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ITEMS: Inkjet Printed
Film Process
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Inkjet Printed Film Process:
Video frames printed onto transparency film
and cut down to Super 8 or 16mm film dimensions
Introduction
In the fall of 2005, I had an idea to make a small film
projector out of
a VHS cassette, as a mash-up of video and film sensibilites. I thought
16mm film could be used, or if this was unavailable, content would
be printed on a strip of plastic. This project was not pursued due to a
lack of enthusiasm.
However, during the summer of 2006, I was driving to work and it hit me:
Print out Super 8 film itself and use a standard movie projector for
playback.
Process
The process for Super 8 is listed below. The 16mm version is quite
similar.
The first step was to obtain the correct dimensions of Super 8 film,
make a
template, and arrange video frames onto the Super 8 template. To
avoid
the laborious task of cutting and pasting hundreds of frames of video,
it was converted into the "filmstrip" format using Adobe Premier.
In
Photoshop, the aptly-named filmstrip was cut and pasted onto the
template.
Once properly arranged, this template was printed out onto
transparency film.
The sprocket holes were cut out with a box cutter, and the 8mm
wide
strips of film were cut out with scissors.
Finally, they are spliced together in the bias fashion with adhesive
tape.
The last two frames on a unspliced strip are duplicates of the first two
frames of the next strip; this is what makes the bias splice
possible.
The first formal test can be
seen below. The images are of people enjoying
themselves via running, enjoying coffee, eating corn, et cetera.
These staged expressions taken from 1980s-era advertisments convey the
happiness felt when the initial tests were conducted.
The second test (in 16mm, with optical sound) can be seen below.
For audio, a screenshot of an audio waveform was reduced in size
and placed in the soundtrack area on the film.
-TECHNICAL-
The main intent is to explore the aesthetic possibilites of a new
imaging method.
From a technical standpoint, this process renders a terrible quality
image. Tests
have been made with laser printers, but the quality improves only
slightly. I am interested
in seperating light-sensitive chemical film from
the "strip of translucent images" projecting
method, and it creates a new
method of motion imaging, even if it is difficult to make.
-EMOTIONAL-
As a lover of imaging technologies, it was difficult to hear of the
discontinuation of
Kodachrome 40 film, the then-popular film stock for Super 8 movie
cameras. I am
especially interested in Kodachrome because it can last for over 100
years without
quality loss, unlike video tape or lesser film stocks.
I shot my last roll of Kodachrome in 2005, the year it was
discontinued. In this regard, it
is a kind of awkward memorial to this sturdy film stock, showing the
unsuitability of the
various replacement medias.
-SEMANTICS CHALLENGE-
It seems people are concerned with the terms film and video.
Some people react strongly to being called a "digital film maker"
instead of "film maker"
or "video maker." Some people do not care at all, with these terms
meaning the same
thing: A person who records moving images. Some insist film is
best for linear work,
while video is best for non-linear work.
In recent years, "digital film maker" applied to directors working with
standard definition
digital video, often in low budget situations. Some may differentiate
video as a
sub-standard medium for this purpose.
If a Hollywood director shoots and edits a movie on high definition
video, then
transfers it to 35mm film for projection, is the director a video
maker? If
a director shoots on film, edits digitally, and presents the work on
video,
is the director a film maker?
In any case, I hope to provoke discussion in this emerging semantic
and technological field.
My address: jesse.england_AT_gmail.com (replace _AT_ with @ )
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