Home Movie Day News

We’ve been a little remiss in getting reports from Home Movie Day events posted here, but we’ll start now, with a report from Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Event Venue: Koning Microcinema, a 60-seat screening space inside the historic Wealthy Theatre, operated by the Grand Rapids Community Media Center

Event time (screening): 1:30 - 4:30

Event time (inspection): 1:00

Total Audience: ~30 - 35

Number of people bringing films: 4, plus orphaned films provided by the coordinators to fill out the screening

Films screened by Gauge: 8mm: 15 Super 8: 12 (3 with sound) 16mm: 0 9.5mm: 0 Video: 0, although we did have a gentleman come wanting to show his video of home movies; we weren’t showing video at this event, however

Volunteers (# and names will be acknowledged in CHM annual report unless otherwise indicated): 5 volunteers: Jennifer Proctor Margo Greenlaw George Wietor Paul Wittenbraker Sean Kinney

Press (pre-event; no post-event anticipated):

Two interviews on WGVU radio (NPR affiliate): The Morning Show (10/15), Mid-Day West Michigan (10/16)

Grand Valley State University’s Lanthorn

Revue blog

Grand Rapids’ Public Library blog, The Atrium

Facebook event page

Home Movie Day - West Michigan home page

Report submitted by Jennifer Proctor, proctor.jennifer@gmail.com

Some memorable films:

1. Lovely double exposed 8mm film of British Columbia from ~late 1940s/early 1950s, featuring families in upscale clothing and images of nature, including a spectacular superimposed image of a windmill against people walking. Film found in a dumpster in Grand Rapids; creators unknown.

2. Home Movie Day coordinator Margo Greenlaw’s sound Super 8 films, shot by her mother in Knoxville, Tennessee. In particular, from the early 1980s, a scene of her brother and her in the kitchen as Margo sings Halloween songs while her mother talks to her, and young Margo displays a bit of a rambunctious side. Margo is also coiffed in “Annie”-like curls. Garnered great laughter from the audience.

3. A Super 8 orphan film from the 1970s of Christmas scenes, which includes a family hamming it up for the camera, in particular by flashing their undies from under their robes.

4. Gorgeous Kodachrome footage of a contributer’s grandfather at work in Japan, and tourist footage of Japan while there, from probably the 1950s. Some lovely moments of men in business suits - American and Japanese - laughing in front of the camera. This was the first time this contributer had seen these films, which, he said, helped him to better understand all the stories his family had told of his grandfather’s time in Japan.

5. Another orphan film consisting of kids having fun riding on small motorbikes, followed by unusual and somewhat unnerving footage of a funeral. Label said Oklahoma, 1972.

6. Perhaps the most moving of the event - a man brought films of his parents, who had passed away when he was young, so he was raised by his grandparents. One 8mm film from the 1970s featured footage of him as a young child riding on a toy fire truck, while we can see his grandfather’s (the cameraman’s) shadow on the ground. But, perhaps more moving, is another, longer 8mm reel that consists of 1940s-1950s footage of his mother as a young woman - this film is the only item he has from his parents to remind him of them. His mother is carefree and fun, playing with a dog, kicking her feet in the air as she lays on the grass. The contributer thought - but didn’t know for sure - that a brief shot of a sailor might have been his father. Lots and lots of footage of dogs - quite a dog-loving family! But mostly footage of people enjoying one another’s company, hugging each other, enjoying cookouts outside.

The word on SF’s HMD from Stephen Parr:

As I may have mentioned in previous years, San Francisco is a difficult city to promote Home Movie Day. Sure, we get press, but unless we get major press (like last year and the first year) that reaches an older crowd, our primary audience consists of younger people who inhabit this city. For all practical purposes they have never seen film before.

In addition their parents may not have seen film either! We’ve made many outreach efforts to libraries, fraternal organizations and cultural groups but it’s time consuming with results coming more gradually. Because of this we generally draw small crowds to our film clinic who actually bring films. My goal then for HMD and the San Francisco Media Archive is to increase overall awareness of home movies by showcasing our home movies and hear from those we encourage to bring films to the screening.

This year we offered free admission to the formal screening for those who brought films.

HMD 08 drew some phone queries and a sprinkling of people to our clinic (2) and 3 or 4 more who brought films to our screening event (3 16mm, 2 Super 8mm films). Our screening primarily showcased our NFPF preserved home movies in a multi-projector setting. I screened much of the NFPF preserved works (Highlights from “San Francisco in Cinemascope,” Building of the Golden Gate Bridge,” Chinatown in the 1940s, my film compilation of world-wide home movies “The American Eye: From San Francisco to Samoa”) on the center video projector and operated 2 other 16mm projectors which I projected films on either side of the large screen, oftentimes overlapping or changing projection angles and screens.

The audience really enjoyed this and it allowed us to screen 3 times as much material from our archives than we would normally. Also while I’ve occasionally gotten help in past years I now do everything-write the press release, set up the room, take tickets, inspect films and operate the projectors.

Highlights of films we screened included:

Bob Tartar, a local film enthusiast screened and donated a 800 ft reel of well shot 16mm B+W home movies from the mid1920s of Victoria, British Columbia and the Santa Barbara Fiesta and Parade (an annual event providing an education of the history, customs, and traditions of the American Indian, Spanish, Mexican, and early American settlers that comprise the cultural heritage of Santa Barbara).

David Gallagher, of the Western Neighborhoods Project (http://www.outsidelands.org/) screened and donated 50’ of 16mm Kodachrome film shot in the 1940s of Chinese-American athletic activities which took place at the Polo field in Golden Gate Park. The film features a brief shot of classic downtown San Francisco.

Kathy Bouvier, a friend of 30 years brought a film her father Ernest Kleinberg, a self taught filmmaker from Austria made for the Santa Fe Railway in 1957 entitled “San Francisco.” Shot in Kodachrome, it tells the story of the city’s topography, climate and role (long since past) as a shipping and industrial center. Additionally the film features a unique look at Italian, Chinese and German cultural activities in San Francisco as well. We closed the show with this pristine print. The film is featured in Rick Prelinger’s “The Field Guide to Sponsored Films.” It was an excellent contrast to the other San Francisco home movies we screened. Kathy promises to bring in more “personal” home movie type films made by her father sometime soon.

Attendance was about 20 though nearly everyone stayed for the complete 3 hour show.

We received additional calls from other interested people who I’ve been setting appointments with to inspect and view their home movies during the coming weeks. While not as large an audience as last year I think this year’s audience was more involved and interactive, all of them promising to return for future screenings as well.

Stephen Parr San Francisco Media Archive www.sfm.org 275 Capp Street San Francisco, CA 94110 415-558-8117

The somewhat (as usual) inaccurate press in the SF Chronicle:

Home movies in S.F. (From the San Francisco Chronicle, October 10, 2008)

Perhaps foreign or Hollywood movies are not your bag. If that’s the case, note that Saturday is Home Movie Day, “an international day celebrating home and amateur cinema-makers from around the world.” Amateurs and auteurs alike are encouraged to bring in their home movies - in 8mm, Super 8mm and 16mm formats - and videos for evaluation and screening from 1-5 p.m. to San Francisco Media Archive, 275 Capp St. in San Francisco.

Later on, from 8-11 p.m., the archive will show its greatest hits - “San Francisco in Cinemascope,” “Chinese American Communities in San Francisco” and “Welcome San Francisco Moviemakers” (all preserved by the National Film Preservation Foundation). The archive also will screen rare films of the building of the Golden Gate Bridge, the San Francisco State strike and more.

Admission to the screenings is free. The 8 p.m. curated screening is $10 (unless you’ve brought a movie to the earlier evaluation and screening). RSVP, as seating is limited, to archive@sfm.org or (415) 558-8117. For more information, go to www.sfm.org.

• Tamara Strauss

Thanks to Skip Elsheimer for his report on the Raleigh Home Movie Day Event.

Below is the report. In general, we had more volunteers and less attendees this year, but that allowed us to watch more films that folks had brought. We were so enthralled with the Kodachrome 16mm films that one woman brought, we convinced her to go home and bring back more reels.

Everything ran very smoothly, in spite of me bringing in a wretched Kodak presstape splicer to do 8mm splices. Can anybody suggest a better 8mm tape splicing solution?

Event venue: North Caroline State University Caldwell G107

Event time (screening): 1-4pm

Even time (inspection): 1-4pm

Total audience: 45 (including volunteers); 28 without

Number of people bringing in films: 10

Number of films screened by gauge:

8mm: 21 Super 8: 4 16mm: 14 9.5mm: none Video: none

Volunteers: 17

Volunteer Names: Skip Elsheimer, Germaine Fodor, Marsha & Devin Orgeron, Charlotte Walton,Mark Koyanagi, Kate Klutz, Paul, Ora Gelley, Bob Pence, Jim Alchediak, Arthur Hailey, Lisa & Ben Carter, Jerry Pemberton, Zach Finch, Danica Cullinen.

Special events/screenings: after HMD, event at the NC State Archives on October 23rd

Press: News 14 interview with Skip Elsheimer, Our State magazine profile, small blurb in Raleigh News & Observer Friday edition and in Raleigh’s Independent Weekly.

Home Movie Day 2007 (super 8)

B&W super 8 film of the previous year’s Home Movie Day.

Cathy’s birthday party (mcdonalds) (8 mm)

Cathy’s 5th birthday in 1955. Germany. Done by uncle in service. Rest of film in fifferent place

Wedding and Christmas time.(McDonalds?) (8mm)

1950s filming outside then inside at wedding table.

Sally’s 16mm

1941 film of Belmont NC, aerial footage, Peace college. Little girl in fairy costume at Peace college. Aerial shots are from a race between Belmont and Asheville NC

McDonalds: Chuck and Jeff (16mm)

Dover, Delaware? Looked like Germany. Cute footage of kid in bib overalls with dog. Footage of family in Burlington, NC.. footage of girl in a plaid dress playing with a corgi “the girl from Dover”

‘41 Beach Frankie, Dell, Reed. Myrtle Beach (16mm)

Cute ducks (audience reaction: awww), cherry blossoms; beach footage, frolicking; kids on swing (audience laughter); series of poses by little girls and hopping

Audience highly entertained.

Joseph & Alexina 50th anniversary (8mm)

Dim. crowd milling at lake; lake shots; folks milling about house & garden. Jump cut to snow. (Massachusetts?) More cold weather shots; mass at school. Christmas with fancy tree (“wow”s from audience); hilarious woman pointing at angel on mantel; more Christmas décor; more heavy snow

1943 wedding/summer/swimming/picnic

Julia & Pitney Stowe wedding (8mm)

Pitney in uniform; Mr. SP Stowe, textile man w/hearing aid; folks swimmin’; another cute kid.

