Find the item and read its holdings notes
The NFSA's current catalogue page says records can be browsed by titles, formats, dates and availability. It highlights holdings and access notes and advises identifying material before requesting access or licences.
Imagine a documentary producer wants an Australian television report about a regional event. Search the programme or event alongside the likely year, then distinguish the television recording from related sound recordings, documents or still images. Record the catalogue identifier and the item's format. A photograph of a television production is not the broadcast footage itself.
Define the intended use
Write a short project brief stating the proposed production, the passage or subject needed, deadline and intended use. If the original edition is known, include its transmission date and programme title. If it is uncertain, state the uncertainty and list the candidate records rather than presenting a guess as a confirmed identification.
The NFSA catalogue page separates public searching from richer access and directs eligible users toward NFSA Pro. It also says it cannot assist requests to access or view material for personal or general use. Read the current route for your actual purpose instead of treating a publicly searchable record as a personal streaming service.
Keep access, supply and permission distinct
A useful brief asks separately whether the relevant item can be viewed, whether a copy can be supplied for the project and what permissions or licences are required. These are different questions. Finding a title establishes a potential source, while a response from the archive establishes the next stage.
Before publishing a production plan, confirm what the NFSA has actually agreed to supply and any conditions attached to the material. Preserve the catalogue reference with the correspondence so the agreed item remains identifiable.
For the regional-report project, add a selection decision after consultation: confirmed relevant footage, related material only, or wrong candidate. Explain that decision in one sentence tied to the production’s needs. Retain rejected identifiers in the research log so the same unsuitable item is not repeatedly proposed as fresh footage by another member of the production team.
Questions about this guide
Can anyone search the catalogue?
The NFSA describes it as publicly searchable. That does not by itself provide viewing or licensing access.
Why avoid a generic request for 'regional television footage'?
A title, date, subject and candidate holdings reference allow the archive to assess the actual material needed.