The Medium of Film

When I started out as a film student, I didn't look forward to working with actual film. I'd think, "Give me a video camera and a DV tape or flash card and I'm golden." But as I learned to love movies for more than the entertainment they provided, I began to see things differently.

I've always loved history. Learning about past events and figures, the mistakes that were made and the lessons that were learned. You might even say that everything we learn is history of one kind or another. Someone had to discover everything that we learn, from science, to math, to languages. And for me, the inventiveness of the human mind and the products of invention and their impact on the future, are the highlight of most history lessons.

Enter my film production class. Where we are working with actual 16mm black and white reversal film. The cameras we are working with, Bolex H16s, are each around fifty to sixty years old. When I hold one, it's like holding a piece of history. And to work with film, with these cameras, makes me feel connected to the visionaries of the past.

I used to think nothing could be learned from the authors of cinema, those who were around when concepts such as cutting, the close-up, and the moving camera were being invented. I have learned otherwise. Even within the oldest films, little more than forty seconds long a piece, there is much to be learned.

My first shoot with real film was stressful to say the least. There are so many variables to worry about that are not make-or-break factors with video. Is the camera wound? Is the aperture set right? How's the focus? Did I use the light meter correctly? Does the framerate need adjusting? Is the shutter open? And without the instant replay video provides, you have no way of knowing if you did a good job or a bad job.

Even when you are not shooting, the handling of film can be stressful. You need to load and unload in a dim room so you don't expose the film and ruin it, you have to keep it cool because latent heat can expose the film further, you have to let it come to room temperature before filming. In the height of frustration, it can be easy to ask why anyone would choose film over video. And for some, the answer is hard to come by.

After film school, I probably won't ever work with film again, and certainly not on a regular basis. It's just not practical for an indie filmmaker no great means in this day and age. But for all the perceived disadvantages of film, I shall thoroughly enjoy working with it while in school.

~Tommy

Hopes for the Dark Knight Rises

[SPOILERS FOR THE DARK KNIGHT BELOW]

I love Christopher Nolan's Batman franchise. That man has worked cinematic gold with those films. And with the third one coming out next year, I am feeling mixed emotions about it. I am excited for the latest Nolan offering. No doubt it will be spectacular, even with the hard to top Dark Knight of three years ago. But it will also be a spectacular finish. The last of Nolan's run of the Batman films before he moves on and the series is rebooted (which I am not particularly pleased about).

That being said, I am hoping Nolan does something earth-shattering in this next film. Something that no one will ever expect or see coming.