Field Report

I recently went to the Robert Schaller event in which he showed a number of his films. First off what enticed me was the installation of multiple projector. Some were projected side by side, some top-bottom; and my particular favorite – overlapped. Before this occasion, I hadn’t seen any dual-projected films, let alone three. There was one in particular in which Schaller captured footage of trees and nature. Granted I felt that anyone that has a little knowledge of operating a camera could film some of the shots. Nonetheless, with the use of editing and the multiple projections, he turned it into a sensational look at common nature. We watched a handful of his films in class and I liked the idea of using other methods on film itself to be projected. Carefully laid leaves, sand, and other materials, Schaller created a whimsical display without the use of a camera. He showed a few films using his homemade emulsions, again a process that was new to me. It was interesting at times when distinct figures would morph back and forth along with the multi-screen display. At times it got drawn out, where I tend to find myself impatient especially without the addition of sound. Schaller said he was revisiting film processes that were done before the turn of the century. Once Kodak became the popular commodity the other forms of films died in the era. Schaller is interested with these processes and has applied new technologies and his own methods to the aged media. For me personally, I like the idea of exploring new techniques in film, which inevitably will be overran with digital video. Film is celebrated as one of the purist forms of motion picture and with today’s technology and progressive filmmakers; I don’t see it falling off anytime soon.