Records Management at the Movies - Records and Information ...

Records Managementat theMovieswww.rammell.comRammell ConsultingOrganisational Effectiveness throughRecords & Information Management

1984www.rammell.comThe Orwelian classic

A Civil Actionwww.rammell.comThe records from Travolta’s case are handed over to theEnvironmental Protection Agency. A fork-lift movesrecords in a warehouse full of such documents.

A Few Good Menwww.rammell.comThe tower chiefs logs for Guantanamo Bay and AndrewAirforce base are used as evidence. These should log aflight that took place at a certain but Colonel Jessupsomehow has them amended to save him from gettinginto trouble.

Alien 3www.rammell.comThe plots centre around the mining company’s s secretdefence contract agenda, which Ripley accesseselectronically from the ship's records system. She alsoaccesses the company personnel files.

All The President’s s Menwww.rammell.comThis film from 1976 stars Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman, as reportersfrom the Washington Post who discover a link between the Whitehouse andthe break-in at the Watergate building, leading to the downfall of Nixon.They investigate the destruction of official records being destroyed withoutauthorisation to cover up the conspiracy. Cringe as Dustin Hoffman goesinto a government record office and is brought some volumes by a verynerdy searchroom assistant. He then tears out the pages he needs asevidence, when the assistant isn't looking.

American Splendorwww.rammell.comThe main character, Harvey Pekar, , is a hospital RecordsManager and part-time time comic script writer. Many of thescenes are set in his *tidy* file room.

Being John Malkovichwww.rammell.comThis included a records centre with an unusually low ceilingheight (cheap rental value), where you could access thebrain of JM via a portal hidden behind a filing cabinet.

Bladerunnerwww.rammell.comAre we human because we keep records? Will we havebiometric records to prove that we are human?

Blue Collarwww.rammell.comPaul Shrader's film where factory workers Harvey Keitel,Yaphet Koto and Richard Pryor raid their trade unionoffice for money and find records relating to the unionsinvolvement with the mafia.

Bruce Almightywww.rammell.comJim Carey demonstrates just how much you can fit into a filing cabinet. cHe also has a records problem in managing prayer requests. Theprayers have built up and he needs a system to manage them. Firsthe tries stick-it it notes, then filing cabinets, and finally opts for anemail system on a computer called Yahweh.

Carlton Brownof the FOwww.rammell.comClassic 1950's comedy featuring Terry Thomas and Peter Sellers. TheForeign Office receives a letter from a colony they had completelylyforgotten about and have to ring down to Archives to retrieve itspapers. The Archives/RM unit consists of cobweb encrustedcupboards with mice (located in, you guessed it, the basement)looked after by an ancient, shuffling records manager/Archivist -how not to keep your semi-current records!

Chinatownwww.rammell.comJack Nicholson goes to the records office, borrows a rulerfrom the records clerk, and tears off a property deedwhile the clerk is not looking.

Class Actionwww.rammell.comThis 1990 movie class features Gene Hackman. . The film centres aroundevidence for a court case against a motor firm. Many scenes in aRecord Centre & lots of records being dumped on solicitors to mask"the truth"!It includes a strong document production/litigation themewith tons of Iron Mountain boxes and the line by an elderly witnesswho said that he didn't have the document -- to get it you have to goto the mountain -- Iron Mountain!.

Clear and PresentDangerwww.rammell.comDemonstrates the difference between computerizedresearch into records versus paper records and how adestruction schedule is not always respected.

Cold Casewww.rammell.comTV series pulling out old case files and notusing "Out Cards"!

Desk Setwww.rammell.comTwo extremely strong personalities, Spencer Tracy andKatharine Hepburn, clash over the computerization of aTV network's research department.

Die Hard 2www.rammell.comBruce Willis is looking for the plans for the airport cableraceways to get under the runway and he encountersthe "file room" with the drawings in rolls "filed" ingarbage cans...