Kate Klutz - Faith, NC, 4th parade, films by her brother w/Kate’s marching band (8 mm)

Umbrella Hat!!!; rebel flag; civil war guys; lots of good parade moments; clowns, American Legion, marching band, flag girls, Crescent Cloggers (big hit); classic cars

McDonald’s (8mm)

Kid doing the dead man’s float, snow on the ground. skiing

First film production class taught 1979 (super 8)

Speech communication department. Audio! Classroom filing up with students, film shown, back to lecturing. Was using an intervalometer (3 frames per second). Chinon camera.

Family film-maybe taken by grandfather or mother (super 8)

Group getting on bus, Europe. Filming from moving vehicle shot of everyone sleeping on the bus, barge on water, great footage of landscape from boat. Audience member identified The Rhine Bavaria (?). shots of French farmer’s market in town, Belgium? Switzerland? Graveyard with people creeping around, cuts to some castle then Versailles. Guy drinking on deck, flower gardens, Europe, aerial (or mountainside?) shot of farmland, cows, bird flying

McDonalds’ Burlington Christmas (8mm)

Shiny new bicycle, globe, typewriter? Gumball machine, viewfinder

Cary’s 4th and Chip “bath” (8mm)

Christmas time, someone got a guitar, ,a good snow outside in AtwaterCalifornia. Dog chasing snow, dancing, barking.

Marilyn’s dad (Niagara falls?) 16mm

1950s footage of falls, family posing in front,

Ron’s family 16mm

Watched upside down and backwards. Jumping in lake, sitting lakeside

Jim’s 1987 animation class project (super8)

Man watching TV, old commercials, mouth shows up on guy’s stomach, then he makes pillsbury’s cookies and two pieces of dough turn into eyes horrified by the fate of the dough. We couldn’t see the rest (due to splices breaking) but Jim told us that the cookie eyeballs roll onto the floor and gather themselves and roll away.

1953 Marilyn’s first trip to Niagara Falls (16)

Marylin’s grandma was there, Marylin’s dad probably shot the film. The falls, horse and buggy ride.

Buffalo NY (8mm) “Children” 1958

Twins in baby pool, kids in lake, pony rides,

Morehead 1958 (16mm)

Camp Morehead at Morehead City, NC. Archery, knuckleball, sailboats, camp is now a housing development. Kids sailing at Bogue sound.

Buffalo “Wedding” (8mm) (Peg & Frank)

lilac bush; folks preparing outdoor food; rice throwing; twin flower girls; decorated car

Sally: ROTC commission ‘66 (16mm)

Davidson College; outdoor ceremony; band conductor gets a laugh

Kate Klutz - farm, Pyramid, Wendy (8mm)

Artfully lit cat; Kate’s sister & brother-in-law; glimpse of pyramid house!!!; folks in pool; tiny shaggy donkey; goats

Briarcliff (Myrtle Beach) 1949 (16mm)

Crabbing & fishing: Tommy & Johnny as boys;

Marching band ‘61; Thanksgiving or Xmas (8mm)

Youngstown: Marching band at night; big dinner; parade

1944 Tommy Hunter (16mm)

Birthday party w/little kids

K Klutz: ? Raleigh & Kitt Creek Rd - Cisco Campus (8mm)

Mid-80’s: CharGrill in snow! Monster Truck; state Capitol grounds; historical monuments; chicken hugging out at Cisco Campus; other fowl.

1942: snow Martha and Adele 8mm

Girls with balloons & swing; reversible race doll; snow-covered manor in Belmont. Kids in snow, eating snow.

1960 Marilyn graduates Youngstown Ohio 8mm

Women in white, men in black. Principal Mr. Parenti. Marilyn is valedictorian, speech upsets the John Birch society. Footage of tossing caps and folks running. Ohio University parade/homecoming. Big John (jfk), feet, roadrunner float.

1947 Ann and Ray at Silver Springs, Hunter at Charleston 16mm

Swimming, lounging-on a riverboat-cuts off.

Kate Klutz carnival 8mm

Footage from moving vehicle, Faith 4th of july fair. Rides: octopus, swings, ferris wheel, caterpillar, footage taken from ON the ferris wheel

More Marilyn Ohio University parade 8mm

Floats: punch card computer, dachsund circling fire hydrant, smoking frog, “sneak up on the reds”, preying mantis “prey on Miami”, lots more floats, marching band

Beach 1944 16mm

Jumping waves, cuts to same kid at sandbox, inland home

Klutz 1988 Red and Blue Pyramid 8mm

Sunbathing by the above ground pool, screen porch that joined the two pyramids. Blue pyramid they lived in, playmobile figurines lined up, pokey, a smurf, pyramids seen from a distance. Faith 4th of July parade, carnival set-up

Marilyn’s dorm Ohio U 8mm

Pair of suited men walking on Ohio U campus, Jefferson Hall, cleaning a classic car, Marilyn’s house, carving a turkey,

16mm May 1945 Tommy 7

Park/lake, Tallahassee beach, back to park

Flood of Tom Bigby River (1945) Columbus, Mississippi (8mm)

Shot by grandfather: b&w deep flood waters; kids & dog posing

New Orleans & State Park 1947 (8mm)

Street scenes; kids posing in their Sunday best; kid mowing lawn; playground

16mm May 1947 Johnny walking

Three kids, one is Johnny, scooter, football laughs

St. Ignes/Castle Rock, MI (8 mm)

Nice landscapes, upper peninsula looking at lower peninsula; cute kids; lakeside fun

Dylan Skolnick’s report from the premiere of Home Movie Day on Long Island:

Our first-ever Home Movie Day went pretty well. Everyone seemed to have a good time, and amazingly, despite some last minute scares, all of the equipment worked. Like Skip, I had a problem with splicing regular 8mm film. I had to improvise a splice (which came out beautifully) with Super 8 splicing tape, a pair of scissors, some painter’s tape to hold the film in place, and a knife.

Event venue: Cinema Arts Centre

Event Time: 2-4pm (screening)

Event Time: 12noon - 2pm (inpection)

Total audience: 25

People bringing in Films: 10

Numbers of films screened by Gauge:

8mm: 5

Super 8mm: 4

16mm: 5

Press: Articles in Newsday and the Huntington News.

I am not a good record keeper, so I will have to summarize a few of the best films shown.

Highlights among the films were: Amazing black and white 16mm film shot in 1928 of Atlantic City by a man who was evidently part of a group called the Amateur Cinema League, lovely 16mm color film of a young woman’s 1952 trip on the Queen Mary to make a pilgrimage to Lourdes, a great color super 8mm film of a Greek-American girl’s 7th birthday, and a cool super 8mm color film of a family vacation in Florida that included a show of trained monkeys.

Event Venue: The Crescent Theater

Event time (screening): 1pm – 2:30pm

Event time (inspection): Sat. Oct. 11th, 1pm – 3pm

Total Audience: 40+ Number of people bringing films: 5

Films screened by Gauge: 8mm: 7 (six were small reels –3min –one was large – 25min)

Super 8: 1 16mm: 2 9.5mm: 0 Video: 0 (did not accept video)

Volunteers: 6 Gideon Kennedy (organizer), Dr. Richard Ward (projection), Catherine Duke (flyer design and contribution of home movies), Charlie Smoke (Mobile Arts Council), Max Morey (theater owner), Albert Robinson (sound),

Special events/screenings: We’re considering a follow-up in one of two ways: A retrospective of a local documentarian, Manning Spottswood, who made 200+ documentaries in, around, and about Mobile, AL for over four decades. As a finale, we screened his 1954 piece, “Azalea Trails of Old Mobile,” a 15minute, 16mm color/sound documentary about the city. We have access to several other of his works. Though technically not home movies, they are now interesting documents of the times in which they were made. We’re also considering showing home movies year-round at the start of feature films shown at the Crescent Theater to highlight the history and unique place of this newly renovated art-house theater.

Press (pre-event and post-event):

1. Lagniappe –Oct. 7, 2008 (alternative newspaper) “You Ought to be in Pictures”
2. Zalea - Oct. 2008 issue (monthly magazine)
3. “Declaration of Independents” pg. 34 -36 (print only)
4. Mobile Press-Register – Oct. 17, 2008
5. Comcast PortCity 6 show “In Mobile” Post-event airing TBA

We had several more films than these (kids’ birthday late ’40s, adults playing charades early ’60s, etc.), but the ones listed below both received the best reactions and have the most general interest (especially the last!).”

Mardi Gras Mobile Feb. 22 1966 Conception & St. Francis” contributor: the Duke family Depicts Mardi Gras parades, including floats, and the mystic society the Comic Cowboys, whose satirical signs make jokes about George Wallace, LBJ, and Beatniks. The family’s collection included several Mobile Mardi Gras, but this was one of the better depictions.

“Tobacco 1948” contributor: Janie Daugherty Depicts a tobacco auction in Kentucky in the mid-to-late 1940s. The contributor’s father was a tobacco auctioneer in the winters during that time. The contributor gave a lot of background to the tobacco industry then.

“Trip to Washington 1964” contributor: Janie Daugherty Depicts the Washington DC area in March or April of that year. Flags around all the monuments are at half-mast and the temporary site of the Eternal Flame for President Kennedy is seen, along with fresh wreaths and the guards keeping watch.

“Aug ‘84 Mobile to Atlanta – time lapse” contributor: Frank Vogtner Frank Vogtner set his camera on the dash of his car, turned on the time-lapse function and then drove from Mobile to his father’s house near Atlanta. The entire five-hour trip is completed in 3 ½ minutes of screen time. There is a high-speed stop for gas and, upon arrival at his father’s home he slowed down the time lapse and captured the drive up to the garage, where his father briefly pops out to wave. This is then followed by a static shot of kids playing in a pool, presumably at the house.

Untitled Antarctic Exploration – 1950s contributor: Melissa Spann The contributor dropped of four longer reels with us, two of which were approximately 30 min each in length, depicting a trip(s?) her father took while serving in the US Navy in the 1950s. He was aboard the naval expeditions to Antarctica, known as the Deep Freeze operations. Seen in the films are the USS Arneb (AKA 56), the USS Glacier (AGB-4), several other ships, helicopters, planes, a tractor sled, penguins (including the men on the ice playing with them), lots of frozen landscapes, men being hazed aboard the ship, on leave in New Zealand, etc. Really incredible stuff. Unfortunately, her father was unable to make the screening, but I intend to follow up with them and see if he is willing to get the films transferred and donated to some archive. The one of the four that we screened for the audience goes through about 20 minutes of various footage in the frozen blues of the landscape (including playing with penguins, the ship cracking through the ice, aerial shots of the ship, etc.) and then ends with a beautiful woman surrounded by vibrant colorful flowers and some various shots of presumably the New Zealand town they docked in after the expedition.

