Hidden histories: Vaulting as corporate archival practice

Bailey Apollonio
{"title":"Hidden histories: Vaulting as corporate archival practice","authors":"Bailey Apollonio","doi":"10.33178/alpha.27.05","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"In this article, I insist on a broader conceptualisation of the Disney Vault, not only as a figurative place for films outside of their distribution windows, but also as an industrial practice of vaulting which continues to play a role at the Walt Disney Company. Drawing on primary resources and the company’s home-video distribution history, I explore Disney’s relationship to past, present, and future. I posit that mobilising the Vault as a branding tool has broader historiographical implications in that it works as a tool of public relations that obfuscates problematic corporate histories—even as the company continues to distribute content in the streaming age. Using Song of the South (Wilfred Jackson, 1946) and the film’s paratexts as a case study, I consider how contemporary language surrounding the Vault has served to mask Disney’s most problematic and notorious property in the streaming age. By painting the streaming platform as a democratic space of open access, Disney conceals a fraught past by guiding users to believe that they maintain complete access to the Disney collection. Recognising vaulting as an industry practice can help researchers more effectively account for the limitations of the corporate-owned streaming archive.","PeriodicalId":378992,"journal":{"name":"Alphaville: Journal of Film and Screen Media","volume":"62 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2024-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Alphaville: Journal of Film and Screen Media","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.33178/alpha.27.05","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"","JCRName":"","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0

Abstract

In this article, I insist on a broader conceptualisation of the Disney Vault, not only as a figurative place for films outside of their distribution windows, but also as an industrial practice of vaulting which continues to play a role at the Walt Disney Company. Drawing on primary resources and the company’s home-video distribution history, I explore Disney’s relationship to past, present, and future. I posit that mobilising the Vault as a branding tool has broader historiographical implications in that it works as a tool of public relations that obfuscates problematic corporate histories—even as the company continues to distribute content in the streaming age. Using Song of the South (Wilfred Jackson, 1946) and the film’s paratexts as a case study, I consider how contemporary language surrounding the Vault has served to mask Disney’s most problematic and notorious property in the streaming age. By painting the streaming platform as a democratic space of open access, Disney conceals a fraught past by guiding users to believe that they maintain complete access to the Disney collection. Recognising vaulting as an industry practice can help researchers more effectively account for the limitations of the corporate-owned streaming archive.
隐藏的历史:作为企业档案实践的拱顶
在本文中,我坚持对迪斯尼 "储藏室 "进行更广泛的概念化,不仅将其视为电影发行窗口之外的一个象征性场所,还将其视为在华特迪斯尼公司继续发挥作用的 "储藏室 "工业实践。我利用原始资源和公司的家庭视频发行历史,探索迪斯尼与过去、现在和未来的关系。我认为,将 "保险库 "作为一种品牌工具具有更广泛的历史学意义,因为它是一种公共关系工具,可以模糊有问题的公司历史--即使该公司在流媒体时代继续发行内容。以《南方之歌》(威尔弗雷德-杰克逊,1946 年)和该片的副标题为案例,我考虑了在流媒体时代,围绕《金库》的当代语言是如何掩盖迪斯尼最有问题、最臭名昭著的财产的。迪斯尼将流媒体平台描绘成一个开放访问的民主空间,通过引导用户相信他们可以完全访问迪斯尼藏品,掩盖了充满争议的过去。认识到保险库是一种行业惯例,可以帮助研究人员更有效地解释企业拥有的流媒体档案的局限性。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
求助全文
约1分钟内获得全文 求助全文
来源期刊
自引率
0.00%
发文量
0
×
引用
GB/T 7714-2015
复制
MLA
复制
APA
复制
导出至
BibTeX EndNote RefMan NoteFirst NoteExpress
×
提示
您的信息不完整,为了账户安全,请先补充。
现在去补充
×
提示
您因"违规操作"
具体请查看互助需知
我知道了
×
提示
确定
请完成安全验证×
copy
已复制链接
快去分享给好友吧!
我知道了
右上角分享
点击右上角分享
0
联系我们:info@booksci.cn Book学术提供免费学术资源搜索服务,方便国内外学者检索中英文文献。致力于提供最便捷和优质的服务体验。 Copyright © 2023 布克学术 All rights reserved.
京ICP备2023020795号-1
ghs 京公网安备 11010802042870号
Book学术文献互助
Book学术文献互助群
群 号:481959085
Book学术官方微信