Thread

A searchable library of forgotten public-domain film clips from 1915 onward

210 points · 27 comments · momentmaker

Loading the complete thread in the background. This saved snapshot is available now. Refresh

pmdulaney · 1790269205 · focus · HN ↗
I don't see how to access the search function. All I see are example videos.
1. jolmg · 1790447210 · focus · HN ↗
  Right above the thumbnails is a search input. On the top right is also a link that says "Search" that takes you to it.
  1. cowboylowrez · 1790448115 · focus · HN ↗
    I clicked it, but all it said was that it was hungry and could I install more broadband? hahah maybe 3 more fibers and it might load hahahahaha
2. system2 · 1790471790 · focus · HN ↗
  A super sloppy vibe coded theme. That's why.
cowboylowrez · 1790448046 · focus · HN ↗
lol that website is a p-i-g pig but can you make it a bit slower? that would be hilarious haha
USeyller · 1790448112 · focus · HN ↗
Sounds rally cool. How and where are the movie clips collected, and how is it verified that they are in public domain?
1. mocheeze · 1790448330 · focus · HN ↗
  Many of these are sourced from the US Government, which means public domain. They also have links to the sources below so you can verify source and copyright.
Animats · 1790448767 · focus · HN ↗
This looks like a collection of clips from the Internet Archive. "General Aviation - Fact or Fiction" is on the Moving Image Archive at [1], and the full version is in the Internet Archive at [2]. Most of the content is from the Internet Archive. What's the point?
At least they don't slap their logo on public domain material, like Periscope Films does.
[1] <a href="https://www.movingimagearchive.com/sources/general-aviation-fact-or-fiction-0d4d1a70" rel="nofollow">https://www.movingimagearchive.com/sources/general-aviation-...
[2] <a href="https://archive.org/details/gov.ntis.ava12749vnb" rel="nofollow">https://archive.org/details/gov.ntis.ava12749vnb
1. mocheeze · 1790449454 · focus · HN ↗
  BTW they don't hide the source of the videos. Scrolling down on the video page links to the collection and source.
  1. cowboylowrez · 1790449768 · focus · HN ↗
    I was considering getting a new computer, how much computer do I need to be able to handle that scroll do you think?
2. bryanrasmussen · 1790450081 · focus · HN ↗
  Depending on how they serve these clips (do they save them locally etc.) the point could be to take load off the internet archive.
  The other point might be to provide better search capabilities than IA, also taking load off. Sometimes verifying something actually is Public Domain on IA can be work in itself, putting more work on a primary resource. In short it seems to me these people are doing a good thing.
paweladamczuk · 1790451130 · focus · HN ↗
This is really lovely. I think it's pretty obvious that it bases on sources like Internet Archive and the Library of Congress, but it does add value.
I just wonder if it can survive - is there a business model here? If not, it's just a tech demo and then it doesn't have value as the hosted version, it would have it if the whole processing/indexing pipeline was open sourced so that anyone can host it themselves and pay for their own infrastructure.
1. moritzwarhier · 1790454488 · focus · HN ↗
  > is there a business model
  the "business value" (aka legal extortion) is obviously to extract rent from information that was previously free (as in free speech), and that is not licensed.
  I don't understand your comprehension problems.
  However, I wouldn't categorically deny positive external effects. These are exotic, because or politics and economy are based on negative external effects, violence and corrruption.
  However, there are positive "externalities" (a different word for the woo of pseudo-scientifical "economic theories, that is easy to overlook).
  But in the end, the plausible results are simple. "Value" comes from
  - natural resources - extortion, if there is no sufficient legal boundary - marginal improvements in improving extortion and extraction efficiency
  See, I saved you an MBA there.
  1. Forgeties79 · 1790457832 · focus · HN ↗
    >I don't understand your comprehension problems.
    You can make your point but you can’t talk to people like this here.
    shevy-java · 1790458583 · focus · HN ↗
    That's an assumption on your part though. To me both prior comments read rather clearly. And I don't see a problem with the content.