Event Venue: Chicago Cultural Center

Event time (screening): 6pm - 9:45pm

Event time (inspection): 3pm - 6pm

Total Audience: about 85 throughout the day

Number of people bringing films: 8

Films screened by Gauge: 8mm: about 2 Super 8: about 8 16mm: about 6 9.5mm: 2 reels brought in with projector. Was unable to screen. Guest donated pathe projector to CFA Video: 0

Number of Volunteers: 6

Anne Wells and Andy Resek (organizers) Danielle Kramer Michelle Puetz Collin Williamson Nancy Watrous

Special events/screenings: 2

Press (pre-event and post-event): FOX Chicago TV promoted the event Friday evening. Chicago Magazine newsletter, various blogs and on-line event calendars.

This year we tried a couple of new things. Although walk-ins were welcome, we inspected films by appointment. This seemed to provide more opportunity to talk with people interested in the event beforehand. We could elaborate on the mission of this event one on one. We also had live music scheduled throughout the screening night. Two piano players and an electronic keyboard player divided the night with accompanying the films.

This accompaniment worked particularly well with some 1930s footage of a nudist camp in Germany. B/W footage of beautiful bodies swimming, playing badminton, playing leapfrog, running through the woods, and generally showing off for the camera. This footage was found amongst a guy’s parents’ estate. He was more than happy for us to screen this material. There was one roll of color shot later in Canada where his parents had started another nudist colony. It was quite strange to see an elaborate costume party at the camp with a few nude bodies mingling in the crowd, sometimes only wearing shoes and socks or Mexican straw hats. The music worked beautifully with the b/w footage. Only a little Wagner would have topped the moment. Apparently during this era, nudist camps combined with athletics was common in Germany.

Nick Osborn brought in some late 20s, and 40s footage of a single Japanese family posing for formal portaitures early and then 20 years later. Beautiful and funny footage.

Finally, a woman brought in her father’s amateur footage shot on 9.5 in the Ukraine - 1926 and 1929. She also found his pather projector in the attic. She donated the projector to CFA and we are going to direct her to Cololab to transfer the footage. We will help her with the shipping and assist her in the process.

This year was really fun though we missed our colleague Andy Uhrich who was stolen away by New York. Nevertheless, the event merited a shake up here in Chicago which is exactly what Andy and Anne did, Also free fresh rolls from Europe attracted a large crowd coming from other events in the Center.

Nancy Watrous Director, Chicago Film Archives

Venue: Curzon Soho Cinema Bar Event time: 12 - 5pm Total audience: 40+ at the most at one time, but many throughout the day Number of people bringing films: 7 16mm: 2 Super 8: 10 Standard 8: 26 9.5: 0 Video: 1 DVD (lent by the BFI, see below for info) Film handling volunteers: Lisa Kerrigan, Jez Stewart, Tim Emblem-English, Zamir Javed, Lucy Smee Projectionists: Martin Robinson and Tom Adams Helpers: Alice Sanders, Shira Peltzman and Lesley Ibbotson.

Pre-event publicity:

Article in FOCAL’s ‘Archive Zones’ magazine Article in Practical Family History magazine Critic’s choice in Time Out (though they got it wrong and said we were on Sunday…)

Preview in the Guardian Guide for both the London and Manchester events (again with mistakes though - they said it was a BFI event and that we were giving away prizes for the best films - both completely untrue! We had 2 volunteers who happen to work at the BFI, but who gave their own time and equipment, though BFI TV curator Lisa Kerrigan really put in a lot of effort in, borrowing films from the BFI and getting them to donate prizes, and the prizes were of course for HMD bingo!)

Londonist blog

Bioscope blog

Screen Heritage blog

Various London event websites

Many thanks to one of the attendees, Sarah Gordon (sister of Raleigh, NC HMD organiser) who took really excellent photos of the day. She’s given me permission to put them on the flickr page, which I’ve done but they haven’t shown up yet.

London’s third, and my first, Home Movie Day was wonderful! It was somewhat celebrity-filled as we showed films that starred Pope Paul VI, David Dimbleby, folk singer Deena Webster, Ann Todd and Rex Harrison.

The first collection brought in was by a well-to-do elderly gentleman. His five films ranged from 1940 to 1951, all in excellent condition. His family were friends with the Dimblebys (not sure how well known they are outside of the UK, so here is a < AHREF=”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Dimbleby”>wiki link to Richard, the father), and so there was film of a baby David Dimbleby (here on Flickr).

The others were family films, mostly filmed on his family estate in Buckinghamshire (with tennis courts etc. in back garden!). He told me his Dad was editor of 16mm Magazine. He was really excited as he hadn’t seen the films since the 60s. His 16mm film was of pupils from St. Paul’s school rowing on the Serpentine (< A HREF=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/8410583@N08/2959178852/”>see here) in 1951.

Captain Zip, who attended the last London Home Movie Day, brought three films, of London in the 60s, 70s and 2005. His Dad was a Beefeater at the Tower of London, so there was great footage of that in 1969, as well of a pageant on Tower Bridge. He also brought some along of Shaftesbury Avenue (where the venue is) in the 70s, featuring the Curzon cinema (then called the Columbia) and singer Deena Webster. The final film was of Routemaster buses in 2005, filmed in various places around London.

My great-uncle lent us his films but unfortunately couldn’t make the long journey into central London, but my Dad came to identify everyone in the films, and was surprised to see his 14-year-old self, and very happy to see his Nan. My favourite section was him and his cousin David playing football (soccer), followed by David’s 14th birthday, at which David gets the bumps (is this a worldwide custom or just UK??) and then dances with my great-grandma (but she clearly doesn’t want to dance). Also footage of family holidays in Majorca and Sardinia.

An Irish family, now living near London, brought films that the wife’s Dad made in the 70s in Ireland and Liverpool. There was some lovely footage of dancing polar bears at Liverpool Zoo. The Pope’s visit to Dublin in the 70s was a highlight. He swoops down in his helicopter and then parades down a main road in his Popemobile. Plus a fun family film at Christmas, and a wedding and a holy communion as well.

One family brought films mostly showing the activities of a Middle Ages re-enactment society, complete with authentic outfits and jousting competitions.

One young lady brought films made by her Dad in the 80s, starring herself and her brothers. Extremely cute footage of mealtimes and the children playing and swimming.

Tim, one of our volunteers, also brought a film from 1988, of a steam train journey through the countryside, which was very picturesque.

The BFI lent us one of David Lean’s home movies (viewing print on 16mm), thanks to volunteer Lisa Kerrigan who got permission from David Lean Films Ltd. Very beautiful, was sound but unfortunately when the BFI transferred the original, they didn’t include the soundtrack, so the viewing print’s silent. Shot in 1950 in Italy and mostly of Ann Todd swanning about in dresses and bikinis, and Rex Harrison’s also there, in the swimming pool.

Lisa also borrowed a 10min DVD compilation of the Passmore family films c. 1903 (http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/437757), which was really wonderful. The Passmore family had great larks it seems, jumping over tennis nets, blowing bubbles and having some very adorable children in bloomers and floppy hats kiss each other. But they were rich enough to make 35mm home movies in 1903, so maybe that had something to do with their carefree attitudes…

Home Movie bingo was competitively played by all. Great prizes were provided by mine and Lisa’s workplaces, the Wellcome Library and BFI (2 BFI imprint DVDs, 2 tickets to the IMAX, 3 Wellcome Collection books, plus 2 HMD 2009 calendars) and all went. Thanks to our bingo caller Lesley, who de-Americanised the bingo sheets from the Yahoo group files (our favourite square on the original being ‘Europe’…) and took charge of the bingo.

Except Tom, the Imperial War Museum projectionist, we were all first-timers at HMD, and everyone told me they had a wonderful time and would like to be involved next year.

Home Movie Day Nashville, from Kelli Hix:

Event Venue: Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Event time (screening and inspection): noon-5pm Total Audience: @ 20 Number of people bringing films: 4

Films screened by Gauge: 8mm: 6 Super 8: 1 16mm: 5 9.5mm: 0 Video: 5 (DVD)

Volunteers): 4 Emily Happell Tom Wills Steve Hamilton Kelli Hix

Special events/screenings: 0

Press (pre-event and post-event): The Nashville Scene

Report submitted by: Kelli Hix

We had a great screening at Home Movie Day this year… but all of the movies were brought by volunteers. Not one outside person came with film, much to our disappointment. Perhaps Nashville just ain’t a movie town.

That said, almost every film was a highlight.

Tom Wills, local film collector and all-around 16mm guru, brought in amazing footage, some of which crossed the line into semiprofessional film. My favorites:

Footage of Stars from the Grand Ole Opry on an airplane, and performing for the first time at the Astor Hotel (ca. 1950’s?) in New York City. The curator of the Moving Image and Sound Collection at the Hall of Fame was there, and yelled out “That’s my Dad!” much to our excitement. (His father was a member of the legendary Jordanaires).

Color footage of local stuntman “Crash Brown” riding his jalopies through flaming planks of wood and other obstacles. They did not wear protective gear back then (ca. late 1940’s?)

Emily Happell, Professional Home Movie Transfer-er, for whom every day is Home Movie Day, brought in some reels that had been abandoned at the lab, as well as a DVD of some transfers:

We could not stop watching the 6 reels of b+w 8mm footage of a family living near Chicago, IL, (ca. late 1940’s). The content was not unusual, but it was beautifully shot and the characters engaging.

Emily put together a DVD “reel” of Halloween shots, with great parades of children in elaborate costume. We laughed with, not at, the poor kid whose costume was a paper bag on his head.

Steve Hamilton, of a local transfer house, brought in DVD’s of some good stuff. The most impressive:

Color footage of the fire at the Maxwell Hotel, as in Maxwell House Coffee.

The Hall of Fame allowed me to pick a few gems for screening.

Wedding footage, mid 1970’s, of an un-named female performer getting married. Outdoors. On a cliff overlooking the sea. Wearing medieval-hippie wedding gear. Super-8. This may be my favorite film in the museum.

