MOTION-PICTURE FILM HANDLING BASICS FOR HAND-PROCESSING IN FILM DEVELOPMENT TANKS

OVERVIEW: 

This is a general overview of all film gauges and how to load all of the available development tank types provided by Avant-Guardian* for rental use at the 818 Darkroom. There will be hand-processing intensive workshops coming in the future for 35mm, 16mm, Super 8mm, and Double 8mm motion-picture film.

DETAILS: 

Participants will learn the introductory basics, techniques, and skills of handling 35mm, 16mm, Super 8mm, and Double 8mm (Regular 8mm) film formats in order to load film development tanks. Participants will also learn how to use reel-to-reel rewinds, splice each format, and also how to split Double 8mm film. Avant-Guardian has Morse G3 tanks, multiple sized Lomo (“Russian”) tanks, and large Patterson photography film tanks. Each participant will get hands on experience using test loads of Super 8, 16mm, and 35mm film to load all four (4) developing tanks currently available at Avant-Guardian. During the last hour of this workshop, the instructor will process 1-2 rolls of black-and-white film with the class. This will be a general hands-on film processing demonstration that all the students will participate in with both a Lomo Tank and a Morse G3 tank. You will leave the workshop knowing how to load different sized film into varying types of motion-picture developing tanks, the basic strategies for processing black and white film based on the tank type used, and how to use the 818 Darkroom space most effectively to process motion-picture film on your own for future projects. You will be ready to process your own film with our rental gear as an officially certified Avant-Guardian!

INCLUDES: 

Participants receive 50’ of Super 8 leader, 50’ of 16mm leader, and 50’ of 35mm leader to use in class. Participants will have the opportunity to load all of the following tanks in a lit room for practice then inside of the 818 darkroom and a Harrison film tent to test their new skills. The participants will process BW film together at the end of the workshop with the instructor. Upon completion of training, participants will all be certified to rent from Avant-Guardian**.

- Lomo Tank: Super 8, Double 8, 16mm only (Small-size; Model #UPB)

- Lomo Tank: all gauges of film (Medium-size; Model #UPB-1/UPB-1A)

- Morse G3: all gauges of film

- Patterson: all gauges of film

Instructor: Dustin Thompson

Course Cap: 5 participants

Price: $50

Location & Time: Sunday, September 29 from 1-4pm at the 818 Community Darkroom

* Avant-Guardian is a filmmaking collective that currently supports independent, non-narrative, experimental, and genre-bending avant-garde film artists through motion-picture film development equipment rentals at the 818 Darkroom. Our goal is to provide affordable access to motion-picture darkroom equipment for professional, amateur, and beginning film artists to create in the 818 Darkroom space. Along with gear rentals, we provide film workshops, visiting artist lectures and screenings, one-on-one mentoring, and we will soon have Bolex and PhotoSonics High-speed 16mm camera package rentals available to patrons in 2025. There will be a $5/month membership fee to access all available Avant Guardian rentals. 

*** In order to rent darkroom film tanks or production equipment from Avant-Guardian, basic training on the gear is essential either through workshops or one-on-one basic training with an Avant-Guardian instructor. If you are already properly trained, contact us and an Avant-Guardian instructor will still need to give a brief overview before your first rental to instruct on our basic practices, clean-up, and storage. **