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NEW DATE Special Weekend Workshop: 16mm Film – Shoot and Process with Carl Lee!
Sat & Sun January 20-21, 2024
12pm-4pm
$240 (10% discount for Squeaky Wheel and CEPA members. Not yet a member? Learn more here!)
Includes all film, darkroom chemicals, supplies, and use of Bolex cameras for the duration of the workshop.
Register with the “Get Tickets” button the bottom of this page
In this special 2-day weekend workshop for adults, learn how to shoot and hand process black and white 16mm motion picture film in a darkroom!
Participants will be introduced to the beauty of analog celluloid-based motion picture film in this hands-on, DIY workshop for adults. Day 1 will meet at Squeaky Wheel, and Day 2 will meet in the darkroom at Buffalo State University.
On Day 1, we’ll discuss the properties of the film itself, learn how to operate the camera and lens, and learn to properly expose an image onto your film. Then, using the much-loved Bolex 16mm spring-wound camera (see the first photo), we’ll go out and shoot some film!
On Day 2, we’ll take that film and develop it (as a negative) in a photo darkroom in the DIY tradition of bucket hand-processing. Literally, buckets. This process can be replicated in any darkroom (or bathroom!) making 16mm film much more affordable. After the film is dry, we will project our negatives, capture DIY digital transfers, and discuss how to digitally convert your negative to a positive.
NOTE: This workshop is very hands-on and, on Day 2, potentially a little splashy, so dress appropriately (gloves and aprons will be provided, but please don’t wear your favorite outfit!).
Instructor Bio:
Carl Lee is a media artist based in Buffalo, NY. Since the 1990s he has been making films, videos, and multi-channel installations that explore the built environment and personal spaces, perception, and the precarity of images on our screens and in our heads. His most recent work, Unity Island, a three-screen installation shot on 16mm film, is a personal exploration of a unique, multi-layered piece of land situated between the Niagara River and Black Rock Canal in Buffalo, NY. His work has been screened and exhibited nationally and internationally.
Portrait of Carl Lee by Dorothea Braemer
All other photos and film stills courtesy Carl Lee