I also screened another of our faves (preserved last year by the NFPF)—, 16mm footage of a day in the life of local radio station WLAC, ca. 1949.

Toronto - Home Movie Day presented by Homemade Movies

This year we held our Home Movie Day in the Junction neighbourhood of Toronto. 2008 is the 100th anniversary of the Junction and our event coincided with other celebrations being held throughout the year. The event was co-presented by the West Toronto Junction Historical Society and the Toronto Public Library - Annette branch.

Homemade Movies has held two previous events in the Junction which had great response from residents in the area (as part of our ongoing b.y.o.h.m. or “bring your own home movies” series). Home Movie Day continued this trend with many participants bringing large numbers of reels to look through.

Our Home Movie Day had both a repair clinic - where people were able to look through their collections, get help repairing films and select a reel to show - and a screening.

Some highlights included films of: the 1939 Royal Visit by George VI in Toronto - which was a sensation in Canada of the period, a collection of reels all documenting bullfights, colonial life in Malaya during the 50’s, a flooded town in rural Ontario, and a school presentation from the 20’s with kids performing strange kinds of marching and gymnastic routines outdoors.

This year we would like to thank Wren Jackson, Kim Jackson, Cool Hand Of A Girl, Siue Moffat, Images and especially Jonathan Culp for all their help.

HMD’s New York event report is in:

Event Venue: Anthology Film Archives

Event time (screening): noon-5

Event time (inspection): noon-5

Total Audience: about 50

Number of people bringing films: 14

Films screened by Gauge:

8mm: 8

Super 8: 11

16mm: 4

9.5mm: 0

Video: 0

Volunteers: Katie Trainor (organizer), Diana Little, Yvonne Ng, John Passmore, Andy Uhrich, Zack Lischer-Katz, Kimberly Tarr, John Migliore, Walter Forsberg, Crystal Rangel, Erwin Verbruggen, Ioannis Papaloizou, Jenn Blaylock

plus Dan Streible and Howard Besser did a great job getting the audience talking!

Special events/screenings: no

Press (pre-event and post-event): listings in Time Out NY and The Village Voice

Report submitted by: Diana Little

Sorry this is so long. I’m making up for previous years.

Our screenings started out strong with a 16mm color film brought in by Robert Penn, whose father was a Baptist minister. Dr. Robert E. Penn, Sr. had shot the film while in Nigeria doing missionary work in 1966. My favorite sequence of the film featured some guys performing logic-defying dance moves that must be seen to be believed. Unlike many of the films brought to HMD, this film showed signs of use and wear, and the contributor confirmed that it was likely shown frequently to congregations back home. We were all charmed when Robert Jr. called his 88-year-old mother to ask some questions about the events depicted in the film.

Natalia Fidelholtz’s film of her mother’s 3rd birthday at the family home in Buenos Aires was another crowd-pleaser from the early part of the afternoon. Little “Pinky” and her friends and relatives were entertained by a ventriloquist and trained dogs in this 16mm black-and-white film shot in 1952. Natalia, whose father was an ambassador, also brought us a 16mm sound film of Tricia Nixon lighting the Christmas tree at the Argentine embassy.

Our first Super8 of the day was contributed by a woman who thought we would be screening film of her uncle’s chicken farm near Seville, Spain. All were quite surprised then that the film, which had been found in her mother’s house in Spain, depicted her 1967 wedding in Durham NC; she had had no previous knowledge that the film existed. She and her husband, who was also present, had celebrated their 41st anniversary just four days before, and if that wasn’t enough to get the audience worked up, the woman told us that she had just become a U.S. citizen the previous day!

HMD volunteer Jenn Blaylock shared with us a Super8 film that she had shot on a cross-country road trip last summer. Incredibly, the film covers nearly a dozen states in one 50’ reel. Such American wonders as the Washington Monument and “South of the Border” are featured. The Super8 continued with two films contributed by a regular NYC HMD attendee. The New York audience was especially entertained by the one that was shot in the squalid-looking graffiti-covered subways that existed in the 1980s.

Ken Brown wowed us for the second year in a row with two eye-popping films he had shot in 1984 on Fuji single 8. “Tiger Balm Gardens” was a beautiful exploration of a sculptural theme park in Hong Kong. In it the filmmaker exploited the ability of his camera to do lap-dissolves and multiple exposures. We liked it so much we watched it twice. Ken’s other film, the sometimes-pixelated record of a Boston Shriner parade, was equally dazzling.

Tim Graney brought in film of his family, including Home Movie Day co-founder Brian, from the 1970s. Brian gleefully getting up over and over after his father (the cameraman) pushes him back into the kiddie pool was my favorite part. Backyard kiddie pools seemed to be a theme this year.

HMD volunteer Kimberly Tarr’s contribution won the unofficial prize for most underwear (kids and adults!) in a single film, and baby Kim struggling to stay awake in her high chair was possibly the cutest moment in a day filled with films of adorable children. HMD volunteers really came through this year. Projectionist Walter Forsberg brought us two remarkable reels of Super8 he had shot in Iraq in 2003.

To fill in gaps between audience contributions, Katie Trainor brought in a collection of 8mm films purchased on e-bay. They seemed to have been shot by a single family over many years and covered many of the things we expect to see in American home movies: bbq-ing, swimming in the lake, Easter-egg hunts, vacation in Hawaii and ski and golf vacations, an amusement park, a military parade, and the changing foliage of many seasons. We felt a little bit closer to this anonymous family by the end of the afternoon, and their “classic” home movies provided a nice counterpoint to the spectacular cavalcade of films they accompanied.

Number of people bringing films for repair/inspection: 5

Number of films screened: roughly two dozen, some from guests and some from the U of I archives

Formats screened: 8mm, S8, and 16

Gate Count: 15 adults, at least 7 kids

Volunteers: 10

This was the third year for Home Movie Day in Urbana, Illinois. In the past we’ve held it at WILL, the NPR/PBS member station for Champaign-Urbana. This was a fun building to use because we screened the films in the television studio, which was fun for the audience, but parking was a challenge because this was on campus. This year, we held Home Movie Day in the Urbana Free Library in downtown Urbana.

One of our volunteers, Emma Lincoln, brought Super 8 films from her own family’s home movies to supplement what our guests brought, and we also pulled out several 16mm films from the University of Illinois Archives. These archival films were a hit in years past and people enjoyed them this year as well. We showed several newsreels from the 1940s-1950s about U of I history, including (locally) famous sports events and stars, the construction of various university buildings, and some wonderful “puff pieces” about the U.

For the kids, we had Home Movie Day coloring books. We also had a set of rewinds with 16mm clear leader and sharpies so kids could make Len Lye-style “frameless animations,” which we then projected. The finished film was donated to the Champaign County Archives, which is housed in the Urbana Free Library. The kids’ table was a BIG hit. The young people (and their parents) had a blast learning how film works, making their own animations, and seeing them projected.

As for the adults HMD guests - we didn’t get very many. We got a fair amount of interested foot traffic - people who would drop in to see what was going on - but we only got 3 or 4 people with their own films to share. While we recognize that any community event should emphasize quality of interactions over quantity, there was such a steep drop in interest over the past 3 years that it seems like we might “rest” this community next year or possibly fold HMD into a larger event. This is a fairly small community and it might be that we’ve hit most of the people who would want to participate so we may want to hold off a bit to build interest. We haven’t decided yet.

We had inspections from 10 to 11 and then projected films from 11 to 3. We had a fair amount of press, both in print and on-air (I did an interview on WILL’s “Afternoon Magazine” in the week leading up to HMD, and Anke Voss, head of the Champaign County Archives, also publicized it on a community-access TV program she took part in).

Thanks to Ashley Maynor for her report on Roanoke’s first Home Movie Day this year:

Our event took place today (Nov. 1st) due to the venue’s scheduling conflicts with the official day. I posted my full report as a blog post.

As you can read, we had a great event. Last year I purchased two Bolex 18-5 projectors on eBay—one for 8mm and one for Super8—and they are still working beautifully! For next year, we’re hoping to host the event at a local retirement home to try to have a larger built-in audience and attract more people who own films. There’s so much interest but a lot of seniors aren’t willing/able to get out and drive for the event (or navigate downtown parking).

My only wish would have been for a better set of film rewinds. Anyone have any leads on where to get 8mm/Super8 models on the cheap?

Many thanks to Home Movie Depot and Pro8mm for their donations to this year’s event!

John Tariot sends in the event report for HMD Hanover, with bonus lyrics:

My apologies for not getting this in sooner - life is somewhat complicated by the fact that I am bouncing back and forth between Aspen, CO and New Hampshire for the next several months- but, here it is, our first report in probably a couple years! A brief aside: I plan on attempting an HMD-style event in Aspen in early 2009, as there seems to be both some colorful history, and some people/groups that would be “into it,” including a local filmmaker that produces Super8 wedding movies, the Aspen Historical Society, and the Aspen State Teachers’ College, the latter recently put on an interesting event that merged history and amateur film: “Civics 101: Freak Power Film Night - A film/video exploration of the 70’s Revolution in Aspen.” More Aspen to follow in a few months, hopefully.

Without further ado:

Event Venue: The Howe Library

Event time: 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM (combined check-in, inspection, screening)

Total Audience: 15

Number of people bringing films: 8

Films screened by Gauge:

8mm: 6

Super 8: 6

16mm: 5

9.5mm: 0

Video: 1 DVD

Volunteers: Bruce Posner, Sukdith Punjasthitkul, John Tariot, April Andrews

Sponsors: The Howe Library, Cine Salon, Film Video Digital

Special events/screenings: For our 5’th HMD, we featured “Hanover 1947” on DVD; produced by Dartmouth College, and presented by Barbara Sagraves, Head, Preservation Services, Dartmouth College Library. Dartmouth maintains the film original, recently made an acetate-to- polyester preservation copy , and generated a 10-bit uncompressed digital video file to archive as well. We watched an access copy on DVD, and saw downtown Hanover little changed in some ways, and life on campus changed a great deal. While not a “home movie,” in the truest sense, and not even on film (usually forbidden!) it nonetheless gave us a view of downtown’s past, and interesting discussion of film preservation.

Throughout the day, John Tariot projected several orphaned films of local interest: amateur footage of Dartmouth College’s “Woodsmens’ Weekend,” the Lake Morey Inn, a White Mountains vacation, and a Vermont lake vacation in the early 1930’s, featuring a well-to-do family’s lake outing with the chauffeur rowing their rowboat.

