An obsolete format?
An inimitable format. Here are a plethora of productions captured on Kodak Film within the past few years: https://bit.ly/2UZK2Hi
Films shot on 16 mm include: Carol, The Hurt Locker, Black Swan, Moonrise Kingdom, Pi, Clerks, El Mariachi, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Primer, Jackie, and many more.
The digital format has made many attempts to emulate film's aesthetic qualities, such as its grain, color, and imperfections. Why? It is devoid of these essential qualities ascribed to cinema–such qualities embedded in its genetic code much like the vibrations from a single note of music.
Who are you?
I am Will Jacobs, a twenty-two-year-old independent filmmaker and artist from Peoria, Illinois who has made films since he was nine years old. My short films have been screened at festivals and on cable network television. You can view my filmography via IMDb (https://imdb.to/2FpHVGk) and some of my work on YouTube (https://bit.ly/1CD4L9B). Your contribution will enable me to shoot on 16 mm for the rest of my life as a filmmaker. I am currently preparing to make my debut feature-length film, which must be captured on celluloid.
What is 16 mm?
There are many sizes of film. The film size most often used to shoot major motion pictures is 35 mm. I am interested in Super 16 mm film. This is due to its smaller cost and beautiful grain. 16 mm is associated with independent cinema, and I will belong to a tradition of independent filmmakers who have used this format. What is Super 16 mm as opposed to "regular 16 mm"?
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Super 16 mm film has a single row of perforations and utilizes the space normally reserved for the optical soundtrack, thereby offering a wider aspect ratio of 1.66:1. This means a larger area on the film negative is exposed than if you were to crop off the top and bottom of the 1.33:1 aspect ratio ("regular 16 mm").
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Where does the money go?
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ARRI AG - https://bit.ly/1kvyKWi
An option I am considering is the Arriflex SR II Super 16 mm. With tax and shipping costs, packages for this camera are approximately $5000 - $7000. This price is only for the camera, two magazines, and battery components. This excludes lenses, film stock, and film development, which are expenses of their own. Every penny raised will go entirely towards paying for the camera–even without reaching our goal!
...And I get?
- Special Thanks credit on Will's first 16 mm project*
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A Weekend of Rekindling CD (from Will's musical solo effort, Trees Are Angels)
- Original artwork by Will of your choosing (signed on the backside)
- A 3' x 3' painting from Will's Twilight series
- Will's Just Resist Sin, a 4' x 4' abstract expressionist painting influenced by the Bach cantata
- Will's Self-Portrait in Winter, a 4' x 4' sculptural painting made of shoes and recycled material
- Executive Producer credit*
- An invitation to a shoot on one of Will's 16 mm projects
Click on the perk options for more details!
*Special Thanks and Executive Producer credit will be delivered when Will's first 16 mm project is completed in the fall.
Photographs of Artwork & Lists:
(Click to view PDFs)
Make sure to visit the FAQ page located underneath the overview.
Conclusion
Painting, music, literature, and theater are thousands of years old, but cinema is still in its early adolescence. Our infatuation with innovation has brought us to an easier and more accessible way of making films, but has quickly led us astray from cinema's spiritual source. How has it affected the filmmaker? It has initiated the degeneration of the artist's self-discipline and sense of ethical responsibility. We accumulate hours and hours of footage, only to use minutes of it when editing. We rehearse less and make far more mistakes. We believe any problem is fixable in post-production. Film speeding through the camera is money being spent, and footage must be developed before reviewing. This process means more care and forethought are required during production. It demands that everyone involved on a production operate at their utmost potential.
If cinema is 'sculpting in time', as Andrei Tarkovsky expressed, then we are gravely disrespecting our handling of time. I desire more ascetic principles. I yearn to experience the way of cinema's early masters, a time where much was required to be a filmmaker.
Your contribution is sustaining the life of cinema and paving the way for film to exist in our future. Every artist should have the privilege to choose film. The day that choice is torn from us because of our own greed to capitalize on technology is the day cinema will die.
Other ways I can help?
If you cannot contribute, please share this campaign with others using the social media links provided on the page. Thank you!
