The Experiment

While I was at home in Cincinnati last October, I came across a can of 16mm film that was marked with 7/29/96. Presumably August 29th. The sticker that was holding the negative together informed me that it was the original negative. Meaning, it's been processed and it's straight from the camera. I packed it with me on my trip back to Los Angeles.

It say in my closet for a few more months, until last week, when I was just farting around looking for my thesis project from my undergrad years. This roll re-surfaced. I took it to work with me.

I strung it up on my scanner and there were vague images I recall shooting. Very vague. I'm not even sure what I was doing except I saw images of my old apartment. This cool (but physically awful) place above a restaurant. I remember when it got hot, it smelled like garlic and fish. It brought back a lot of memories. Then...the tail end of the negative was this short film I was planning on finishing back in college. It was about a girl who leaves the city to go back to a small town. There it was. The footage. To me, I was certain this had fallen into the cracks of history. Or memory. It was even more odd, that this happened to a be a girl I'd blogged about last year. It was the project I'd abandoned because of...well, my terrible attitude. The lesson again...NEVER START ANYTHING YOU DON'T FINISH.

So I scanned the fucking thing, and...20+ years later, I intend to finish it. Good or bad. It WILL be done. Just add music, and recruit my friend to do an accent...

...and THAT is the joy of shooting film. The re-discovery years later. The footage is grainy but sharp. I contend that if I'd shot with the technology in those days, this would indeed be lost forever. Now, let's be clear, it's not going to be "Gone With The Wind" and most likely people will think it's pretentious garbage. But its sentimental value means something. And being an experimental project is fun to keep the mind moving.

I recall getting a 16mm roll of film from Tony Scott many years ago (prior to his death). She wanted to archive his first movie. The little can of film held very brittle film from 1964.

This means a lot to filmmakers. And if you care about your craft, it should mean something to you too.