Press (pre-event and post-event): articles in the 2 local papers, the Valley News and the Connecticut Valley Spectator prior to the event. The Spectator did a story the following week as well.

Some film highlights: Richard Fedorchak brought Super8 films and a projector, and showed 3 films he made in the 1970’s, with accompanying soundtrack being played back on boombox. Made with a unique directorial and editorial style, these went well beyond the Christmas/ Birthday/BBQ/Parade fare common to many home movies. The films featured a quite elderly patient who loved ice cream (Rich is a nurse), a meditation on tabletop hockey and winter on the ocean, and a big dance number featuring a couple who may or may not be from a mental institution- dancing to the band 10cc’s “The Film of My Love” (Lyrics below. With a line like “With a love that is true In cinemascope forever” I simply had to include them). Betsy Eaton brought in 16mm films of her grandfather’s which featured some cute, 1930’s-era boys and girls playing at a summer camp.

The “surprise” of the day was 1 Super 8 film that attendee Inger McEwen believed to be of her wedding, but instead turned out to be a Super8 copy of family film made in Sweden dating back to 1927. We believe the copy was made by shooting the projected image of the original, format unknown. The originals are apparently being held in the archives of a newspaper in Sweden, and featured, among many scenes, King Gustav of Sweden playing tennis.

Lyrics to “The Film of My Love” by 10cc

Co-starring you And co-starring me Starring us both together The film of my love Will travel the world Forever and ever and ever A back lot romance A scripted affair The screenplay a blessing from heaven We’re gone with the wind On the Orient Express To join the Magnificent Seven

The film of my love Will travel the world And travel the whole world over The film of my love Will travel the world Over and over and over The film of my love Will travel the world Over and over and over Over and over and over again Over and over and over

A close-up of yours A long shot of mine Superimposed together I’ll zoom in on you With a love that is true In cinemascope forever

A clapper board kiss There’s an Oscar in this A hit or a miss whatever A box office wedding A premier for two We’ll be on location forever

When Pathe recall The thrill of it all They’ll edit us both together A legend a classic An epic of love Captured on film forever A lasting embrace That time can’t erase Let them censor the wind Or the weather The film of my love Will conquer the world Forever and ever and ever

The film of my love Will travel the world And travel the whole world over The film of my love Will travel the world Over and over and over The film of my love Will travel the world Over and over and over Over and over and over again Over and over and over Over and over and over

The 6th annual Los Angeles HMD was accomplished only through the organizing efforts of Leah Kerr, Director of Archives at the Mayme Clayton Library & Museum (MCLM), and Academy staff Fritz Herzog and Lynne Kirste.

While eager & willing volunteers were assembled at the ready, public participation of about 25 people was low as a result of reducing PR based on last year’s record crowd at the Academy’s Linwood Dunn Theater. Discussion thus arose among several volunteers about how to transfer hosting and publicity preparation for HMD 2009 to an eager group of volunteers—-perhaps drawn from members of UCLA’s AMIA student chapter. Given the camaraderie, conversation, and connection made among volunteers, it seems a likely fit for students to sharpen old skills, develop new ones, and network with veterans in the moving- image-archive profession.

The change of LA host-site venue to the MCLM in Culver City (http://www.claytonmuseum.org/) was refreshingly informal. Avery Clayton, son of MCLM founder Mayme Clayton, was on hand to describe his mother’s one-woman initiative to establish the largest privately-held collection of African-American historical materials in the world by collecting more than 30,000 rare and out-of-print books and 1700 moving-image titles in the course of her career as a USC and later UCLA librarian.

Despite low turn-out, HMD2008 again provided the opportunity to assure a small gathering of folks how their films represent irreplaceable 20th-Century historical documents. Significantly, several of the day’s final films yielded a welcome response from those gathered within the MCLM. These included several 8mm films (possibly shot by a “Mrs. Penn of Los Angeles”) which Spencer Lee purchased at a swap meet and which captured moments of 1950s African-American life, styles, and social customs.

The value of these images rang out as Clayton Avery and a member of the Culver-City Genealogy Society attempted to identify the locations of a YWCA in front of which handsomely-appointed African-American women walked according to the cues and prompts of some unknown, off-screen amateur cinematographer. Perhaps Adams & Western? And the next reel labeled “Conference outside of church”—was it the First Baptist Church, or African Methodist Episcopal (AME)?

A third reel from Spencer projected screen-filling close-ups of a male Asian guest paying a visit to the Penn family—an intimate gathering which was perhaps a consequence of relationships that developed between African-Americans and Asians interred in “War Relocation Camps” during WWII. In light of the positive feedback, Spencer agreed to submit to the MCLM copies of the 10 reels he purchased at swap . Additionally, he agreed to provide as much identifying information about “Mrs. Penn” as he could gleam from the box in which the reels were purchased. Thus begins a search (by some future unknown researcher) to document as much as can be known about the reels. Research and social documentation aside, throughout the day Dino Everett’s 9.5mm films provided fascinating journeys into a 1930s British hobbyist’s storytelling—even told via an early split-screen effect. Watching the charming play of British school days and leap-frogging vacationers, long-passed lives & recreations were renewed on a big screen thanks to Dino’s generous provision of 9.5mm projectors. Another international contribution of the day was gorgeous footage from Peruvian and Chilean trips Eva Honegger’s grandfather made during the 1940s.

Returning to the colonies’ 8mm/16mm, slices of quotidian American life rolled out from East-Coast relatives of Trisha Lendo (Pennsylvania), Candace Lewis (New Jersey/Florida), and Lance Watsky (New York). From the west coast, Dolores Dace took us to southwest Wyoming in the 1960s and 1970s, while several of Midori Endo’s 22 reels transported us to 1950s Japanese-American Los Angeles. Staying local again, Leah Kerr’s 8mm brought us to Pomona drag racing at the turn of the 21st century, and both Larry Skuce and Rich Borony’s amateur small-gauge contributions served to remind us of celebrities at our backdoor and beck-and-call here in Tinseltown.

Other reminders of Tinseltown included two additional Spencer-Lee contributions—one a circa-1980 special-effects/makeup-artist demo reel which was very fitting for Halloween, and a second 1930s romp of costumed revelers—as well as Satchel-Paige footage from the Academy’s own home-movie collection which was screened thanks to Lance Watsky’s provision of digital projection equipment.

For their time & effort, we thank the following ace volunteers:

From the MCLM, Avery Clayton, Rebekka Bernotat, Leah Kerr, Dave Monroe, Janis Nelson, Deborah Taylor, Steve Bailey and George (the photographer), From Culver City Historical Society: Julie Lubo Cerra, Karen Coyle , Stuart Freeman, Joy Jacobs, and Fred Yglesias.

From AMPAS: Brian Drischell, Joey Guercio, Fritz Herzog, Jessi Jones, Lynne Kirste, and Brian Meacham.

From UCLA, Shiraz Bhathena (MIAS), Amy Jo Damitz (MIAS), Dino Everett (FATA), Jere Gudlin (FATA), Marita Klements (MLIS), Trisha Lendo (MIAS), Candace Lewis (FATA), Esther Nam (MIAS), Leah Wagner (MIAS), and Lance Watsky (MIAS).

From The ONE Archive, Loni Shibuyama, and from Film Technology, Steve Wright.

And for their contribution of generous raffle prizes, we are grateful to the following vendors: Film Tech, Pro8mm, Purple panther Tattoo, Yale Film & Video

Submitted by Candace Lewis, UCLA Film & TV Archive, Commercial Services

From Joanna Poses:

Event Venue: Community Education Center

Event Time: 12noon - 4pm

Total Audience: 25(?)

Number of people bringing films: 7 (includes volunteers’ films)

Number of Films screened by Gauge:

8mm: 1, Super: 4, 16mm: 9

The Philadelphia Home Movie Day was an interesting departure from last year’’s event. Our audience numbers were definitely down from last year’s when we had lots of curious restroom seekers, book borrowers, and homeless folk wander into the public library auditorium where we were doing our thing. This year, the event felt more like a happy family reunion than just another public event. We were based at the Community Education Center in West Philadelphia and most of the audience that arrived at noon stayed on until the last film finished just before 4.

Our only repeat audience members (excepting family -– thanks, mom!) were a mother, father, and endearingly geeky son who drove in all the way from Delaware! Needless to say, their loyalty made us feel like rock stars. Also adding to the rock star quotient were the unsolicited sketches by Aaron Krolikowski. A self-described “courtroom artist for local people and events,” Aaron presented us with highly unique documentation of our cozy event. Check him out at www.interview-press.com.

We watched beautiful and surprising [and one dull] films throughout the afternoon, but the real magic was the synthesis of the films with their owner’s’ narrations. At Philadelphia Home Movie Day, every film is narrated. If a film is found footage then we question the owner about the film’s circumstances and let audience members provide their own commentary. All of the screenings are interactive with people asking questions, identifying familiar sights, and cracking corny jokes. After four hours of alternately personal and generic home movies, there is a palpable bond forged between everyone in the room. At Home Movie Day, strangers let their guards down and let you into their families and childhoods and lives. This is not a generosity you often see in Philadelphia. …but, ‘nuff with the mush!

Our favorite guests were the Lombardis: an 87-year-old Philly native, his daughter and her husband. Their films and stories were amazing. The family had survived the rise and fall of the Great American Dream. Mr. Lombardi’’s father had come to America with a suitcase and built a fortune on sewage systems. The family business had huge commissions up and down the east coast including a major project in Washington, D.C. There, the Lombardis built a 30 ft. wide sewage system that ran under the White House. We saw footage of the construction on this project and it was as utterly compelling as Mr. Lombardi had promised us it would be.

Most of the company’’s work was based in Philadelphia, but the family was especially proud of the D.C. commission; the workers on this project commuted every week from Philadelphia. Mr. Lombardi’’s father soon became a millionaire and, eventually, bought the village in Italy where he was from. All of the extended family in America would, occasionally, ride luxury liners back to Italy to visit family and to travel the country. Mr. Lombardi was proud to note that the family brought 2 automobiles and a maid on these voyages with them. We watched a LUSCIOUS black and white film of the family’’s 1936 vacation to Italy. Mr. Lombardi answered all our questions about the trip and correctly identified the first visible land mass as the Rock of Gibraltar. When questioned about the family business and fortune, Mr. Lombardi waxed philosophical and noted, “everything goes up in smoke. You just have to give it time.”

