Spacetime

I just wanted to take a minute to draw attention to a friend's work. I met David South at the Power of Pro8mm Film seminar in Los Angeles earlier this year and we hit it off pretty well. He's a motivated guy and very enthusiastic about analog film. When we met he was working on this music video he was shooting on Super 8. Well, it's been released into the world so I want to encourage everyone to check it out.

If you're interested in finding out more about Dave and his work, check out his website over at Dos Moon.

The Power of Pro8mm

I spent this last weekend out Left in LA-LA Land (apparently learning about alliteration) surrounded by a group of like-minded film makers at the Power of Super 8 Boot Camp operated by the folks at Pro8mm. In a previous post I chatted about a mini-seminar Phil Vigeant gave here in NYC that prompted me to go out there, so I won't bother writing much here about Pro8mm in terms of what they do. What I do want to say is that the boot camp was an awesome experience and well worth the time and money of anyone who's interested in small format film making.

I'd been to Pro8mm's facility in Burbank before and everyone seemed like nice enough people, but spending a weekend getting to know them was a really great experience. I have to admit that one thing I was a little skeptical about was the marketing push they've had over the past year - I'm always a bit wary of people who want to sell you something and the creative landscape these days is full of aggressive self-promoters who make as much a living putting on workshops as they do practicing their art. This concern was assuaged at the NYC event and shattered by the boot camp. You simply couldn't ask for a nicer group of people to work with.

And generous. Yes, Pro8mm is a business, but as I'm fond of saying, the 21st Century business model is generosity. These guys really want to support 8mm cinema and film makers, and they really are all about their community. After all, you almost would have had to try to not get in on the early-bird special pricing on this thing and either way it was a remarkably low price for any kind of film making workshop. There were 3 days, each with anywhere between 7 and 9 hours worth of lectures, presentations, hands-on, and networking opportunities. And Phil likes deals. There were a number of great discounts on film stock, processing, telecine, and cameras at the event; each well worth the price of admission. 

I had an opportunity to meet a lot of really great people attending the boot camp. Friday, at the Lunch/Tour/Meet & Greet I had the opportunity to chat for a good long time with Ben Kutsko who wasn't able to present it himself, but whose music video for Harper Simon's "Berkely Girl" I've admired since I saw it. Another presenter that I was really impressed with were Maxamilla Lukacs whose psychadelic music videos and commercial short films immediately brought to mind the visuals of Alejandro Joderowsky who I later learned was not only an influence on her, but also the subject of an interview she'll be conducting in a couple of weeks. This was certainly the film geek highlight of the weekend for me. Moy Perez's seasonal concept films were also great, especially the apocalyptic Summer Solstice; and George Manzanilla's punk-rock roots and gorgeous ad work for Billabong were just outstanding.

It was really seeing what other film makers were doing with Super 8 that made the weekend for me. Of course there was a lot to take in from the lectures and I loved meeting people, but it was really seeing this great medium in action that inspired me.

Being a cinematographer of course the films and music videos spoke to me; but I really have to compliment a couple people who are doing amazing things in another area. Kate Headley is a wedding photographer from the Washington, D.C. area and her Assistant, Rebecca, shoots some really incredible super 8 wedding films with her. Branden Lower also shoots weddings with super 8 and is working on expanding into lifestyle subjects. He also had some really good footage and great thoughts on the place of super 8 in the professional world. I'm not a wedding guy but I could easily write a huge blog post just on what I think about what these people are doing. This is not wedding videography. They're not documenting an event here, they're creating memories and capturing emotion. This is wedding and lifestyle cinematography.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the lecturers. Phil Vigeant spoke in several sessions demystifing the camera, photo processing, and the telecine process for his audience; many of whom had never shot a single frame of film before the event. Michael Bulbenko from Fujifilm provided a comprehensive and accessible primer on film lighting theory and practice and Professor Dan Jacobo's "Tao of Super 8" lecture was interesting and enlightening.

