This four-part webinar series offers an introduction to the essential role of audio in moving image materials, with a focus on the formats, challenges, and practices involved in preserving and working with sound. Intended for those seeking to strengthen their understanding of audio or those new to the field, it provides a practical foundation in how sound is captured, managed, and preserved within moving image collections. While audio is an integral part of moving image media, it is often in the background; the series offers an opportunity to bring it into clearer focus, highlighting its complexity, significance, and preservation needs.

Practitioner-led, the series combines technical grounding in real-world contexts, helping participants better understand audio across both analog and digital environments.

Part I                    Tuesday, August 18                 10:00am – 11:30am (Pacific)
Part II                   Thursday, August 20               10:00am – 11:30am (Pacific)
Part III                  Tuesday, August 25                 10:00am – 11:30am (Pacific)
Part IV                 Thursday, August 27                10:00am – 11:30am (Pacific)

Across four sessions, the series will cover:

• Sound, frequencies, and exposure time
• Glossary of Terms
• Preservation vs. Restoration
• Analog vs. Digital
• Overview of Sound formats used for film
• Overview of Playback formats used in film
• Audio Asset Preservation
• Physical preparation of assets
• Cleaning and treatment of assets
• Analog preservation of analog media
• Digital preservation of analog media
• Analog restoration
• Digital audio basics
• Primary goal of restoration
• Research and finding the “Golden elements”
• Anomalies and Conditions to address
• Listening test / distinguishing noise from program
• Workflow of a film soundtrack restoration
• Digital toolbox for sound restoration
• Aesthetics of sound restoration
• Listening standards

Each session includes time for questions and discussion, encouraging engagement and the exchange of ideas among participants and instructors.

Certificates are available for participants who attend all sessions in the series.

The Audio in Moving Images series is presented with support from the National Film Preservation Board.

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John Polito. graduated with honors from Stanford University specializing in digital audio signal processing and composition at CCRMA (Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics). In 1987 he became Product Manager for the subsequently highly successful NoNoise system, working closely with major record labels as an expert in the burgeoning archive reissue field. John founded Audio Mechanics in 1991 and has been working on restoration, editing, and mastering projects for music, film, television, and legal industries. He has worked in conjunction with the FBI on forensic cases and has been called upon on several occasions to serve as an expert witness. He is a frequent presenter at AMIA and SMPTE, and lectures on audio preservation and restoration at both the L. Jeffrey Selznick School of Film Preservation and New York University (NYU).