16mm Film Production

Catalog description

This course introduces students to the creative use of analog 16mm film in conventional and unconventional ways. With the advent of digital video, many were eulogizing the death of film. However, over thirty years later, it thrives. With advocacy from big-name directors like Christopher Nolan and Quentin Tarantino, film remains a coveted medium in studio productions. At the same time, independent and experimental filmmakers continue to explore and broaden film’s possibilities. The bright pixels of digital video make for captivating imagery, but there’s a unique beauty to the swirl of grain on celluloid. In addition to the aesthetic appeal of physical, mechanical, and chemical reproduction, students gain a deeper understanding of the origins and operation of any camera and how an actual frame, shutter, and aperture function. Shooting on film requires a more thoughtful, structured approach that positively informs any kind of media making one does whether analog or digital.