Week 2: Scratching the Surface

This week, we will learn more about how you can have more 'hands-on' control of motion picture film. Today, we'll explore different processes of hand-made film and we'll get to know the material of film better. For many artists, the process, or how a film is made, is as important as the product (the final film).In many of the films included in today's discussion, experimenting with process is a big part of why the artist chose to make the film. How is process important to you, as an artist?

The Film Material
Last week, you experimented with painting on clear plastic film. This clear, plastic film is called film leader. It is called leader because it is typically attached to the beginning of the film, so the film can be threaded through the projector. This week, we will use film that has emulsion (light-sensitive chemicals that make a photographic image) on its surface. We will also see many different ways artists use film emulsion to create new images.

The earliest films were only black and white. The only way to put color into film at that time was to add special dyes to tint and tone images one or two colors, as a special effect. Later, chemicals sensitive to specific light spectra were added to films, and this made natural-looking color possible on film. There are many kinds of color film emulsions and many kinds of film stocks, but generally, the layers of film look like this:


(Image: howstuffworks.com)

Scratching the Emulsion
If you scratch or bleach the emulsion, it comes off its plastic base. This is one way artists can create new images on film. Caroline Leaf is one artist who used this technique to create her short animated film, "Two Sisters."



You can CLICK HERE to watch her film.

Collage
Collage is another method of creating hand-made film. Stan Brakhage, an American experimental film artist, collaged small items found in nature - such as moth's wings, pieces of grass, seeds, etc., to make his film "Mothlight". This film is considered very important to experimental filmmakers.


(Image: cca-glasgow.com)

CLICK HERE to watch "Mothlight" by Stan Brakhage.

In my film, "Assembled," I scratched on film emulsion and collaged together other pieces of film to make images of people watching movies. I collaged small pieces of other film onto the main film using tape and glue.


(Image: Becka Barker)

CLICK HERE to watch Becka's film, "Assembled."

Think of all the techniques we've learned about so far:
painting
drawing
scratching
bleaching
masking and bleaching
collage

...how can you combine these different styles to make a film that shows your unique ideas?
You will have one more class (Sept 23) to create short tests (3-4 seconds long) to try out these techniques.