Super 8mm Film

I think about this every once in a while.
In 1998, I was close to graduating college. And I made a short film

https://vimeo.com/436589939

Official I would say, that link above was my first film I fully put together script and storyboarded and planned. It's rough, but I just remember being so nervous nothing would come out. For the most part, there wasn't anyone that could tell me how these things worked. In Northern Ohio, there was no one who worked in movies. Nor was there internet at the time. I'm very jealous of the kids today. They have so many resources. Shame they waste it on throwaway videos.

Any way, there was a steep learning curve. And I lost a bit of gas once I went to graduate school. In the back of my mind, I was still hesitant to "waste film." I think this discipline MUST be learned. But we're visual storytellers. And not to be totally pretentious, but learning to tell a story through visual mediums will be a lifetime lesson. I STILL don't have all the answers. I do understand the technical side a lot more and therefore go in with much more confidence.

I value these moments immeasurably because it reminds me to be kind to new filmmakers who want to shoot on film. It is a scary endeavor when you have a crew of people who spend their efforts in making your vision come to life. Perhaps that's why I cherish making movies on film so much. The value is that we cannot get those moments back. Because it has already ran through the camera and light has struck the little crystals to form an image I will see later. It's archival and cannot be lost easily. I think we tend not to see things as dents we put into life. Or for others.
As I get older, there are more moments behind than in front. And if the lasting legacy I have for anyone, it's to be that person that is remembered for making their filmmaking experience much easier than my own.

I marvel at the fact at how far I've come from those days. Not as an ego trip, but that I really respect all the teachers and lessons from mistakes I can take away. I feel that these are what makes the images I take so precious to me.

As we live in a bitterly cynical world, I hope that others know their lives are about craft. Every step of the way. There are no rules to what we do. And the more into the "studios" work we do, the more we should try to remind ourselves the importance of each individual art.