Ryan E.

Hi, welcome to my profile! I'm Ryan. I work as an archival producer helping filmmakers, authors and YouTube content creators find, license (clearance) and use archival material in their projects. Communicating with and navigating through archives can be a daunting and time-consuming task. Never fear though! I have a Master's degree in Holocaust Studies, which brought me into contact with loads of archives. I have helped authors and filmmakers arrange trips to archives and find the material they need to make their projects successful. These visits included media records (moving and still images), textual records and oral history. On one such trip, a filmmaker found an oral history of his great grandfather that he didn't know about that will be included in his film. I have also filed public records requests on behalf of filmmakers. This includes police body camera footage along with interrogation video. The majority of archival material has not been digitized. If you want stock images, or other media that hasn't been used regularly or perhaps never been used in a film, you need to visit the archive. Archives are a treasure trove of great media records and audio recordings. If you want a finished project that has unique sources and is original, you need to visit the archive. Textual records encourage you to come to your own conclusions about history. While using already published books or interviews with experts are important, you don't want that to overshadow your own conclusions or beliefs. Archival sources can give you the evidence and confidence you need to defend your position rather than relying on secondary sources. You don't want your film to take someone's work and re-word it. You want your film to reflect you. Archival material gives you the legitimacy do just that. If you are an author or researcher, not fluent in German, I can manage orders and inquires. I have contacts in Germany, which we could use to arrange visits to Berliner archives, if required. Looking forward to working with you! Ryan Edgar, archival producer, research assistant and archival researcher