If history has taught us anything, it’s that people lose things. A lot.
We all know the dreaded feeling of losing (or forgetting) to save an important file.
Luckily, the introduction of digital asset management (or DAM) means we no longer have the excuse of losing things because of human error.
And to show you how crucial digital asset management for video can be for your business, we’ve pulled together 7 infamous examples of lost footage, some never to be seen again.
7 Incredible Examples Of Lost Footage
Some of your favourite characters may have never made it to the big screen. These are 7 examples of lost footage throughout history:
1. Nasa’s Moon Landing Footage
In 2005, NASA began searching for the original 14-track data tape recordings of the moon landing. After an extensive search, NASA revealed the original tapes had either been erased or overridden for another purpose.
Today, only copies of the live broadcast exist.
Conspiracy theorists use this to bolster their claims. If the original footage was still in existence, modern technology would be able to ‘prove’ the landing.
2. Toy Story 2
Toy Story 2 nearly didn’t exist – what a scary thought.
In 1998, right before the film was due for release, an employee accidentally hit the wrong button. The entire film was erased before their eyes.
When all hope was thought to be lost, a 2-week old backup was found on a staff member’s home computer. The film was miraculously saved.
3. The Original Snow White
Not many know that Walt Disney’s first feature-length animated film ‘Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs’ was inspired by an earlier version.
For many years, the original 1916 American silent romance film ‘Snow White’ was thought to be destroyed in a vault fire. Miraculously, it was later found in Amsterdam in 1992 and, thankfully, restored.
4. Hollywood’s First Vampire Film – ‘London After Midnight’
‘London After Midnight’ was a 1927 American silent mystery horror film met with huge success at the box office.
The last known copy of the movie was destroyed in the 1965 MGM vault fire. It’s now one of the most highly sought-after lost films of that era.
5. 4 Devils
‘4 Devils’ was a 1928 film by renowned director F.W Murnau. The film detailed the lives of four orphans living and performing in a circus.
Today there are no surviving copies of this infamous film. The only remaining copy was believed to be borrowed by Mary Duncan, one of the film’s actresses. She never returned the film after reportedly misplacing it. Oops!
6. Wasei Kingu Kongu
The Japanese version of King Kong, ‘Wasei Kingu Kongu’ was a 1933 silent comedy film. Sadly, it was completely destroyed in the devasting bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during WW2.
7. The City Without Jews
The 1924 expressionist film ‘The City Without Jews’ was seen to predict the rise of antisemitism in Europe in the following years.
The film was screened for the last time in 1933 before it was thought to be lost forever. It was later found in 2015 at a Paris flea market and restored through a crowdfunding effort.
Book a demo with a Collaboro Solutions Expert.
How Does DAM Prevent Asset Loss?
Before DAM (or anything digital for that matter) it’s easy to see how human error could jeopardise important assets.
Today, in the digital era, there is no excuse for businesses to be wasting time, money and resources on lost assets.
Here’s how DAM can help:
Instant Access To Any Asset
With DAM, you can say goodbye to lost or hard to find assets.
By tagging each file with unique keywords, object recognition and custom information, metadata allows users to easily and instantly locate any asset.
Employees waste less time hunting down or, worse, recreating files.
Protects Against Accidental Deletion
The creators of Toy Story 2 were lucky someone had a backup – not everyone is that fortunate.
With features like passwords and permission level access, DAM allows businesses to take control of who has access to view, edit and share any asset. This not only protects against accidental deletion, but prevents your intellectual property from getting into the wrong hands.
You Have Control
Digital asset management is an end to end solution that puts you in control.
From access to distribution, staying on top of brand imagery, licensing, compliance and copyright information is easy.
To find out more about why digital asset management is important for every business, see our article here.
Don’t Risk Losing Valuable Assets. Book A DAM Demo Today
If you’re spending hours scouring through folders to find assets, now is the time to invest in a digital asset management solution before it’s too late.
Collaboro is an Australian Cloud-based DAM solution that empowers your teams to do more. Our DAM platform will centralise all your digital assets, making it easier for your teams to organise, find and share all your digital media files, in one place, from anywhere.
But a successful DAM solution requires more. This is where Collaboro brings local Australian expertise and support services to provide a customised end-to-end solution. Book a demo today.