Mr. Lombardi was gracious, knowledgeable, and humorous and he completely charmed the audience. As everyone was leaving, his daughter decided that she should interview him; we hope she does! Other standout presenters were Jenifer Baldwin and Caroline Savage. The youngest of five, Jenifer introduced us to her family through several films shot before she was born. The family lived all over the country and we got to see her parents reveling in swimming pools from Michigan to Maryland.

Caroline’’s father worked in [I believe] military and diplomatic roles for the U.S. government in the 60s and 70s. He had bought a Bolex in Switzerland at the end of World War II and took films of the family’s life throughout the Middle East and Pakistan. The family moved back to America when Caroline was 12, but she described a childhood lived on film. She can’’t remember what she remembers and what she’’s seen in the family home movies. She is now a filmmaker and she also showed us her unimaginable footage of mudslides in San Francisco in the early ’80s.

Projectionist/collector Jay Schwartz contributed some interesting found movies. He started the afternoon with a hunting and fishing film from the 40s or thereabouts… we watched deers being gutted… Amy’’s Reign of Terror apparently continues - where she touches home movies, they turn to animal cruelty! Jay also brought footage of a grave being excavated at a local historical cemetery in the 1940s. There are so many reporters present in the film that we feel compelled to follow up on the scene and discover the larger story suggested by the film.

Last, we saw footage of a family barbeque in the Philadelphia neighborhood where I grew up (one of the first intentionally integrated neighborhoods in the country). Jay observed that this is one of the only African American home movies he has ever found. There were other delights, to be sure, but I guess you just had to be there.

Many thanks to Whole Foods, TLA Video, and Ritz 5 for their generous donations. Thanks to the Philadelphia Film Archivists Collective for all their contributions and hard work. PFAC includes: Kate Pourishariati (and Shapoor), Janine Leiberman, Corin Wilson, John Pettit, and Oliver Gaycken. Special thanks to Jay Schwartz, Amy Gallick, and Jim Keitner, our all-star projectionists.

From Martin Koerber:

Event Venue: Deutsche Kinemathek - Museum für Film und Fernsehen

Event time: 10:00 to 12.00 combined check-in and inspection, 14 to 17.00 Screenings, 19.00 to 21.00 Special Screening of Horst Buchholz:€“ Mein Papa at Kino Arsenal.

Total Audience: 30

Number of people bringing films: 9

Films screened by Gauge: 8mm: 2, Super 8: 6, 16mm: 0, 9.5mm: 0, Video: 1 DVD

Volunteers: Katrin Abromeit, Kerstin Jahn, Andrea Krämer, Vin Lai

Staff: Volkmar Ernst, Katrin Kahlefeld, Martin Koerber, Judith Lehniger, Anna Schierse, Heidi Berit Zapke

Collaborators: Robert van Ackeren, Katharina Zwerenz of Original Version Filmproduktion GmbH

Special events/screenings: in the evening we held a screening of the film €œHorst Buchholz: €“mein Papa€, by Christopher Buchholz and Sandra Hacker, with Christopher present for a Q & A afterwards. In this film about his father (Star of €œMagnificent Seven€, One, Two, Three€ and many other classics) home movies were used extensively.

Press (pre-event and post-event): Berliner Zeitung, Der Tagesspiegel, Zitty, Die Tageszeitung had small articles on the day, Radio Berlin announced the event on the day.

After the huge turnout last summer (over 80 people, many with films had to be turned away because of lack of projection time), we were disappointed be the small number of people who came this time: However, the good news is that all people who came this year were there the year before, so they must have liked it. Having a small number of guests meant also that we could discuss with the individuals much more in depth, which was a positive experience.

Reasons for the low turn-out (apart from the absence of in-depth press coverage, which cannot be expected year after year)we think is the new date in October. October 18th marked the beginning of the autumn holidays - most people take family vacations if they can, a Saturday is usually the day for shopping and sorting out household chores, and in October all museums and other cultural institutions are very busy mounting activities, so the competition is fierce. August was a much better date for Berlin that way, and October 17th for next year would NOT be our day of choice.

Judith Lehniger successfully took the opportunity to approach some filmmakers about footage of the coming down of the Berlin wall, which we are searching for a forthcoming exhibition to commemorate the 20th anniversary of this historic event next year.

Highlights of the program:

A film about the past-time activities of an East Berlin taxi drivers collective; A short subject about the visit of Western relatives in rural East Germany in their Mercedes in the 1980s, which proved to be a sensation for the male family members; A mushroom-seeking expedition in the forests around Potsdam; unidentified black and white footage (found on a fleamarket) of Hamburg in the 1950s; Equally black and white footage of a 1954 visit of West-berliners to their garden in East-Berlin, which became impossible after the wall went up in 1961; A film about the changes in the town of Wismar between 1988 and 1994; Footage of the destruction of beautiful baroque housing in Potsdam 1989, and a demonstration on the wake of the fall of the wall, equally in 1989; A feature film called “Women’s Film”, shot in the 1970s, depicting women dressed as men and displaying male stereotypes in behaviour.

And:

A beautiful abstract study in light shining through coloured glass by Günter Dubiel, who died at 85 only a few weeks before HMD and had been a first-time participant in 2007. His films were subsequently acquired for the collection of our archive.

Prospects: Despite the disappointing turnout, we will forge on and join forces with Kino Arsenal next time, hopefully presenting a full week of Home-Movie related programs before HMD, and thus hopefully creating more awareness. More next year.

Thanks to Brenda for the following report:

Event Venue: Zeitgeist Multi-Disciplinary Arts Center

Event time: 2:00-5:00pm

Total audience: 10

Number of people bringing films: 5

Number of volunteers: 5 Organizer – Brenda Flora Volunteers: Dolores Hooper, Lindsey Barnes, Curtis the Projectionist, Courtney Egan

Films screened by Gauge: 8mm: 0, Super 8: 0, 16mm: 4 (unable to screen), Video: 8 DVD: 4 (plus 1, unable to screen)

The first set of films was from Melissa Smith. These were taken primarily by her father, David Smith. The ones in Liberia, especially, were incredibly interesting!

Originally Super 8 transferred to video. David Smith in Liberia circa 1960-64. Featuring construction of buildings; native peoples; killing a snake!

The rest of the video was originally 16mm transferred to video and featured family gatherings when Melissa was a baby/toddler/bump: Thanksgiving 1972, Streetcar birthday party circa 1970, Melissa as a baby walking circa 1972, Christmas circa 1974, Birthday party 1972 (mom very pregnant with Melissa), Grandparents’ 40th anniversary 1972, Melissa’s christening Summer 1972

The second set of films was brought by the Louisiana State Museum and featured jazz funerals. DVD transfer: Joe Watkins Funeral - 1969. (funeral of drummer, filmmaker unknown); Louis and Pavageau Funerals - 1978 (filmmaker unknown); Dixie Land Hall and Sweet Emma (piano) -1978, Film by Don Perry; Burgundy Street Blues - 1960’s, Film by Don Perry.

Further 16mm films by Don Perry were brought by Courtney Egan, which his widow had donated to the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. Sadly, two of these were not in good enough condition to be projected.

Unfortunately our venue was missing the take-up reel for their 16mm projector, so we had a couple of things on hand that we couldn’t watch (including a film of a jazz funeral from the Historic New Orleans Collection and another Don Perry film from NOCCA), which I felt awful about, but now I know one more thing I need to take care of for next time!

We also had another submission on DVD from local filmmaker, Matt Faust. However, the DVD would not play in our projector. We filled in the rest of the time with selections from the Living Room Cinema: Films From Home Movie Day Volume 1 DVD, which we encouraged our audience to purchase from the HMD website.

In summary, we were plagued with technical difficulties and sparse crowds, but in our cozy, informal atmosphere, it ended up being a good time anyway. And we’ve already began brainstorming on ideas for how to get a bigger crowd out next year, (preferably with some more film material, rather than transfers)!

The report from Seattle, thanks to Philip Borgnes:

Event Venue: Wallingford United Methodist Church

Event time (screening): October 18, 7-9pm

Event time (inspection): October 18, 5-7pm

Total Audience: 10

Number of people bringing films: 4

Films screened by Gauge: 8mm: 4 (3 were orphans), Super 8: 0, 16mm: 10 (all were orphans), 9.5mm: 0, Video: 2

Volunteers: 3

Philip Borgnes (organizer), Hannah Palin (Film Archivist, University of Washington), Pat Naumann (Advertising, refreshments and contribution of home movies)

Special events/screenings: One of the orphan films was a regional 400’ film from 1923, –the first year of home 16mm. Showed a trip by boat from Seattle to Victoria and back with visits to several public and private gardens. Title cards identified location and subjects.

Report submitted by Mat Darby & Kevin O’Sullivan:

Event Venue: Prothro Theater, The Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin

Event time (screening & inspection): Sunday, October 19, 2:00pm-5:00pm

Total Audience: 24 (not including volunteers)

Number of people bringing films: 7

Films screened by Gauge: 8mm: 4, Super 8: 3, 16mm: 1, 9.5mm: 0

Volunteers: 23. Lauren Algee, Daniel Alonzo, Megan Alonzo, Snowden Becker, Jordan Berson, Jean Cannon, Meghan Currey, Mat Darby, Lorrie Dong, Cassandra Gallegos, Elizabeth Hansen, Kady Ferris, Evan Knight, Alexandra Myers, Kevin O’Sullivan, Paige, Katie Risseeuw, George Royer, Luke Savisky, Anne Shelton, Emily Vinson, Sarah Weinblatt and Steve Wilson

Special events/screenings: Preceding the home movies, Austin: The Friendly City was screened. This film, produced by the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce in 1943, was recently restored by the Austin History Center through a grant from the National Film Preservation Foundation.

Caroline Frick, director of the Texas Archive of the Moving Image, gave a brief talk about the importance of home movies and steps one can take to preserve them.

Press (pre-event and post-event): Prior to the event, articles appeared in several Austin neighborhood newsletters and from Friday through Sunday, Home Movie Day appeared as the featured campus event on the University of Texas home page. We also got mentions on a couple local blogs, on Yelp and from local radio personality Bob Branson. On the day of, a reporter from the local NPR affiliate, KUT, interviewed event co-coordinator Mat Darby, Daniel Alonzo, archivist at the Austin History Center, and 87 year-old Ramon Galindo, a long-time Austin resident and avid home movie lover who has attended Austin Home Movie Day for three years running.

Thanks to Pat Doyen for this report; my apologies for its belated appearance here:

We had a great time this year and could have screened film for another hour had we the time. There’s always next year. We encouraged more audience participation this year and were rewarded with more intros, more narration, and music to accompany some films. There was some nice questions/comments between audience members during films too.