    Barbing · 1790461280 · focus · HN ↗
    Per “can’t” - The admins use a math example in the guidelines that’s kind of funny <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html">https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
    moritzwarhier · 1790463668 · focus · HN ↗
    [delayed]
    Forgeties79 · 1790464354 · focus · HN ↗
    You think your phrasing wasn’t “malicious”?
  2. wildzzz · 1790459139 · focus · HN ↗
    Someone has to pay the hosting costs. I don't see an issue with asking for a nominal fee for access to a curated library (there is a lot of useless garbage in the public domain). Of course, anyone can do as they please with public domain media once they've accessed it, even building their own hosting site so it's not exactly a real money making idea.
    moritzwarhier · 1790461619 · focus · HN ↗
    [delayed]
  3. streetfighter64 · 1790464279 · focus · HN ↗
    > "Value" comes from - natural resources - extortion, if there is no sufficient legal boundary - marginal improvements in improving extortion and extraction efficiency
    That is false on its face. You tacitly admit it by implying that the public domain clips have value. Where'd that value come from? Natural resources or extortion? Or neither?
    Providing a service is not extracting rent. First of all, hosting these clips is in no way taking ownership of them. To extract rent on something you must first own it, that is, deny others usage of it. How's that possible when it comes to public domain?
    Secondly, taking a fee in order to pay for the upkeep of something, including the labor you yourself provide, is not extracting rent. That term only applies to when you take a fee that's not coupled to any labor, but only to ownership.
2. solarkraft · 1790528749 · focus · HN ↗
  > but it does add value
  There is SO MUCH value to be added on top of archives. Browsing archive.org kind of sucks, but there is so much amazing material on there.
  Curation makes all the difference.
tomalbrc · 1790451247 · focus · HN ↗
This is a much worse version of destockd.
<a href="https://www.destockd.com/" rel="nofollow">https://www.destockd.com/
<a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49689005">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49689005 <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49599206">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49599206
1. doawoo · 1790468394 · focus · HN ↗
  thanks, this website in OP's post was horrible performance wise
akiselev · 1790453689 · focus · HN ↗
Just found an amateur video of San Francisco from 1940: <a href="https://www.movingimagearchive.com/sources/amateur-film-san-francisco-ae0fa41b" rel="nofollow">https://www.movingimagearchive.com/sources/amateur-film-san-...
1. eesmith · 1790456650 · focus · HN ↗
  SF in 1906, "Trip Down Market Street Before the Fire", at <a href="https://archive.org/details/TripDown1905" rel="nofollow">https://archive.org/details/TripDown1905 and better copy at <a href="http://www.archive.org/details/TripDownMarketStreetrBeforeTheFire" rel="nofollow">http://www.archive.org/details/TripDownMarketStreetrBeforeTh... .
2. shevy-java · 1790458632 · focus · HN ↗
  That is scary, how these strange ... cars try to sneak up on the hill-like streets in San Francisco.
shevy-java · 1790458519 · focus · HN ↗
Page loads way too slowly IMO. Even the youtube page loads somewhat slowly, but it is about 10x faster than that webpage. There is no need for these fancypants animations really. I am not going to wait for slow animations to finish.
system2 · 1790471738 · focus · HN ↗
I guess someone will need to clone this site with a search function, categorization, and proper pagination. Nice attempt, though.
ynac · 1790476222 · focus · HN ↗
If you are feeling inspired by the project to edit a found footage awesome thing, here's <a href="https://mobygratis.com" rel="nofollow">https://mobygratis.com - an amazing gift to filmmakers and a pretty snazzy listening experience for (semi-)library music.
Sorrel47 · 1790479040 · focus · HN ↗
The searchability aspect is key here. Imagine the historical insights or creative re-uses this unlocks.
ZeroDayDreamer · 1790497291 · focus · HN ↗
[dead]
ChristmasTomer · 1790543582 · focus · HN ↗
[dead]
rubinlinux · 1790613473 · focus · HN ↗
Apply stabilization to these would be a big improvement. Crazy what we tolerated back then.

Open on Hacker News to reply ↗

Unofficial Hacker News client; not affiliated with Y Combinator.