well no one probably will read this but...

just a note commenting on how important it is to set and reset your capture scratch on fcp, our 8 mm project has almost been ruined b/c people don't know what they are doing and change settings blindly, luckily i had already dumped it to tape. in doc class audio settings were changed resulting in a project dump with no audio, luckily it was an easy fix but still it is so frustrating at the disinterests and lack of consideration of one student to another. so students remember to change the settings of your project or at least check them. and just be very careful, because someday it will be you writing this blog and not me

john the marshall

here is a cool quote from one of the program notes from a david gatten screening

“When using tape to make a splice, the cut pieces of film are placed end to end and the tape itself covers the gap: it is a band-aid and a bridge. But as the splice ages a line becomes visible; eventually the adhesive dries and the connection dissolves. When making a cement splice, there is more violence involved. The films are not placed end to end but instead are crushed into one another. Frames are lost, emulsions are scraped. But the well-made splice is strong: in fact, it is permanent. Unlike tape, there is no going back. And it leaves a mark—a line—covering a third of one of the frames. A splice marks difference and defines duration. To suppress that mark is to pretend that we will live forever. Instead, take your splicer and knock the blade out of alignment. Forgo the B roll in favor of a single strand of faith. Hold your breath and count the hours since you were last together. Blow softly on a wet face and watch the smile form. Float your hand across the surface and find all the words you need. Unfold the splicer and separate your image from your dream; you will feel bound, as if tied down until you are fully awake. Only then will you know for sure: this may not be final but it is definite. The landscape you see can change only when you pass through it. Regard your new object: a union: silent, tiny and bright. Paired texts as dueling histories. A journey imagined and remembered. 57 mileage markers produce an equal number of prospects.”—D.G.

time for another post

well hello there! i know its been a while but i have soooo much to talk about since we last met. 6 x 1 came and went last week and it was very instructional and a super learning experience. not only did i learn all about ray o grams and the like but i had a lot of fun doing it as well. everything i learned on tues was strengthened on wednesday when i saw david gatten in a separate lecture. he gave the kind of talk to the class that i would wish others would give...he was very honest and sincere and actually some of the subjects he touched on i kind of knew already but it was a comfort to hear it come from someone who did all the struggling already in this industry. He told a story of his first exposure to hand film processing and then he showed us the film he created. i was surprised to see a lot of the students not taking notes but i took 4 pages worth. his experience was invaluable to me and something that a book could never tell you. i was super psyched to be there and i would say that it would be probably one of the existing highlights of my academic studies here at uncw. i would rank it right up there with my two favorite classes thus far : visionaries and iconoclasts with william verrone my 1st semester and the history of avant garde film with dr. kreul. we'll see if 6 x 1 makes the cut in this highly regarded list, but so far i am having the most fun in this class and hope for more fun. in the david gatten class we went over items we had done before like the magazine transfer but we used splicing tape instead of packing tape this time. i thought that this was the better choice (splicing tape) b/c you could know right then and there if it was going to fit on the film strip b/c it was the same size. the most invaluable items i learned was that of the times used to tone film, that was the coolest because it reminded me of my black and white 35 mm film days at cape fear comm coll when we used blue toner. i used blue toner on my holga camera print (holga cameras are like toy cameras but the exposure is more squarish and you can tape the camera so your images edges can be custom) i used this toned image after scanning into a short doc (8 min)for my title page and it was so cool. the fact you can accomplish the same with film and do it yourself and create color images with cheap b/w 16 mm film. very exciting. now i just need a place to do it. i would love to hear my wife's reaction when i bring chemicals to the house that have a picture of a dead tree or fish on the package. talk to ya again. once again here is some pics for you to freak on!

another week, another blog

so since my last post i had my first experience with a 16 mm camera, it is a completely different mindset than using video. with video you usually have the thought in the back of your head that if you screw up you can just buy more tape and that be the end of that. this is not the case w/16 mm film. there is planning upon planning and that still won't stop you from screwing up any way. no matter how much preplanning goes into it doesnt stop the sick feeling from creeping into your stomach when the focus ring has moved or you go to grab a shot and the camera wont film....because you forgot to wind it. this last one isnt that big of a deal but others could just absolutely ruin your day. but you take away something that is more important and that is the experience of actually handlilng a functioning filming camera. another thing i took away from it is the presence you have to have to go through your mental checklist...video gives you a false sense of security...one that doesnt transfer well to film. i think it is very important for all film students have the opportunity (at all class levels) to use this equipment early and often. i feel that the silvas bring some very important elements to this film program. this program needs more of the same. see you next post.

you know i had to put some pictures up as well, here's a couple
jm

so i forgot to include a summary of the reading on stan brakhage. this was a very interesting piece. it took me a while to figure out the structure of the literature. at first it was an author discussing brakhage techniques but was pleasantly surprised when it revealed that it was a response letter to a fellow filmmaker, very cool. i was curious to read the whole book but that will have to wait until i am a retired millionaire. the hours in a day do not allow this for me. however what andre collected on this was very enlightening and informing on a technical level. Brakhage's approach in his address was unique, he said at different points that if he had already given enough info or what the other filmmaker was looking for to stop reading and go do it. he does it like 4 or 5 time in the piece and i found this very amusing and thought i should follow his advice and stop reading and go create film but i kept reading. it is really sad that he (stan) is gone from us, especially for me b/c i just discovered him. luckily for me he created quite a body of work.

last semester i did my final paper on maya deren and brakhage had much to say about her in an interview on a doc about her. in the documentary during his interview, he was literally in a restaurant table creating a film dedicated to her (which is included in the documentary) what brakhage did for experimental film is hard to encompass because it was so much, but the main thing i would like to say about him and what is expressed in the reading as well is he had a wealth of knowledge to pass on to the next generations of filmmakers, but at the same time he was always looking for new advancements in his own craft. he used the system of "let me help you, can you help me as well" this was exhibited in all of the lectures he gave as well. although it may be hard to prove, i don't think any other filmmaker gave more to their vocation than stan brakhage. that's my gathering, i'm sure you have your own. but check out the criterion collection in the library (it is off of reserve from last semester) of his. the man had remarkable patience to create the worlds of his for us to enjoy.....see you in the funny papers.....jm