TARA Online | Advanced Search | Tips & FAQs
Tips and FAQs
To maximize the effectiveness of your TARA Online search, here are tips and answers to frequently asked questions.
What will TARA Online show me?
How do I search?
Are there any search tips?
As search terms are not highlighted in the results what is the best way to locate these?
What does FF# in the shortlist mean?
What are the common shotlist terms used?
My result set does not show me the whole entry - how do I see it?
Does the database show records for the whole collection?
Are all the items in your database cleared for reuse?
Can I order the material in the format I want?
What if I can't find what I want?
Can I view before purchasing?
What are your rates?
How do I order footage?
I am doing a school project and would like to illustrate it with some of your footage
What will TARA Online show me?
TARA Online contains detailed records of selected ABC produced TV programs, segments and stock shots, plus some material produced by outside sources.
Records on AP Archive (Associated Press Archive) material that is held in Australia, are also in Tara Online.
Nat Geo: http://www.abccontentsales.com.au/s1123932.htm
AP Archive: http://www.abc.net.au/abccontentsales/s1154022.htm
This invaluable television program material, plus thousands of hours of selected trims now forms the most extensive stock-shot collection in the southern hemisphere.
TARA Online contains records on genres such as news and current affairs, science, music, sport and the arts, and is sourced from productions dating from 1956 when television was introduced in Australia. Also included are records on a selection of older items donated to the ABC.
If there is a matching result for your search, the detailed search result shows
1. ID number
2. Program Title
3. Segment Title
4. Type - type of entry - complete program, a segment from a program, stock shots
5. Duration - In minutes and seconds for items catalogued from tape, or in feet for items catalogued from film
6. Date of Broadcast
7. Date of recording - this only appears when the item has not been broadcast eg for stock shots. This date can be approximate
8. Summary of the Content
9. Location - shooting location
10. Shotlist - description of shots, timecodes can be used as an approximate indication of the shot duration. A variety of measurement standards are used
11. Personality - people who appear in the item
Some fields show no data when that field contains no data. Often records imported from other databases will not have data entered for all TARA Online fields
QUICK SEARCH
Enter any keyword/s relating to the footage you want. The more specific the term the better the results, for example enter "John Howard" instead of just Howard. If you want to find all people named Howard enter just Howard.
A keyword search searches all fields in the database.
ADVANCED SEARCH
As TARA ONLINE contains over 600,000 records we recommend you use the ADVANCED SEARCH option to obtain a more precise search result. The Advanced User Screen enables you to decide which fields you want the system to search. The fields are clearly labelled showing the type of information to enter.
Use "quotes" if searching for a particular phrase eg "Monash University"
Use an asterisk * to perform a wildcard search eg cloud* which will give you any word beginning with cloud, for example, clouds and cloudy.
As search terms are not highlighted in the results what is the best way to locate these?
You can open a Find window by pressing CTRL+F on a PC, or Apple+F on a Mac, which will allow you to easily find any words on the page.
What does FF# in the shortlist mean?
"FF" stands for file footage and indicates that the shot is not ABC copyright.
You can contact us for more information.
"LibFF" indicates that the shot is
file footage taken from a previous ABC item."
What are the common shotlist terms used?
The shotlist shows a shot-by-shot description.
Legend:
| BCU | -Big close up |
| CU | -Close up |
| MS | -Medium shot |
| MCU | -Medium close up |
| MLS | -Medium long shot |
| LS | -Long shot |
| WS | -Wide shot |
| VS | -Various shots |
My result set does not show me the whole entry - how do I see it?
Click on the link of the Summary display to see the whole of the entry
Does the database show records for the whole collection?
TARA Online does not include records for drama, comedy, children's or education productions, nor station promotions. Some records for pre 1984 filmed items, programs and segments that have been purchased by the ABC, and some programs held in the ABC Program Library are also not detailed in TARA Online. State based news items that are less than 7 years old and any crime related out takes are not available on TARA Online.
ABC Natural History stock vision is not available on TARA ONLINE. WILD Online is the ABC's Natural History database and contains sound and vision records.
Light Entertainment programs such as New Inventors, Spicks and Specks, and The Einstein Factor are not entered into TARA Online.
Remember that you can always contact us for access to our expert researchers who can perform detailed searches on in-house databases and systems. These items include dramas, film, stock footage and natural history. Fees apply.
TARA ONLINE is updated daily on working days. Records from the previous 24 hours will not be available till the next update.
Are all the items in your database cleared for reuse?
Not all items are cleared. Contact our staff for help with clearances or with other similar footage that is cleared but may not be available on the database. TARA Online does not contain copyright information. The availability of any item must be checked by our research team prior to supply. Some programs or segments will contain footage from multiple copyright owners.
Can I order the material in the format I want?
We can supply material in most formats. Our most requested and accessible formats are PAL Digital Betacam and PAL Betacam SX
What if I can't find what I want?
Please email Library Sales , with your request. We will be able to advise you personally.
Yes - a preview of requested footage can be arranged on our online preview site or we can send you a timecoded VHS screener. A service/research charge applies.
There are many factors that affect licence fees, such as the medium licensed, licence period and territory licensed for. See our online ABC rate card.
As well as the licence fee, there are charges for research, transfers and stock.
Email your request here or click here for our contact details.
I am doing a school project and would like to illustrate it with some of your footage.
Library Sales supplies the ABC's media collection to commercial operations and professional bodies only, including program makers, advertising agencies and broadcasters.
For copies of complete programs or segments from programs contact Non-Theatric Sales
