Preserving Interactives

This white paper seeks to answer the question of how we can preserve interactive documentaries — a loosely undefined amalgam of works that are represented online, via browser applications or mobile apps. It gives a critical outline of current preservation practices for complex interactive documentaries that are supported through an industry loosely affiliated with film and documentary festivals: IDFA, Tribeca, Sundance, and in the East certain markets focusing on VR. It describes what solutions we currently have available and identifies lingering problem areas. It points to practical examples of works that have been stored and preserved and, where possible, kept accessible on-line. It also proposes categories of works that could benefit from the same approaches.