‘Listen to reason, the season is calling’
Film footage and audio from the early days of R.E.M. and other iconic rock bands from Athens will be digitally restored to preserve the nostalgia while sharing with the next generation, thanks to donors to a University of Georgia Libraries campaign currently under way.
Music fans, UGA alumni, and other supporters can help raise funds to digitally restore the film and audio for the archives of Athens, GA: Inside/Out, a 1986 documentary from Tony Gayton and Bill Cody that introduced the world to the hometown of alt rock music legends such as R.E.M., Pylon, and The B-52s. The original 16 mm film and all accompanying negative and sound elements are preserved within the Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection at the UGA Special Collections Libraries. They feature interviews and concert footage of dozens of Athens artists, from bands that broke into the mainstream like Love Tractor and Dreams So Real to locally known artists like Howard Finster and Kilkenny Cats.
“This footage is like a time capsule of a time and place like no other in Georgia music history,” said Ryan Lewis, music and popular culture curator at the UGA Special Collections Libraries. “We are thankful that donors are willing to help us take this snapshot of the ‘80s Athens music scene into the modern age, so we can keep sharing this story with future generations.”
With a goal of $60,000, the project will digitally restore the original 16mm film and audio elements using vendors from all around the country who specialize in this work. The campaign will pay for the work of scanning all negatives, digital image clean-up, color grading, audio mastering, restoration titles, and the creation of a digital cinema package and a 35mm film print for projection in theaters, as well as a new film negative for long-term preservation within the vault at the UGA Special Collections Building.
“This project is designed to preserve and provide access to an iconic Athens film for decades to come,” said Ruta Abolins, director of the Brown Media Archives and Peabody Media Awards Collection.
The project will culminate with a community screening of the documentary for its 40th anniversary next year.
Enthusiasm for the project has grown quickly, with almost a quarter of the funding already secured. While donations of any amount are welcome, those that give at the $500 or above level will be acknowledged by name in the remastered documentary’s credits.
Donations can be made through the secure online site Georgia Funder or by contacting Lee Snelling, UGA Libraries’ senior director of development.