Meet Sophie Mayer: Preservation Intern

It’s no secret that there exists a deep well of personal and cultural memory, carried by tape and film, that is quickly vanishing to time. What may be less clear to most, however, is how to navigate the complex, grueling, often costly path to learn the necessary skills of preservation. New York University’s Moving Image Archiving and Preservation program (MIAP) has partnered with BAVC Preservation for several years to offer students the opportunity to discover, develop, and refine these skills at our lab in San Francisco.

This summer, we had the pleasure of welcoming Sophie Mayer as our Preservation Intern. Working closely with our Preservation Department, Sophie contributed to a variety of projects and gained hands-on experience in the field.    

Sophie’s time here was brief but well-spent, as she learned all about video signal anatomy and cabling, deck maintenance and tape splicing, luminance, chrominance, and everything in between. Theory was put to practice, and Sophie provided phenomenal results. Notably, she digitized a collection of early VR experiments, documenting the mapping of human motion into virtual environments from Redwood City in the 1980s. We like to think a bit of BAVC’s Bay Area whimsy made an impact on Sophie, and we’re so grateful for her presence this summer.

-Tim Lake, Director of Preservation

As Sophie heads back to New York, we’re excited to share more about her experience at BAVC Media. We wish her all the best in her preservation career!

Tell us a little bit about yourself

I am currently in the middle of a master’s program for Moving Image Archiving and Preservation at NYU. I’m originally from Wisconsin, where I spent time as a preservation technician and projectionist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, while also making short films with my friends. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always loved vintage technology, science fiction, and all things retrofuturism. 

When did you first cross paths with BAVC Media and what about the organization’s mission and vision resonates with you?

I first heard about BAVC through readings and discussions in my master’s program. BAVC Preservation is well known in the world of audiovisual media preservation as one of the most reputable and respected video preservation organizations in the country and has set many standards that are widely followed in the field.

What were you most excited about in this role?

I was very interested in learning as much as I could about the technical aspects of video digitization, but I’ve been very excited by the fascinating fragments of San Francisco history that I’ve been able to help preserve in my time here. Video preservation is cool because you often get to be the first person to see a video recording in years, potentially since it was first recorded. Every tape uncovers surprising new details and stories about the past, and I feel very lucky to be involved in making sure these recordings survive into the future.

 What are 3 things that are currently bringing you joy?

Spending time outside exploring different areas of the Bay Area, maple iced coffee, and my third rewatch of Farscape (one of my favorite shows, highly underrated)