It was also a great experience to be surrounded by other attendees who shared my interest in small format film making. It can often feel like I'm a crazy guy out here on my own pursuing a kind of film making that nobody is doing and few people are interested in, so it felt very refreshing to be  among people who love the aesthetic, see the possibilities, and embrace the challenges of super 8 film.

The Vigeants are talking about having another boot camp in the fall, quite possibly in New York. I'd advise anyone who has the interest to plan ahead and take the time to enjoy it I'm certain I'll be there.

(Photos from Flickr users IdlHandz and Svet; used under Creative Commons license)

52 Weeks Logo

While perhaps not profound news, this is something I'm a bit fond of. I'm not great at coming up with logos and I'm certainly no wiz with Adobe Illustrator, but inspiration hit and I spent a few hours hammering out an emblem for the 52 Weeks Project, if for no other reason than to stamp on the front of the films that I'm about to start showing here (I'm posting 1 of 52 now). 

The logo is quite simple but I don't need anything fancy really. I like mirror images and the 5 and 2, if drawn a certain way, are reflections of one another. Once I got the word "weeks" on there the "E"s were just screaming to mirror each other as well. I don't know why I decided to make them red, but I made the 2 red as well to balance it out. I thought it looked cool but at the same time, by itself, it was a bit blocky and maybe too simplistic. So I figured I could superimpose it on a photo. No particular screen grab from a 52WP film seemed appropriate and, for the most part, they have people in them. Instead I figured a film still would be appropriate, especially a "lo-fi" kind of picture. The picture I used was a photo of a ruined building I shot with my Holga somewhere in Uthah. This is one of my favorite cross-processed shots I've taken for it's color, composition, and the kind of ethereal focus it has that never really distracts from the subject. When I combined it with the logo I was pleased with how the blue sky and yellow light leak worked with the red lettering to show off the primary colors I'm so fond of. 

Like I said, it's basic and it's nothing really special; but I quite like it for what it is. It will probably evolve over the course of the project, but for now it's a good start I think.

The Power of Super 8 Film

Last night I made a trip over to the Kodak screening room for a mini-seminar on "The Power of Super 8," given by Phil Vigeant of Pro8mm (previously Super 8 Sound). I've known of Pro8mm for a few years now, having seen them around on cinematography forums and in magazines, and I've bought and processed a couple of rolls through them. Most recently, I sent the first batch of 52 Weeks Project cartridges to them for processing and transfer because they have quite reasonable prices for HD scans and specialize in the Super 8 format. Most importantly, Phil and company are doing - and have been for years - more than anyone to keep this format alive and champion its viability as a medium. Perhaps their biggest contribution has been repackaging professional motion picture color negative stocks from Kodak and Fuji in the Super 8 format by cutting down and perforating 35mm rolls. Kodak has helped Super 8 quite a bit too, by packaging their current Vision stocks (they've always done black and white and reversal stocks) as Super 8, but the first folks to do this were Phil and Pro8mm and they continue to re-package stocks we want such as the new Fuji Vivid 500 (I can't wait to burn some of this for the 52WP). Pro8mm and its predecessor are responsible for several other innovations in the realm of modern Super 8 film making and they really ought to be praised for it. 

Lately I've noticed that Pro8mm have been kind of vocal in their marketing. There have been seminars around the country, Phil has written a book on the topic, and I've been seeing news about these "Power of Super 8 Film" boot camps. It seems Phil is on a campaign, or, even better, a crusade to further champion the cause of small format cinematography. And why not? Contrary to popular belief, film is still alive and kicking even if its presence isn't felt as strongly in the mainstream as it once was. There are many of us that prefer film, and many more who choose to see the proliferation of digital cinema (and photography) as a widening of the landscape rather than the paradigm shift we're told it is. The rise in Super 8 shooting parallels, I think, what has gone on in the digital world to a certain degree. The digital world is all atwitter with enthusiasm for DSLR cinematography which comes with its share of compromises and weaknesses but produces something of high enough quality to be seen as an acceptable low-cost alternative to shooting with more advanced systems from companies like Arri and Red. Likewise, Super 8 has its share of shortcomings but, as Pro8mm and others have been demonstrating, provides a low-cost yet valid alternative to shooting on Super 16 or Super 35.

