

The VRSC/ARAC has decided to initiate a one week development program in which one or more members (no more than 3) of the Society will take part in a training week to be held in Toronto from March 7th - 11th, 2011.

It promises to be an exciting week, a week we hope that will enlighten new members to our illustrious craft and sharpen the skills of old hands. The deadline for application is January 10th, which seemed like a long time ago when we first started out but is now drawing quite close. If you are thinking about putting in your application now is the time to do it.

If you have not seen the notification or you have any questions please contact Roy or Elizabeth and we will be happy to send you whatever information you need.

Posted Novemeber 5, 2010

And the winners are...

Elizabeth Klinck and Laura Blaney won the Gemini Award for Best Visual Research for "Reel Injun"!!!

Best Editorial Research went to Lynette Fortune for the CBC's Fifth Estate's "Death Online".

The year’s best in Documentary, Lifestyle, News, and Sports programming were celebrated last night at the first of two Gemini Awards Industry Galas.

A big congratulation to everyone!!!

Posted Septemeber 1, 2010

25th Annual Gemini Awards

TORONTO, August 31, 2010 – The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television is pleased to announce the nominations for the 25th Annual Gemini Awards, recognizing the year’s best in Canadian English-language television. This year’s celebrations will be held in Toronto over three nights in November. Congratulations to VRSC/ARAC members who were nominated.  And the nominees are...

Posted March 29, 2010

New Gemini awards for research

The Visual Researcher's Society of Canada / Association des recherchistes en audiovisuel du Canada is delighted to announce the creation of two new Gemini awards for Best Editorial Research and Best Visual Research by the Academy of Canadian Television Cinema and Television (www.academy.ca).  Read more...

Posted December 21, 2009

All the best from VRSC

We at VRSC want to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Posted December 14, 2009

DOCircuitMtl - Doc Circuit Montreal's 5th edition - Marc Roland Pitre

Click here to read Marc's recap

Posted October 13, 2009

DOCircuitMtl - Doc Circuit Montreal's 5th edition - November 12th and 13th

Members of the VRSC/ARAC will be participating in a panel discussion sponsored by the NFB and Getty Images entitled “Visual Research on a Budget: Advice From the Experts”.

Finding the images you need for the right price is critical in today’s media landscape. Knowing what works and where to look is vital. Our panel of specialists will review the challenges, provide case studies, share their expertise and answer your questions. From sourcing footage and photography to negotiating and clearing rights, whether for a local production or a major international co-production, archival research - like documentary itself - requires maintaining the fine balance between art and business. Meet the dedicated professionals of the Visual Researchers’ Society of Canada (VRSC) who are proud to team up with NFB Images and Getty Images for this panel discussion.

Note: More information concerning this panel will be posted later this month. http://www.ridm.qc.ca/en/industry/

Posted August 27, 2009

Remembering Barbara Sears

Pierre Berton: The Writer at Home (Broadcast Date: March 29, 1987)

When the Bertons bought their property in Kleinburg, Ont., just north of Toronto, it was a featureless plot of land with a pleasing view. Almost 40 years later, their landscaping efforts have transformed it into a bucolic place with gentle hills, a burbling pond and a small forest. This is where Pierre churns out his best-selling books chronicling people and events in Canadian history and where Janet proofreads his work. In this segment from a 1987 CBC-TV profile, Pierre explains how his research assistant, Barbara Sears, helps him churn out books at the rate of one per year.   Watch Video     Barbara scene at (2:45).

Posted August 26, 2009

Barbara Sears Endowment Fund

An endowment fund in the name of Barbara Sears has been established to mark her outstanding contribution to editorial and visual research.  More Information Here.

Posted August 25, 2009

Passing of Barbara Sears

It is with great sadness and relief to tell you that Barbara Sears died peacefully shortly after nine in the morning today.  In Loving Memory

Posted May 29, 2009

Report from Hot Docs 2009

Again this year, members of the VRSC/ARAC participated in a panel sponsored by the BBC entitled “Stretching Your Archive Budget”. The panel consisted of Marc Pitre (Montreal) Elspeth Domville (Toronto), Yen Chu (BBC) and was moderated by Elizabeth Klinck. It was a great opportunity to discuss issues relating to producing documentary films and television documentary series with a limited archives budget, and attracted a full house of people including some footage provider reps, producers, researchers, and international filmmakers.. Thanks to BBC Motion Gallery for sponsoring the panel and arranging for the five free passes for our members. After the panel, some of the group convened to a local restaurant to continue the lively discussion and chat with collegues. Among the group were CTV’s Jennifer Baird, GET STOCK’s Wendy Watts, NBC Universal’s Maryanne DeCandia, CBC’s Steve Nicholls, and Mary Graziano from the NFB.

