Why CU Boulder houses Martin Scorsese's personal VHS collection

• Espelie, who works at the university's cinema studies & moving image arts department, says the VHSes were collected by Sikelia Productions, Scorsese's film production company.
• The tapes were sometimes given to cast members to study.
• Gina Telaroli, a video archivist for Scorsese whom Espelie knew, helped facilitate the donation.

What they're saying: "Part of it is due to chance — I would say that we were in the right place at the right time," Espelie tells us, saying Scorsese had been trying to archive his material at institutions.

Context: CU Boulder is "uniquely positioned" to receive such material, Espelie says, noting the university has a legacy of housing experimental film material.

• The school owns papers from filmmakers Ken and Flo Jacobs, and received professional preservation and archiving equipment from visual effects specialists Wyndham Hannaway in 2016.

The intrigue: While the tapes arrived in great condition, Espelie says the university is working to preserve the material by digitizing it.

• She notes VHS tapes, which used magnetic tape, are delicate and must be properly stored to avoid damage.

How to watch: The tapes are housed at the Rare and Distinctive Collections inside Norlin Library, and are available for viewing by students, and the public by appointment.