ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to investigate the historical, epistemic, and media-archaeological status of inspection tables in operational contexts such as archiving, research and training. The literature has given scant consideration to inspection devices, one of the most basic and long-established devices for the analysis of film material artefacts. Nevertheless, the use of hand-cranked, motorised, electronic and, more recently, digital-hybrid tables has been widespread in inspecting (and viewing) practices throughout the film industry chain, as well as continuing to perform more specific functions in the archival field.
