> > Thought I'd mention that there just happens to be an "all 35mm" > experimental film screening tonight in London, Ontario - > http://www.lomaa.ca/lomaa-blog/altering-perceptions-march-18
> Given the interesting dialogue around this, I'm glad to note that there > are still (rare though they may be), exhibition opportunities for > experimental films in this lovely gauge :) -C. > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: charlotte Lipman <calip...@earthlink.net> > To: Experimental Film Discussion List <frameworks@jonasmekasfilms.com> > Cc: > Date: Tue, 17 Mar 2015 22:49:45 -0700 > Subject: Re: [Frameworks] Super 8 to 35mm Optical Blowup (from Ross Lipman) > > Hi Mark, > > > > Ross here (writing from Charlotte's account) - > > > > as always you make many excellent points! However I thought it important > to write, because I fear that some of the opinions expressed here veer > dangerously to "thou shall not!" which I'm sure is not your intent. I'll > stay away from engaging in a point-by-point debate (especially as I agree > with a lot of what you say), but will clarify my own take, stated simply: > "there are occasions when blow-up is desired, and others where it's not." > > > > the fun of course, is determining what those cases might be.. > > > > my (hopefully non-elitist) two cents. and good luck with your project! > > > > Ross > > > > > > www.corpusfluxus.org > > www.filmbysamuelbeckett.com > > From: Mark Toscano <mrkt...@gmail.com> > Reply-To: Experimental Film Discussion List < > frameworks@jonasmekasfilms.com> > Date: Tuesday, March 17, 2015 9:21 AM > To: Experimental Film Discussion List <frameworks@jonasmekasfilms.com> > Subject: Re: [Frameworks] Super 8 to 35mm Optical Blowup > > Hi Chris, > > I'm glad you asked, as it's a subject I feel fairly passionately about. > > I'll first just clarify that the super 8 to 35mm blowup I'm seeking is > purely for a project of my own which has to do with the large stretch > between the two formats (i.e. it's a film which has specifically to do with > the extra large blowup). As soon as I have the details hammered out on > that, I'd be happy to say more about it... > > As for blowups in general, though - since it's no longer possible to do > run-of-the-mill contact printing in 8mm or super 8, and since there's > already a decades-long tradition of blowups of 8 to 16, I think it's a less > problematic way to make smaller gauges viewable on film, when duplication > is necessary. It's still a translation, though. Some filmmakers shot > super 8 with the express intention of blowing up (as with some of > Brakhage's films, James Otis's films, and many others), some shot and > printed super 8 with only that intention, no blowup in mind, but then > decided later on to blow up to 16 for whatever reasons (usually a matter of > making the work more accessible, preserving it, etc.) > > Blowing up 16mm to 35mm on the other hand has nearly always seemed a > really problematic step to me (unless of course the artist has that > specifically in mind). From a preservation standpoint, it can cost twice > or even 3-4 times as much as doing the work in 16mm, it's inherently > changing the nature of the film in terms of scale, grain structure, etc., > and it makes, I think, a somewhat elitist political statement that only > venues capable of showing 35mm will now have access to that film. I've > been saying (here and there, to whomever would let me blather about it) for > a dozen years that, on top of these aesthetic/political concerns, the > preservation question of 35mm being somehow more "archival" or likely to > have increased longevity over 16mm was almost certainly going to be totally > false. In terms of archival stability, the stocks in 16 and 35 are the > same in these purposes, and would have the same chemical longevity, more or > less. And preserving in a gauge not the film's own changes its essential > nature, so that very aspect of its identity (its gauge) is lost in the > preservation. Plus I've never followed the logic that primarily commercial > archiving entities make, that bigger/sharper/faster/etc. is better, because > it's clearly bullshit. What's better is preserving a film as unfussily in > its original format as is possible. And as for 35 outlasting 16, we've > seen where that's gone - only a handful of devoted cinephiliac venues and > museums can handle 35mm now, and a lot of those handle 16mm too. PLUS, any > number of classrooms, galleries, microcinemas, backyards, whatever, can and > do show 16mm on any number of projectors kicking around out there. The > 35mm projection knowledge base (especially regarding maintenance) is > supremely limited, whereas a ton more folks have figured out how to run and > even maintain, to some degree, the 16mm projectors they have. > > Anyway, I'm ranting. But bottom line, my feeling is to preserve 16mm as > 16mm as long as it's possible! > > Mark Toscano > > > On Tue, Mar 17, 2015 at 8:36 AM, <direc...@lift.on.ca> wrote: > >> Mark, >> >> Since we're on the subject, is there a reason you're going to 35mm rather >> than 16mm? Although 35mm is definitely more robust and beautiful (with a >> great soundtrack potential), my sense now is that a 16mm print might have >> longer life than a 35mm print. >> >> Now that so many places have taken out their 35mm projectors, its less of >> a presentation medium for many places. 16mm, on the other hand, is still >> very portable, so you can always bring the projector in if there's >> interest. >> >> My 35mm prints sit on the shelf. My 16mm prints occasionally get taken for >> a spin. >> >> Do you have a more positive take on the future of 35mm vs 16mm? >> >> thanks >> Chris >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> FrameWorks mailing list >> FrameWorks@jonasmekasfilms.com >> https://mailman-mail5.webfaction.com/listinfo/frameworks >> > > _______________________________________________ FrameWorks mailing list > FrameWorks@jonasmekasfilms.com > https://mailman-mail5.webfaction.com/listinfo/frameworks > > _______________________________________________ > FrameWorks mailing list > FrameWorks@jonasmekasfilms.com > https://mailman-mail5.webfaction.com/listinfo/frameworks > >
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