This is an experiment I found a couple days ago, some tests I did with tints and tones a while ago. I’m calling it tintonetest, for a lack of something more meaningful. It was masked with paint markers, then toned with Berg’s tones and then the paint mask was removed. other parts were double-toned which created a posterizing effect (because I used hardening fixer, I believe.)
This is a short film, shot on 16mm optical sound stock. Parts are shot close-up with extension tubes, other parts are photogrammed. It is made with bicycle gears that were graciously donated to me by a local bikeshop called Bicycleitis.
The sound was made with a circuitbent keyboard, and I believe that David Parfit made the sound, and recorded it (I just mulched it up with the computer) - It was a stray file on my computer called untitled10.wav. I think it was David, but it may’ve been me. We were making noise in the basement one day. It’s all a blur. Apologies for being disorganized.
And, another random clip I found, floating around the server. Not sure I remember making it, but here it is, so I must’ve. It a test of tints and tones, and posterizing. I believe it’s the hardener in the fix that is changing how the tones react with the emulsion. This is slowed down a bunch, digitally. And I should really give a thanks to Hank and Lily, who let me mangle their beautiful song - it’s from their album called North America, and completely unrecognizable in this clip.
I’m not sure if it’s good or bad that I keep finding little films all over the place. This one was on my server, ready to be podcast, but somehow slipped through the cracks for a few months. I made it in Dawson City in the spring for part of their One-Minute Film Challenge. Rozalind MacPhail made the soundtrack. It was shot on 16mm film. In you’re in Victoria next weekend, check out CineVic’s Sweet 16 Film Celebration, November 6th, 7th and 8th. Deco Dawson will be visiting and giving an artist’s talk, and a film I made last year, called “Alone” will be screening on 16mm.
This is my new Steenbeck (it’s on loan)
I cleaned it up a bit, replaced the bulbs, and rigged up the sockets to work better (only one preview window was working when I got it, now both are) The sound didn’t work anymore, so…..
after nerding out a bit and fixing the optical sound (even had to solder some circuitboards) - got it worked out to make contact prints. Getting to know the Steenbeck has been fun, definitely a lot of film wrecked, but worth every foot.
Very excited about the ability to make prints. Working on putting a film loop gallery together with Peter Sandmark. I haven’t given up on digital yet, but I’m straying.
Went on a trip to Toronto in June, to spend a week at Phil Hoffman’s Film Farm. What an inspiring place. Came back to Vic with a new fascination with 16mm, learned how to turn a Steenbeck into a contact printer (Thanks to Josh Bonnetta), and how to double and triple-expose. lots of little tinting and toning tricks. Started shooting on high contrast sound stock, it’s got a really low ISO, but with enough light, it looks great.
Collected some footage and skills for my thesis (yup, still working on it, just slowly) and snooped around the Toronto indie film community.
This is one of my experiments, double exposed and printed through the Steenbeck.
I saw the film ”RIP: A Remix Manifesto” by Brett Gaylor at this year’s Victoria Film Festival. In the spirit of the film , I pirated parts of the film onto 16mm Black and White film with my bolex, then hand-processed, tinted and toned it, then composited it digitally. The soundtrack is an old jazz show, recorded from an old reel-to-reel and mangled on the computer. You can find the origuinal film here: http://www3.nfb.ca/webextension/rip-a-remix-manifesto/ - go watch it.
You’re welcome to remix the film yourself at http://www.opensourcecinema.org/
Back from Dawson City now, still trying to catch up on everything I left behind in April.
The “Experiment” workshop at MediaNet is starting this weekend, and I’m still trying to get everything ready. I think there are still a couple spots left in the workshop if anyone wants to take it. On another note, I’m off to Toronto in a month-and-a-bit to go to Phil Hoffman’s Film Farm. I’m giddy about the whole thing.
The Dawson City One-Minute Film Challenge went beautifully last weekend. We ended up with 25 films for the screening. A really great show and get-together, all sorts of little gems. Here is a film I made for it, called “boots.” Rozalind MacPhail made the music.
boots: a short film by scott amos, music by rozalind macphail [1:05m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadBeen out of touch for a couple weeks, lots of things happening,
I’m in Dawson City right now, doing a residency at the Klondike Institute of Arts and Culture, and had a screening at the Dawson City Short Film Festival a couple weeks ago. I love it here. Fantastic people.
Performed with Rozalind MacPhail on the Sunday of the Festival, and now we’re getting ready for the Dawson-City-one-minute-film-challenge. We have more than a dozen films so far (a super-8 camera I brought from home did the rounds with a few visiting filmmakers, Deco Dawson, Terry Haines, Elisabeth Belliveau and Lisa Pasold.) Lisa is actually a writer - and was a little intimidated by the camera - but now she’s a filmmaker.
Here is a 16mm film diary of part the trip from Whitehorse to Dawson in a van full of filmmakers. (Deco, Elisabeth, Lisa, John Overell and Natalie Edelson) I was a little nauseous by the end of the trip (from the bumpy road, not the company) Mmmm, Gravol.
There’s a little more static in the air here and it’s impossible to keep the dust and hairs out of the projector. after 4 tries to transfer, I am now embracing the glitches, and calling the work “Dawthentic”
Oh, and in past news, I was voted “Victoria’s Favourite Local Filmmaker” at this years M-Awards - thanks to everyone who voted. And this years UVic Sunscreen Festival screened “Splash” and “House” and I took home “Best Director,” “Best Auditory Experience” and “Best Screenplay/story.” I was in Dawson City and missed the screeening…after flubbing my way through the M-Awards, I was half-relieved. Crazy Month.
Stay tuned for the rest of the Dawson Films.
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