The following day, FRAMEPOOL organized a luncheon for our members at the L'Espresso bar MERCURIO near the festival site. It was chance for us to meet Anna Toemp and Mona Kanin from their New York office.

Posted May 28, 2009

Congratulations to VRSC member Roy Harris on being awarded this year's FOCAL Lifetime Achievement Award. Roy recently retired after more than 25 years service in CBC's Archive Sales. Roy Harris declared, " My proudest achievement was my ability to get the CBC to allow me to establish an "unofficial" environment in which the role of CBC TV Archive Sales was to support the independent film making community in Canada by ensuring that no Canadian film makers were denied fair access to the footage they needed to get their shows to air." However, his benevolent work was not confined to Canada, as one UK based researcher Judy Patterson said, "In a world that has been changing so fast for archives and users alike, the extraordinary knowledge, immense generosity and inspirational guidance of Roy Harris has stood out like an oasis in a growing desert."

Posted April 30, 2009

The FOCAL International Awards will be presented 5th May 2009.

For more information, visit http://www.focalint.org

Posted May 22 2008

Our heartiest congratulations to our Chairperson Elizabeth Klinck for winning FOCAL International's Lifetime Achievement Award at their annual awards gala in London, England. The FOCAL Awards are a global competition celebrating achievements in the use of archival footage. Elizabeth Klinck became the first Canadian to win the award from the international archival footage industry.

During the past 25 years, Elizabeth has worked as a highly respected Producer, Researcher and Clearance Specialist on numerous award-winning Canadian, American and British documentary films. She has also given back to the community that fosters her career by regularly leading research and rights clearance workshops at many international conferences and broadcasters. Continually in demand, Elizabeth further dedicates herself by serving as a member of the FOCAL International Executive and on the boards of the Audio Visual Trust of Canada, History Makers and the Yorkton Short Film and Video Festival.

For more information, visit http://www.focalint.org/Awards_may08.htm.

Posted April 23, 2008

In tandem with the Visual Researchers' Society of Canada, the BBC MOTION GALLERY presented the Hot Docs panel "Case Studies in Stock Footage" at the Rogers Industry Centre. Seasoned Visual Researchers Laura Blaney, Erin Chisholm, Elspeth Domville and Susanne Jespersen discussed their creative approach to research and procurement of footage for a range of documentary genres including TV Series, Indie Film, Prime-Time One-Offs and Factual Entertainment. Elizabeth Klinck, Chairperson of The Visual Researchers' Society of Canada, moderated the informative and well-received panel.

Posted April 23, 2008

In tandem with the Visual Researchers' Society of Canada, the BBC MOTION GALLERY presented the Hot Docs panel "Case Studies in Stock Footage" at the Rogers Industry Centre. Seasoned Visual Researchers Laura Blaney, Erin Chisholm, Elspeth Domville and Susanne Jespersen discussed their creative approach to research and procurement of footage for a range of documentary genres including TV Series, Indie Film, Prime-Time One-Offs and Factual Entertainment. Elizabeth Klinck, Chairperson of The Visual Researchers' Society of Canada, moderated the informative and well-received panel.

Posted April 22, 2008

The Visual Researchers' Society of Canada / Association des recherchistes en audiovisuel du Canada announces the launch of its bilingual website, http://www.visualresearch.ca. Now available in both English and French, the website provides a gateway into its membership for those seeking professional research and a work tool for its members, including materials, articles and information relevant to a researcher's day-to-day tasks and links to major content sources.

Posted March 31, 2008

Congratulations to VRSC/ARAC member Gina Cali for her FOCAL International footage award nomination for the work she produced on "The Nature of Things - Game Over: Conservation in Kenya." Gina's work has been short listed as one of the three nominations for the "Award for Best Use of Wildlife and Natural History Stock Footage."

Posted September 18, 2007

The VRSC announces the official launch of its website: www.visualresearch.ca. Producers looking to hire a visual researcher can find a list of our members for hire. Researchers looking for resources and a community of other researchers can find information on how to join the VRSC.

Posted August 15, 2007

The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television is considering the VRSC's proposal to include two new Gemini awards, one for visual research and one for editorial research. The Academy's Rules and Regulations Committee, which is responsible for these types of change requests, has not yet set a date to meet for the 2008 considerations and changes. It is anticipated that the meeting will be held sometime in November.

Posted April 17, 2007

Congratulations to VRSC member Tobias Duggan for his nomination for BEST RESEARCHER at the Yorkton Short Film and Video Festival Awards 2007! This was for work he did on the film AS SEEN ON TV: THE K-TEL STORY. The awards will be held in Yorkton, Saskatchewan on May 26th.