So I went to the two-hour seminar last night hoping to learn a thing or two. I'm still honestly a novice with film and with Super 8 and while I understand the fundamentals that I knew would be discussed, I felt I'd get something out of going. I also knew that part of the free presentation would be marketing for the not-quite-so-free weekend-long boot camp. I went in with no more intention than spending a couple hours around like-minded individuals and learning a couple things, but by the end of the night I had my credit card out and was trying to figure out how many pennies I'll have to rub together until they turn into a trip to Los Angeles. I'll be attending the Power of Super 8 Boot Camp the weekend of March 25th and I'd urge anyone interested in analog cinematography at any level to do the same if you can. For my part I just know there's so much I still have to learn - and look forward to learning. I also have to say that I was just incredibly inspired by Phil's enthusiasm for the medium and really blown away by the footage he showed.

I'm excited. There really never has been a better time to be shooting film.

(photo provided via Creative Commons by Flickr user Jovino)

3 of 52 - "Voltafaccia"

Last night, assisted by the talents of James P. Stephens and Monica Ozarek, I shot the third film of the 52 Weeks Project. I wasn't sure what to call the thing but after some consideration I've decide upon "Voltafaccia," an about-face, for the reversal of fortune it presents. This is by far the shortest film I've shot yet, clocking in somewhere in the neighborhood of a minute forty-five; roughly 35 feet. Last night, assisted by the talents of James P. Stephens and Monica Ozarek, I shot the third film of the 52 Weeks Project. I wasn't sure what to call the thing but after some consideration I've decide upon "Voltafaccia," an about-face, for the reversal of fortune it presents. This is by far the shortest film I've shot yet, clocking in somewhere in the neighborhood of a minute forty-five; roughly 35 feet. It consists of some nice, long shots and, as there was almost no light in some and barely enough in others, I'll be pushing the 7219 stock two stops to 2000 ASA. This will give the film a grainier look and gives me an opportunity to really evaluate the fidelity of this film under extreme conditions. 

The good news for the project now is that I've now got enough footage to send off for processing and transfer. I'm going to try to afford an HD transfer so I can really do the images justice. So, in a few short weeks I should be posting the first of these shorts for public consumption. I'm really looking forward to not only seeing them, but also sharing them. I'm starting to get very passionate about minimalist film making and photography and I'm very eager to share the results of my adventures  - and misadventures - with the world.

 (photo courtesy of Flickr user Heikof)

2 of 52 - "Two Sides"

I'm a little ashamed to admit that I got a hair behind in the 52 Weeks Project, but you're not going to do something like this without stumbling a little here and there. Anyway, I'm back on track and playing catch-up. The second short is titled "Two Sides," and was shot last night with actors Jae Mann and Sketkh Williams. It's a bit of a suspense story, but that's all I'll say for now. We shot it in my apartment over the course of about three hours and I had the convenience of shooting a couple of digital stills to reproduce roughly what I was catching on film. The photo on the left here is a little tease. Thanks so much to Sketkh and Jae - they both did a wonderful job with such a minimal script and no room for error. I think we all had a lot of fun.

The First Film is in the Can... I Mean Cart

I'm happy to announce that the 52 Weeks Project is officially off the ground thanks in no small part to the talents of Michael Boyne and Rose Itzcovitz who generously gave up portions of their New Years Eves to be the subjects of the first film. Talk about dedication! The setup for the short happens around the countdown to 2011 and while I wasn't quite able to get down into Times Square for the ball-drop like I'd hoped I quickly realized that I couldn't have shot in there at all. Instead we ended up in the southern section of Central Park where the crowd was still pretty dense and we had a front row seat for the fireworks.