We had a raffle with donated prizes that not only generated more donations, but will hopefully lead to some newly made home movies next year (we gave away a camera, projector and an editor).

Event Venue: Visual Studies Workshop, 31 Prince St.

Event time (screening): 6-9pm

Event time (inspection): 4-6pm plus early drop off – Tue 10/14 5-7pm,

Thu 10/16 5-7pm, Fri 10/17 10-noon

Total Audience: 58 (not including volunteers – 75 total people). Number of people bringing films: 16

Films screened by Gauge: 8mm: 5, Super 8: 6, 16mm: 6, 9.5mm: 0, Video: 0

Volunteers: 16

Special events/screenings: exhibition of amateur equipment and ephemera in the lobby of the Dryden Theater for 3 weeks before and 1 week after event; live music and on the fly DJ during the screenings (Tim Wagner).

Press (pre-event and post-event): RNEWS channel 9, Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, Batavia Daily News

Some film highlights: A film shot in Palestine in 1927, with views of the Wailing Wall, the Nile, Egypt, etc. complete with Packard and Hudson touring cars.

A super8 kodachrome from 1975 of an English carnival (The Bushey show) was an audience favorite. Very beautiful footage of amusement rides, a puppet show and a floral competition. There were two other films of amusement parks (!), both of which were local and no longer exist. The 16mm 1947 footage of Crystal Beach was pretty amazing - the rides provoking both terror and awe.

We also had a lot of films made by 70’s teens, one of which included the biggest house of cards I’ve ever seen. Truly impressive and funny

Report by Friedman & Savage:

UCSD Geisel Library, Seuss Room, 2-5pm, Approx. 30 attendees, 6 from the general public brought films: (12) 8mm / (7) Super-8

Volunteers: Lia Friedman, Stephen O’ Riordan, Sean Savage, Kelly Anzalone, Jim Smith

The best SD HMD yet! All of the organizers and volunteers brought films, shown throughout the afternoon alongside those of the general public. The multi-screen environment provided a relaxed, installation-like atmosphere, allowing folks to focus their attention wherever they liked. Items from UCSD’s Strode collection were shown on the largest screen, while another station in the corner allowed 8mm and/or Super-8 to be shown side-by-side. Finally, a TV monitor looped DVDs of home movie transfers both in the screening room and in the display cases.

Kelly brought her parents, who screened movies of their younger and early-parenting days. One attendee brought films of his days as a commercial fisherman in San Diego, and Stephen, one of our projectionists, recognized the boat and then the man’s name. Stephen’s father-in-law was a tuna fisherman, and just happened to have a DVD of some of his films, so they were able to share movies and stories. And whenever there was a lull in active narration, we put on a sound S-8 of Kodak’s 1977 Christmas sales campaign, with appearances by pitchmen Michael Landon, Dick van Dyke, Burl Ives and Ed Asner.

The day timed just perfectly, with a steady crowd and participants able to see most everything they brought. We had to break it to one lady that 3 of her 8mm reels will require pricey replasticizing to salvage the content. Everyone was very enthusiastic and just a bit sad that it was only once a year.

While the room itself is perfect for the event, we suspect that navigating and parking on a sprawling campus may have kept some people away. Notably, a pair of students sat silently enthralled for the duration, though we intend to get more proactive in courting (and possibly transporting) older audiences next year.

And a tip to other sites: Cracker Jacks are the perfect HMD superfood!

Thanks to Pamela Jean Smith for this East Bay HMD Report:

This was PFA’s second Home Movie Day, and it was bigger and better this year than last. We were overflowing with films - a number of folks walked in toward the end and we didn’t have time to show them because there was a queue already. Next year we’ll have more inspection time with maybe a cut-off point, followed by a longer open screening. I like reading everyone’s reports to get a sense of the best way to time things.

Three local labs donated transfer time for bingo prizes, and one lab (thank you Video Transfer Lab!) donated a lot of supplies like presstapes, leader and gloves. We also gave away Kodachrome super8 film, a HMD tote bag and a HMD calendar as bingo prizes.

People came to the open screening from all over the Bay - from Oakland to Berkeley to Novato to Pleasanton to San Francisco.

After the open screening, I showed a program of home movies from people who had submitted films in advance, and from PFA’s Collection, representing Richmond, Pinole, El Cerrito, Fresno and of course San Francisco. We had specially-selected music for each movie and there were five families in attendance who talked as their films rolled through.

Event Venue: Pacific Film Archive

Event time (inspection): 12:00-1:00 plus early drop off

Event time (open screening): 1:00-3:30pm ; (curated screening): 4:00-5:30pm

Total Audience (open screening): 45 (not including volunteers); (curated screening): 55

Number of people bringing films: 17

Films screened by Gauge (open screening): 8mm: 2, Super 8: 11, 16mm: 4, 9.5mm: 0, Video: 0

4 o’clock screening: 8mm: 2, Super 8: 5, 16mm: 9.5mm: 0, Video: 2 (1 dvd, 1 digibeta)

Volunteers: 9 - Lucy Laird (co-organizer/projectionist/emcee), Jon Shibata (projectionist/smooth operator), Lauren Sorenson (inspector), Adrienne Cardwell (inspector/super 8 record keeper- film to be processed), Jessie Frey (inspector/sign-in), Jean Goldman (greeter/sign-in), Victoria Jaschob (greeter/film runner), Troy Vadakan (dj), Pamela Jean Smith (co-organizer/inspector/sometime emcee)

Special events/screenings: ‘Accidental Art: A Home Movie Day Celebration’ - curated program of home movies from the Bay Area with audience participation and special music.

Press (pre-event and post-event): Flavorpill, SF Examiner, SF Weekly, PFA Film Notes/Calendar. Calendar listings in weekly independent newspapers the Guardian, East Bay Express, Berkeley Daily Planet and online on SF Station, squid list, fecal face, and UC Berkeley’s website. I requested public service announcements on KALX, KALW and Pacifica Radio but I’m not sure if they made any shout outs. One person came by because he heard about the day on BoingBoing.

Highlights from the open screening (thanks to Lucy for most of these notes!):

• Beautiful Kodachrome 16mm footage of typical 1950s North Jersey suburban life- Christmas, Easter celebrations (with an egg hunt and lots of men dressed as bunnies), going to the Jersey shore, playing in the above-ground pool (lots of slo-mo shots of people diving in). Doug in leopard-print onesie pajamas (at age 5 or 6?) with his brother, praying at the nativity scene set up in their living room. They were a pretty devoutly Catholic family, so there was footage of a lot of religious ceremonies. The most bizarre one was some saint’s celebration (Doug didn’t know which) that involved two little kids, a girl and a boy, getting dressed up as a nun and a priest and walking around with their adult counterparts. Their little nun and priest outfits were so eerily accurate and everybody loved it. Another reel was his parents’ newlywed trip. They drove down to Florida, and his dad made sure to get footage of all the crazy hotel signage and the roadside attractions, like the place where you could get a bunch of parrots to perch on your arms and a chimpanzee show where chimps play the piano (“Liberace) and the drums, ride bikes and tightrope walk. His dad also did some fun trick camerawork—a car drove along the beach and the woman sitting in the front seat changed from his aunt to his mom. Weird. But it was all so beautifully shot!

• Black and white 16mm reel of the grand opening of the Klarr and Wilson Appliance store in Corvallis, Oregon, 1946. Mr. Fisher explained that it was such an exciting event because WW2 had prevented any new cars and appliances from being built (all metal going to ammunition and tanks, etc). People were inspecting ice trays, opening and closing the doors on beautiful old stoves and refrigerators. There was even a reporter there, taking notes on it all.

• An anonymous regular 8 Kodachrome reel from 1960 from Steve Polta’s collection of home movies. Two African American boys drumming in the basement, followed by a dance, where the adults are slow dancing and making out.

• Super 8 Kodachrome of 1974 Bangkok - Troy’s mom with his older brothers, lots of big dogs, and his dad’s fancy American sportscar. Their house is now the Japanese embassy.

There were some particularly touching moments with people connecting with their family through film: The Oyamas brought in a box of super 8 films from Cupertino CA and Japan. The one we were able to show was vibrant Kodachrome super8mm of Mr. Oyama’s two daughters playing in Cupertino, and of his elderly mother covered in blankets, sitting in a chair, surrounded by her granddaughters and daughter in law. Mr. Oyama narrated that the film was shot about 2 weeks before his mother died. He spoke of how important it is to tell your parents how much you appreciate them, before it is too late. He had that chance, but knows that not everyone is so lucky.

Judy came in with a super 8 reel that her dad shot about 3 months before his death in 1981, when he came to visit Judy in SF. The reel was a lot of footage of the ocean because it was the first time her parents (who lived in the midwest, maybe Iowa) had seen it. It was important for her to remember her father, as the anniversary of his death was approaching. Judy’s ex-boyfriend unexpectedly appeared. She was pretty shocked seeing him and was sort of fanning her face and acting embarrassed in front of her now-husband.

I showed a black and white 16mm 1-minute film of two children playing on Ocean Beach in 1965 from a collection deposited at PFA. The depositor’s son and his son came to the screening. He hadn’t seen his dad in a long time because he lives in Australia, and he was excited for his son to see films his grandfather had shot, films that included his older brother and sister (his son’s uncle and aunt).

Highlights from the curated part included a 1961 film of a wedding at City Hall where the film changes from b&w to color after the judge pronounces the couple husband and wife (adorable!); two-way traffic on the upper level of the Bay Bridge in 1960; an African American family visiting the Cliff House in 1966 then a cut to people picking grapes in Richmond; Canyon Cinema offices in 1969; a road film on route 395 to Reno and Lake Tahoe (with titles and elaborate camera set-ups featuring birthday cake and ginger ale); an aristocratic group from Pacific Heights dancing the hula and the Charleston in 1926; San Francisco’s Gay Pride Parade in 1974 (John Carlson’s footage - bought by Van Sant for use in his film Milk - look out for it).

I have some left over HMD 08 buttons - let me know if you want one and I will send it to you! And I can email you the soundtrack for the 4 o’clock screening if you want to have a listen. Pictures on Flickr forthcoming….

Thanks to Guy Edmonds for his report on the remarkable Home Movie Day event in Amsterdam:

Event Venue: Filmmuseum, Vondelpark

Doors open: 12:00

Registration: 12:00-14:00

Screening: 13:00-17:00

Inspection: 12:00-17:00

Evening prog: 18:00-21:00

Volunteers: 29

Many thanks to our partners Supersens and all our wonderful volunteers!

