I remember going to the Cannon Cinema in George Street, Oxford in my youth... a lot. And occasionally the film projected would be out of focus. One particular time when I went to see the Steve Martin/Daryl Hannah Hollywood-isation of Cyrano de Bergerac, 'Roxanne', the entire film was out of focus. Boy, did I leave the cinema with a headache that day. Not entirely sure if it was the film or the focus that caused that. Could have been both.
That particular cinematic trait has now been largely eradicated with the now almost universal use of digital projection in cinemas. In fact, I would be hard pressed to say when I last saw a film that was actually projected on film, it has been that long.
And to be honest, there is something nice about digital projection - the crisp, pristine images, the sharp focus, the knowledge that now the image cannot be terminated by the film snapping and/or getting trapped in the gate, resulting in film-melt (another artefact that will inevitably be lost on a generation brought up purely digital). And that old chestnut, the hair trapped in the gate, dancing distractingly at the bottom of the frame, wriggling for release.
Saying all of that, I do like experiencing the old films, flaws and all. I guess it is partly nostalgia but it is also the fact that I am experiencing something tangible, real; celluloid being drawn through a projector at 24 frames per second, the scratches and flecks testament to the number of times the print has been in circulation - a bit like the rumble and pops on vinyl records. However, I know that now such old films can be digitally tarted up to remove any trace of dust, scratches and to boost the fades in colour to return them to their original lustre, or at least close to it.
This post was prompted by a short movie I just watched - a mega low-budget independent film called 'Vapours', made in 1965 and centred around two men who meet and connect in a bath house in New York. Yes, it is roughly filmed in contrasty black and white on what looks like 16mm with a muffled soundtrack that betrays the noise of the camera over the dialogue. And do you know what? I loved it. Raw as it was, it was perfect; honest, refreshing, moving and compelling. And it did have a hair trapped in the gate, at least for the opening scenes!
But it didn't matter. It was an artefact I had come to acknowledge and accept, especially given my background in making Super 8 films. (Oh I'd be at that aperture with a brush and everything and still the little buggers would manage to get in there!). But it a fun, albeit pricey hobby that I loved. The moving images I make these days are completely digital purely because of the ease of editing and post-production, and the low cost. But given the chance I would dust off that old Fuji Single 8 camera (which is buried deep somewhere in my lodgings) and see if I can source the stock. I could be making my own version of 'Vapours' then! Though I doubt the Locker Room in Cardiff would allow it...
As an aside, I know that filters can be added to digital imagery to emulate the old flaws of film; it's something I used recently in my trailer for Cardiff Players production of A Christmas Carol. But there is something nice about the real thing, the beautiful softness of the images, the flickers of the photographic grain and the aforementioned flaws; as mentioned above, maybe just nostalgia but for me it goes deeper than that. And it would be a great shame to lose it for good.