A couple of nights later we finished up the rest of the shoot while running around midtown. All in all, production took between five and six hours and it was a lot of fun. This film was probably more on the "guerilla" end of the shorts I'll shoot on this project, but it was a good one to cut my teeth on. I'm getting more of an idea of what can be done in 150 seconds. 

The hard part now is the wait. It's not practical to send one of these cartridges off to the lab and so I'll have to wait until I have a couple more to send with it. Expect to see it posted here in early-to-mid February. For now, I'm working with the lovely and talented Jae Mann to nail down what the next short will be. More to come on that soon...

(photo courtesy of Flickr user memeticfield)

1 of 52

I'm planning on kicking the new year off right by shooting the first short of the 52 Weeks Project the very first weekend of January. I picked up my first cartridge of film today and I'm headed out to do a little scouting tonight.

No details yet, but I'll post a little more about it next week; and of course the film itself should be up by early February. For now, I'll just leave you with the apt title of the piece:

"2011"

Camera Test

The Camera

Since I announced the 52 Weeks Project my mind has been occupied over which camera to use. My first thought, and my wishful thinking, had me immediately considering a refurbished camera from Pro8mm or Du-All camera that I knew would be well-serviced and modified with crystal sync. A camera running crystal sync would allow location sound and that seems like a good thing at first. But, Super 8 cameras tend to be a bit noisome and, given the constraint of straight-8 shooting there's enough that can go wrong in a take, especially with sound, that considering I only get one take, just doing all post in audio seems smarter. I'll record reference sound of course, but dialog will be ADR. Those cameras are also expensive. They're probably worth it, but I don't really have the excess to spend.

So I started looking at reasonably-priced but solid cameras. I decided to save money by looking primarily on ebay and doing my homework on the cameras. there were a couple of must-haves in a candidate:

• Manual Exposure - I plan to rely heavily on fast emulsions, like Kodak's Vision 3 500T, which weren't available when these cameras were made and so cameras with only auto exposure won't work right.
• A good zoom range with decent optics - I generally prefer shooting with prime lenses, but that's not so easy to do in the realm of consumer cameras, which Super 8 cameras are, albeit of another generation.
• 24 Frames Per Second - A lot of these cameras were manufactured in Europe and have 25fps but not 24. Something to be wary of. A note here - you can get away with shooting at 18fps and make a cartridge stretch. Generally I won't be doing that; mainly because it increases the cost of telecine and I'm trying to work out a package deal based on the mainstay which is 24.
• Single-Frame Exposure - Most of these aren't built for automated time lapse but a lot of them were built to do single frame for animation and whatnot. Over the course of 52 weeks I may get bored and decide to do a stop-motion holiday special, or decide I'm the next Ray Harryhausen. More likely I'll decide on a manual time-lapse for a film. In either case I'd like the option.
• A useful filter threading - Since I'll be using fast film to cover my indoor bases I'll need to rely on neutral density filters in daylight situations. While I may at some point endeavor to rig a mattebox or something, I'll probably start off with circular screw-on filters.

The camera I was first drawn to, the Leicina Special, is a beautiful camera but doesn't have manual exposure. I began looking at the Canon 1014, which is nice but doesn't really justify the price increase over its little brother. So I started looking at the Canon 814XL-S which is a very well spoken-of camera and, being from the early 80s, a relatively new model. In the end, I compromised on a deal I couldn't pass up - a slightly older Canon 814 Autozoom that I found for under $100. I've shot a little with the 814 before and, assuming the one I just bought is in good condition, it's a really good camera; not the best Super 8 out there, but it meets my needs and should hold up to the task before it.

I should receive it next week and I'll run a test roll through it. As soon as I get that back I'll be posting it here, unless it turns out to be total trash. Until then, I'll be continuing to look at labs to handle the project; and that should be the topic of my next post.

(photo courtesy of flickr user Callum Rice)