This site is for discovering what we don't know about film.
There are many things that we know — how to process film, tone it, and manipulate it in various ways. But there are many more things that we DON'T know: for example, how to manufacture film — make the base, the emulsion, how to coat it, etc.. These are things things are known, but not by those of us who simply use and even love the stuff of film. The engineers at companies like Kodak obviously know how to make film, but if they cease to manufacture it — or if we wish to take the means of filmic production into our own hands — what good does their secret knowledge do us?
I liken the situation to the European "discovery" of America by Columbus. It may well be that others had voyaged from Europe or Africa to the Americas before; it is also true that those who already lived in America hardly needed anyone to discover the world that was their home. But for the "Old World", it really was a discovery, for the simple fact that Columbus wrote about it, and he was read.
Which is not to say that we need to conquer, steal, and despoil another's homeland; rather, the world we need to discover IS the world we already live in. It needs to be explored and reported on and disclosed for all to see: both the truths that others horde, and the magical vistas as yet unsuspected and unexplored. We stand as if in a small circle of light, illuminated by only the light of a single candle: we must make that candle brighter and enlarge circle of our awareness.
This site is for the enlargement of that body of knowledge about film, and our tools will be pen and paper, keyboard and screen, and a dedication to asking questions. Add your voice to ours!
Why this site is needed
How to participate
How this site works
How to structure research projects
Who is behind this site and how is it organized
Back to Film Research Community
There are many things that we know — how to process film, tone it, and manipulate it in various ways. But there are many more things that we DON'T know: for example, how to manufacture film — make the base, the emulsion, how to coat it, etc.. These are things things are known, but not by those of us who simply use and even love the stuff of film. The engineers at companies like Kodak obviously know how to make film, but if they cease to manufacture it — or if we wish to take the means of filmic production into our own hands — what good does their secret knowledge do us?
I liken the situation to the European "discovery" of America by Columbus. It may well be that others had voyaged from Europe or Africa to the Americas before; it is also true that those who already lived in America hardly needed anyone to discover the world that was their home. But for the "Old World", it really was a discovery, for the simple fact that Columbus wrote about it, and he was read.
Which is not to say that we need to conquer, steal, and despoil another's homeland; rather, the world we need to discover IS the world we already live in. It needs to be explored and reported on and disclosed for all to see: both the truths that others horde, and the magical vistas as yet unsuspected and unexplored. We stand as if in a small circle of light, illuminated by only the light of a single candle: we must make that candle brighter and enlarge circle of our awareness.
This site is for the enlargement of that body of knowledge about film, and our tools will be pen and paper, keyboard and screen, and a dedication to asking questions. Add your voice to ours!
Why this site is needed
How to participate
How this site works
How to structure research projects
Who is behind this site and how is it organized
Back to Film Research Community