Disclosurewww.rammell.comThe film version of Michael Crichton's novel in which the electronic records of the computercompany in which the action is set are visualised in their experimental virtual realityenvironment as a series of folders in vertical filing cabinets, the drawers of which aremarked with topic labels and open on voice command. When the hero (Michael Douglas)enters the virtual reality space looking for 'files' he watches them physically disappear as theevil hard woman who is trying to destroy his career (Demi(Moore) sits at her computer inreal time and deletes them. He is able to recover the crucial deleted e-mails eand otherdocuments he needs by having them faxed to him by the recipient in the firm's Asianmanufacturing plant.This gives him a hardcopy product and by passes the firm's e-mail esystem from which he hasbeen maliciously excluded.

Dodge Ballwww.rammell.comA brief mention of Freedom of Information

Erin Brokovitchwww.rammell.comThe story is littered with references to the use and abuse ofrecords (and very disorganised file rooms). and provides avery useful (negative) illustration of the issues arounddisclosure and retrieval of relevant records.

Enemy of the Statewww.rammell.comThis film featuring Gene Hackman and Denzil Washington included thecapture of a murder scene on a video used to record bird activity -demonstrating that over the lifecycle of the record, the content mayhave more value than that of original intent! Stolen identities andlots of Data Protection type issues - a good illustration of howrecords can be manipulated.

Enigmawww.rammell.comRecord access issues and secrets abound.

Fahrenheit 451www.rammell.comA bookless society where all books are burned (451’F F beingthe temperature at which they catch fire)

Fatherlandwww.rammell.comOld Nazi records are key to the story.

Fellowship of the Ringwww.rammell.comGandalf goes to search some old documents in the MinasTirith archives, where he sits in a gloomy, dank room (abasement probably!), surrounded by piles of dust andthousands of lit candles.

Goldeneyewww.rammell.comJames Bond runs amok in a Russian filing room and theunsecured shelves and their contents go flying inparticularly spectacular fashion.

Glengarry Glen Rosswww.rammell.comHaving your records stolen by a member of your own workforce isquite a trying experience. The acting by Al Pacino, , Jack Lemmon,Kevin Spacey and Alec Baldwin is a masterclass. . You also get theatmosphere of a high tension office at work or ordinary peopleunder extraordinary pressure.

Hannibalwww.rammell.comPatients files have been dumped in a filing cabinet in theold, abandoned hospital, providing Barney with anopportunity to sell Hannibal Lecter's medical files on theinternet.

Hopscotchwww.rammell.comWalter Matthau, , a retiring CIA/FBI government agent, whosuccessfully manages to shred his file while the recordsmanager is distracted with talk of baseball. No formaltracking of files going out there either!

In The Name ofThe Fatherwww.rammell.comA records clerk inadvertently gives the barrister (EmmaThomson) the wrong file, the one that reveals thesuppression of evidence that resulted in amiscarriage of justice.

Insiderwww.rammell.comRussell Crowe walks out of his office with confidential informationionrelating to the addictiveness of cigarettes. This story is looselylybased on real events, but the film shows ordinary people workingunder extraordinary circumstances. The fax machine plays a vitalrole in this film as does email and the tension generated aroundwaiting for information to come through is palpable.

LA Confidentialwww.rammell.comRussell Crowe and Guy Pearce destroy a records store byfighting after one of them has accessed some of therecords.Guy Pearce also manages to find lots ofinformation from files languishing in the basement.

Minority Reportwww.rammell.comA records management system of the future.

Napoleonwww.rammell.comKevin Brownlow’s restoration of this silent film classic has ascene where the dramatic destruction of the staterecords is symbolic of the fall of the old regime.

National TreasureFeaturing the US National Archive and the Declaration ofIndependence.www.rammell.com

Office Spacewww.rammell.comOne of the minor characters is a records clerk responsible for collation canddistribution of reports. During a reorganization, consultants discover that hewas actually laid off, never told, and continued to be paid for 3 years.Rather than inform the poor records clerk that he has been sacked, theconsultants just remove him from the payroll. To add insult to injury, itherecords clerk's office is moved 3 times finally resulting in him being relocatedto the basement with no lights & a can of bug spray to control the troaches.

