Loan Of Original Audiovisual Components

Are you a producer or distributor looking to access film elements lodged on deposit with the NFSA in order to create a Digital Cinema Print (DCP) or for digital scanning?  

If so, we can assist you through the process.    

Right to access film elements ‘on deposit’

Costs and conditions of use 

Turnaround times 

NFSA external loan agreement 

Selecting film elements for reproduction work  

Searching the NFSA collection 

Information we require to commence a loan enquiry 

Next steps 

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Right to access film elements ‘on deposit’ 

Ownership of collection materials on deposit 

Collection materials that have been lodged ‘on deposit’ are stored by the NFSA but remain the physical property of the depositor. The depositor is usually, but not always, the producer of the work.

Copyright ownership is distinct from ownership of the physical materials. Some depositors also own copyright. In other cases, the depositor and the copyright owner may be separate parties. 

Permissions required to borrow materials for reproduction work 

Clients wanting to borrow collection materials for the purpose of reproduction work must provide the NFSA with written authorisation from the depositor of the physical materials as well as written authorisation from the copyright owner. Where there are joint or multiple owners, we require permission from all parties.

Our staff will give you any information we have to assist with the search. However, research by the client to find the owner(s) of the materials might be necessary if we do not have up-to-date contact information for all copyright owners. 

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Costs and conditions of use 

We provide external loans in accordance with our Access Fees and Conditions of Use. 

All external loans incur:

• research and handling fees  
• loan fees  
• technical fees 
• freight costs. 

Where applicable, additional fees apply for: 

• technical examinations and condition reports to determine the viability of materials for reproduction work 
• film cleaning and any other conservation and/or technical treatments required 
• transfers – for example, for in-house digitisation of film soundtracks – where the NFSA has capacity to undertake this work. 

Our staff will provide quotes for all work to be undertaken and we generally require payment prior to work commencing. 

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Turnaround times 

We recommend that you allow eight weeks for us to process your loan request. We cannot bear responsibility for delays to your loan because of unforeseen complexities or lack of clarification on copyright (including competing claims). Deadlines are subject to change. 

NFSA external loan agreement 

All borrowers must sign and return an NFSA External Loan Agreement before we can release film elements. Our staff will provide you with an agreement to sign. 

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Selecting film elements for reproduction work  

Reproduction work requires 1 x complete image element and 1 x complete audio element. 

You will need the NFSA’s guidance and the advice of the facility who will be scanning your film to make technical selections.  

We will work together to determine the best materials to use but please note that the NFSA may not hold all elements for all titles. The task of identifying which elements to loan may require technical examination of multiple elements for comparison purposes, which in turn can have an impact on post production costs and deadlines.  

Searching the NFSA collection

Please use the NFSA catalogue to identify specific collection items.

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Information we require to commence a loan enquiry 

We require the following information from you in order to commence an external loan enquiry. 

• What title(s) are you seeking access to? 
• Who will be directly accessing this material: yourself or a nominated third party?   
• What facility will be undertaking the digital scanning work:  

- Organisation:  

- Contact name:  

- Address:  

- Email:  

- Phone :   

• What are the specific deadlines you are working to for receipt of film elements?

Please submit this information using the Access enquiry form.

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Next Steps

Film elements booked for your loan will be: 

1. retrieved from our vaults  

2. condition-checked by our staff with conditions noted and our database updated 

3. reported on and repaired, as needed

4. wound for travel (a 'transit wind') and shipped. 

Upon return, materials are:  

1. condition-checked again with conditions noted and our database updated for any changes

2. wound for storage (a 'preservation wind') and returned to our vaults. 

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