So Who's a Filmmaker?

I'm a screenwriter, and have directed one miserable short (which is why I'm sticking to screenwriting.)

Best compliment I've received all day! Only problem is, I think Stan Brakhage is the Stan Brakhage of cat avant-garde--he did make "cat's cradle" which my two felines seem to enjoy.

in case anyone's interested, i shoot mainly with a DVX100 and a Sony TRV33 for video, use a bolex 16mm and Bell & Howell Super8 on occasion, edit with Final Cut 4. Ok, 'nuff geek talk.

Also do a lot of writing, especially when the film stuff goes tits up and I feel like writing is the only thing I'm good at.

No matter. It's only for fun, anyway. I hope to be going to USC next year for film.

Lately I've been abandoning the camera altogether in favor of painting/scratching/applying directingly to clear 16mm leader. Now that I have the DVX I don't really find much reason to shoot 16mm anymore, because all I care about for 16mm is the aesthetic and the tangibiity. Witht the DVX I can mimic the aesthetic very closely (minus the ridiculous processing & transfer costs) and my paint films take care of the tangibility issue.

You can sell me your Bolex if you like, Jay! ;)

Is it a Reflex? May I ask how you got it and for how much?

if you're looking for one, try:

http://www.intervalometers.com/bolex/index.stm

or you can risk your luck on ebay. there are always dozens of bolex 16mm's on sale there.

On the bright side of things, I just finished shooting my Term 1 LFS exercise last week, and the rushes we finally got to see today were almost totally to my satisfaction, a few very minor things aside. Now I get a few days off while the editing commences. On the schedule: domestic duties and more sweet sweet alone time with an ASC manual. Yes, I am a total film geek.

Make your own Brown Bunny.

($86,000 and the reserve still not met?!?)

did you notice that one of the lenses was purchased from the Kubrick estate & used in "Barry Lyndon"!

man, i bet if i sell a kidney, my testicles & my hair, i could probably meet the reserve....scalpel?

I think Gallo himself put the item up for auction -- this sounds EXACTLY like something he would say:

All in all, Gallo put more effort into this production package than the whiny Wes Anderson, the sputtering Spike Jonze, the un-darling Darren Aronofsky have put into their whole lives.

nice!

He also made "Max" a film thats all of his cat.
Anyway, I'm also interested in making applications directly to 16mm film stock. What kinds of paints do you use. I saw some footage of Brakhage using some paint in what looked like pens or something. Also, one you paint (or put flowers and moth wings) on your film, what do you do with it to preserve it and project it. Do you get a duplicate made of it? I've tried glueing stuff to my film and it doesn't go through my projector well at all. I think i'd have to get a print made of it or something.
ns

i'm currently using an amalgam of different paints & pens--porcelain paints, acrylics, fabriege egg dyes, spray paints, sharpie markers, etc. the porcelain paints have been fantastic--the colors are bold and bright, almost stained-glass like when they dry, especially if they've been exposed to extreme heat (either baked in an oven or exposed to flame for a few seconds). i bought mine at the local "michael's" craft store, and i've seen them at numerous art supply stores. they average about $4-5 a bottle.

as for brakhage, he used coal tar dyes extensively until they gave him the bladder cancer that killed him (it's a dangerous art form! i burned off a strip of skin on my forearm yesterday using a ridiculously abrasive spray-on paint remover. it actually melted the film stock in about three seconds). After the cancer, Brakhage switched to sharpie pens, glass dyes imported from Iran, and later, giving up paint altogether & simply scratching on the film stock. The pens you saw him using were either sharpies, paint pens, or possibly rapidographs (though i'm not sure if brakhage actually used them).

you could always contact stan's widow, marilyn, who has been a wonderful reference for these types of things. you can get her e-mail address through the Frameworks listserv.

as for placing objects onto the film, i've had some success with strips of newspaper using a spray-on adhesive, but it's messy. i know for "mothlight", brakhage simply put the elements between two strips of clear leader and glued them together. i haven't tried this myself, but i'm planning to in the near future & i'll post my results.

as for raw materials, try Santa Barbara Film & Video Supply for clear 16mm leader ($8.00 a roll), reels & splicing tape (i use an old Kodak Universal Splicer & presstapes. I picked up the splicer & 100 presstapes on ebay for $20; you can also buy them new at Santa Barbara).

For preservation/prints, store the original on a split reel in a can in a cool, dry place. I've never had a print made myself, but I'm sure you could find dozens of places that would do it by posting a query on Frameworks. Remember the art of optical printing as well--that's what gave brakhage films like "black ice" their beautiful sense of motion. brakhage used western cine, but i'm sure there are many other places you could have it done. i usually do it crudely at home with either my bolex or my dvx100 & final cut.

hope this helps; feel free to contact me with any further questions either on or off the site. good luck & have fun!