One Foot inthe Gravewww.rammell.comClassic British TV sitcom - Pippa sends Mr Meldrew a copy ofPatrick's "Diary", instead of a copy of the letter to the "Dairy",",revealing unfortunate confidential information anddemonstrating the need for accurate data entry and securitychecks. In another episode, Victor fills out an order formincorrectly and ends up with 263 garden gnomes!

Passport to Pimlicowww.rammell.comA deed (which has been misfiled and lost!) proves thatPimlico belongs to the Duke of Burgundy rather than tothe British Crown.

Presumed Innocentwww.rammell.comHarrison Ford plays an attorney accused of murdering acolleague and is seen packing files into an IronMountain box!

Serendipitywww.rammell.comJohn Cusack traces Kate Beckinsale using the credit cardrecords of a department store.

Spy Gamewww.rammell.comRobert Redford uses information systems, maps, pressleaks, knowledge of records management, and amazingchutzpah to save Brad Pitt.

Star Wars Episode II –The Attack of the Cloneswww.rammell.comObi Wan takes Luke Skywalker to try to find records of alien nations whichhave already been making clones. The lady archivist has sleek silver hairswept up into a bun and glasses on the end of her nose and is very wiseand serene!. Obi Wan Kenobi looks at the Jedi Archives for a star r system(Kamino)) with no success and the archivist foolishly says to him somethingalong the lines of "If the system is not in the archives, it does s not exist".We all know that no records system is perfect! All the files were wglowingelectronic thing's on shelves going miles high up into the ceiling.

The Clientwww.rammell.comThe John Grisham movie with Susan Sarandon, whoaccesses her personal records.

The Firmwww.rammell.comTom Cruise gets the bad guy through his billing records.Lots of lovely photocopying of documents in theCaribbean that nails the baddies for money laundering.

The Ipcress Filewww.rammell.comMichael Caine tracking down a missing scientist plus hisfile. Proper file keeping in this film with lots of greymetal filing cabinets regularly attended to by a chainsmoking secretary.

The Packagewww.rammell.comMajor Sergeant Gene Hackman has to visit his ex-wife Col.Joanna Cassidy who is in charge of military personnelrecords to track down the military files on Tommy LeeJones whom he is chasing. The records managementsection is very clean and efficient (naturally!).

The Matrix(1, 2, and 3)www.rammell.comCarrying information and records management issues tothe nth degree!

The Rainmakerwww.rammell.comAside from the 'Stupid, Stupid, Stupid' letter, there is themissing annex from the claim handling file that requiresthe denying of all insurance claims.

The Pelican Briefwww.rammell.comConsiders what one can do with a little bit of research onLexis Nexis and illustrates the dangers of allowingdocuments to fall into the hands of public officials.

The RingNoah Clay (Martin Henderson) gains access to a livingperson's medical files through deception.www.rammell.com

The Name of the Rosewww.rammell.comThe library is arranged in such a way as to make it near impossible(unless you're the librarian) to get into, find your way around or anybooks or information that you might want, and then get out of it.The book's description of the library is somewhat better than that inthe film that was made of the book, but even so, the film makesclear what a labyrinth it was.

Yes Ministerwww.rammell.comVarious mentions in this classic British sitcom, for exampleepisode 3.3 - The Skeleton in the Cupboard: The 30-yearyear-rule rule isabout to reveal the name of the young Civil Servant who made acomplete mess of a defence contract.For some reason Sir Humphrey seems nervous ....

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With thanks and acknowledgements tomembers of the JISC-mail RecordsManagement email forum:Paul DullerLarry MedinaPeter KibbyStephen ClarkGraeme HawleySimon LockChristopher JackRichard ShakeshaftElizabeth HughesSarah EmmersonEmma JarviewPeter KurileczRhian PhillipsGillian TaylorCarla DunsmoreMichael HillPhil OakmanDavid ThewRob DawsonJane KimberRobert MelvilleAdam PopeCatherine RedfernImages courtesy of:The Internet Movie Databasewww.imdb.comGrahame GouldTony MayLawrence SerewiczPenny BakerJanet YoungSophie HoultonPeter EmmersonSara Lee BranchJanet JuricaTeresa MaleyCathey WebbThe British Broadcasting Corporationwww.bbc.co.uk & www.bbcprograms.comwww.rammell.com

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