Fostering a dialogue between former industry professionals, contemporary artists and filmmakers to create new opportunities for the continued use and further development of the machinery and technology of photo-chemical film.
Following open source and DIY principles our plan is to run collective workshops around the equipment discarded by the film industry. Our goal is to create an environment that will lead to a re-engagement with this technology and open new, long term paths for creative discovery. While it was previously difficult, outside of the industrial field, to work and experiment with these sophisticated tools, it is now possible for the independent film labs to acquire these machines and make them available to their current and future members.
For Re-Engineering the Industry we will develop three educational programs in Berlin, Rotterdam and Nantes. Each program will be dedicated to a particular piece of equipment and will proceed according to a similar method divided into the following steps:
- an initial screening of significant works previously made with the use of the machine to give participants an idea of its possibilities.
- a masterclass by a former technician, operator or engineer, to transmit his/her knowledge to a group of experienced filmmakers who will be able to use this knowledge to continue to work with the machine after the program.
- online documentation to archive collected knowledge and skills.
- workshops by filmmakers that participated in the masterclass to spread this knowledge further and encourage the use of the machine among their colleagues and within their artistic communities.
- an artist residency where an artist will be able to create new work through concentrated engagement with the machine.
The three programs in their respective cities are:
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In Berlin, the Crass animation stand program will explore the traditional uses of this German-made animation stand and develop new hybrid applications using current technology.
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In Nantes, the Debrie contact printer program will restore this printer’s functions, which are to copy 35mm to 16mm and 16mm to 16mm film.
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In Rotterdam, the Oxberry optical printer program will teach a new generation of filmmakers how to work with optical printing and create special effects on 16mm and 35mm film.