Jean-Pierre Sens, Catrien Boettger, Simona Monizza, Bernhard Andre, Ferdinand Knaak, Annike Kross, Andreas Busche, Dirk Foerstner, Rixt Jonkman, Valentine Kuypers, Brigit Oele, Eva Hielscher, Anne Gant, Daniela Curro, Shyrien Abdoelhak, Ronald Simons, Onno Petersen, Jan Scholten, Raymond Liefjes, Ole Schepp, Frederique Urlings, Claudy Op den Kamp, Walter Swagemakers, Aydin Dehzad, Guy Edmonds, Johan Kalee, Ruud Molleman, Jeroen van Dijk, Bertil Pouw

We knew from our experience of HMD Amsterdam 2007 that this year’s event would be popular and response to our initial press release at the beginning of August already indicated strong interest. With only one screen at our disposal (albeit in the beautiful 80 seat art deco Parisien theatre) we decided that we would have to strictly manage the screen time allotted to our guests. Our four hour projection period provided twenty slots with films limited to a maximum length of 15 minutes.

When doors opened at midday, the formidable queue disbanded itself and our patrons surged forward en masse, dragging their broken projectors and bags of film. (Something like a reverse motion jumble sale!). Our initial line of defence, the Greeters, could offer little resistance and soon the Registrars were surrounded. (Next year we will have queuing tickets for guests as they arrive). Within half an hour our programme was full but to provide additional capacity for those who arrived later or who didn’t want to wait for their film to come up on the big screen we had a room equipped with more projectors and volunteers where films (including 9.5mm) could be projected onto a white wall. Jan Scholten, operating the dual 8/S8mm Eumig, handled 10-15 people with films alone in this role. The total number of people bringing films, having them inspected and seeing them projected was therefore much in excess of the twenty who saw them “op het grote doek” in the Parisien.

Total visitors: about 250

Number of people bringing films: 35+

Films screened by Gauge: 8mm: 12, Super 8: 6, 16mm: 2

Alternative activities:

Once through registration guests moved to the Franse zaal where they could watch their films being cleaned and inspected.

Here, too, there were areas where they could

• Seek advice over and receive projector and camera repairs from Ruud Molleman and Johan Kalee

• Browse amateur film handbooks and recent publications such as the magazine Small Format

• Buy film preservation consumables

In other spaces we offered

• Demonstration of scanning process with the MWA scanner of Supersens

• Additional projectors for 16mm, 9.5mm, standard and super 8

• Presentation of digitised films from regional archives

• 2 monitors showing the DVDs “Living Room Cinema” and “Van de kolonie niets dan goeds”, a collection of home movies depicting life in the Dutch East Indies.

• Selection of books from the Filmmuseum library presented under glass.

• Displays of amateur film equipment provided by Supersens

• Informative posters about small gauge film identification and preservation created by Supersens

Conservation prize (sponsored by Filmmuseum, Supersens and Haghefilm)

Those films being shown in the Parisien were eligible for a prize which would comprise the full photo-chemical preservation and subsequent digitisation of the film. The judges were the few people who had seen all twenty films: Our two presenters, Claudy Op den Kamp and Frédérique Urlings, who had throughout the screenings encouraged participants to further describe the context around their films, and our heroic projectionist, Onno Petersen. In the end they awarded not one but five (!) prizes, three digitisation only and two, equal winners, which will be photochemically preserved and added to the Filmmuseum collection.

These were a beautiful 1939 16mm Kodachrome film of a folk festival in Zeeland and a 1960 standard 8 black and white film. The boy seen in the film presented it to the HMD audience and described how the family stayed on the same farm every summer, honouring a bond established during the war between the farmer and his father who had lived there in hiding during the years of occupation. The area it depicts, Biesbosch in Noord Brabant, was a delicate environment of waterways and marshes, which in the intervening years has undergone extensive change.

Evening programme

Guests who brought films were eligible for a free ticket for our Home movie related evening programme:

Kroniek van een familie (Jos Huygen, Digibeta, 1993, 68’), Think of me first as a person (George Ingmire, 35mm, 2006, 8’), Eendjes voeren (Eugenie Jansen, Digibeta, 2005, 9’), Wat blijft beweegt (Albert Elings, Digibeta, 2007, 47’)

Many photographs were taken and can be seen here.

A 16mm film sponsored by Fuji, Haghefilm and Supersens was shot by Guy Edmonds and Raymond Liefjes, using a Canon Scoopic and Bolex H16 SBM, respectively. The intention is to have a finished film ready for projection at next year’s event.

Press (pre-event and post-event): Radio and TV reporters interviewed Jean-Pierre and Simona during the event but we are still working on a complete list of press so I will send this on next week when it’s ready. Meanwhile take a look at the cute trailer for the event made by Supersens which was used by TV stations andcan be seen on YouTube.

Gemma’s report from HMD Burlington:

Event Venue: Burlington College

Event time (inspection): 9am – 2pm

Event time (screening): 11am – 3pm

Total Audience: 11

Number of people who brought films: 6

Films screened by Gauge: 8mm: 17, Super – 8:0, 16mm: 0, 9.5mm: 0, Video: 0

Volunteers (8): Gemma Perretta, Barry Snyder, Tom Terracino, Jared Agnello, Corey Lovell, Jonah Grumbine, Mark Rosen, Sarah Stan

Special Events/screenings: The Burlington HMD was the central event in a 3-day workshop at Burlington College this year. The first and third days focused on the history of amateur film and technology and an introduction to the work of film archives.

Press (pre-event and post event): postcards and flyers were distributed throughout Burlington, e-mailings to the Burlington College Community, listing in the Burlington Free Press events section and local historical societies were notified.

This year we did a three day workshop surrounding Home Movie Day at Burlington College. 6 Students participated, two of whom brought films to show.

The first day of the workshop, Friday (10/17), students learned about the history of amateur cinema which included screenings of a variety of material drawn from “Treasures From the American Film Archives,” Kino’s “The Movies Begin,” “Scenes from Home Movie Day,” and more. The students particularly responded to “America’s Funniest Home Videos Greatest Hits.” One student noted that it would have been more entertaining if “From Stump To Ship” had been edited down to show more clips of the log drivers falling off the logs into the water the way “America’s Funniest Home Videos” is edited; an insight we all found humorous. The class was mostly comprised of film production students, and the cultural value of home movies and understanding how they are used as well as the aesthetics of amateur cinema in contemporary filmmaking was well received.

Day two of the workshop was Home Movie Day. We had a smaller turnout from the public this year, but an equally enthusiastic screening and some interesting film samples.

The first person to bring film in was a man named Rene (pernounced “Rainy”) Gusson from Winooski, Vermont. Rene was hoping to screen an anniversary film he thought he’d brought in along with a small bag of other 8mm and Super-8mm films. It turned out that the first two reels we inspected, the 8mm films, were not home movies but commercially produced stag films from the 1960s. Rene did not have any information about where they came from, and we moved on to look through the Super-8 films. Unfortunately the anniversary film he was looking for was not in the bag that he brought in, so he went back home to look for it some more. The students were very excited about the stag films, but it was decided not to show them. Rene did come back later with the anniversary film, but we were having problems with the Super-8 projector. It was decided not to show the film at HMD, but it will be transferred to DVD at Northeast Historic Film for Rene to see, and the College will look into new Super-8 projection equipment for next year.

The second person to bring film in was named Rosalind (Ros) Young. Ros brought in a number of 16mm reels that her father filmed in her native state of Mississippi. Ros’ father recently passed away and she had brought the films from Mississippi back to Vermont but hadn’t had a chance to look at them yet. She brought in a 35mm can that was completely rusted shut, and a number of smaller reels. The smaller reels all appeared to have some bad water damage, fading and the splices were falling apart and so were deemed un-projectable without further inspection. We took the rusted 35mm can outside and cracked it open only to find two hockey-pucking 16mm reels, clearly in an advanced state of decomposition. Sadly, those two reels were a short film Ros’ father had written and produced starring some local friends. She still has the script, which includes the cast of actors, but she believes that was the only copy of the film that existed. Although the films were deemed un-projectable it was interesting for everyone to see and Ros was grateful to have been able to have a place to bring her films for council. Ros requested the smaller reels be brought back to Northeast Historic Film for conservation and transfer.

The third person to bring film in was gentleman named Paul, an adult student at Burlington College (in his 70s!). Paul brought in Super-8 reels he shot of his children. Although his films were in good condition he was concerned about showing any of the films since he didn’t know the content and didn’t want to offend his sweetheart (his wife). He was pleased to hear his films were in good condition, though, and happy to get some information about how to store them and where to get them transferred.

The fourth person to bring film in was Sylvia O’Neil. Sylvia brought in nine 50’ reels she shot mostly of ski trips and a Disneyland vacation in the 1960s. We projected all of Sylvia’s films during which we received a lively commentary in which she remembered all the places and people in the films.

We also screened Jonah Grumbine’s family’s 8mm films on his own projector, which he had brought in. Most notable of the Grumbine’s films was a wedding film shot at Jonah’s parent’s wedding that had never been viewed since it was shot. Lastly we screened a short 8mm home movie reel Cory Lovell brought in which was shot when he was very young on a family trip.

The third day of the workshop, Sunday (10/19), we screened “Images of an Assassination: A New Look at the Zapruder Film” and wrapped up with the workshop reviews. Two of the students are working on documentary films and were particularly interested in learning about how to access and use stock footage. Other students expressed interest in the content in home movies for entertainment value.

From Karianne and all the italian home movie day staff, a report on HMD in Gorizia, Italy:

Hi to everybody,

This year we moved to Gorizia for our fifth HMD, a nice Mitteleuropean city in Friuli Venezia Giulia at the border with Slovenia. We were there for two reasons. The first is that our HMD is a travelling hmd since the beginning. So after Pesaro, Pratovecchio, San Gimignano, Rimini, our choice this year went to Gorizia. The second is that a couple of years ago we started with the Film restoration lab of Gorizia, part of the University of Udine, Department of cinema based in Gorizia, a collaboration to develop a project focalized on preservation of small gauge film. We’ve transferred in this Lab our pathè baby telecine, and one of us, Mirco Santi, moved there to develop the project. Besides the University we involved also different cultural association linked to the university, among other the Association KinoAtelier to “speak” also with the slovenian part of the city, Nova Gorica (New Gorizia). The idea infact is to organize the first trans-national HMD, involving also the people who live in Nova Gorica.

We started at 10 ‘o clock in the morning and it was a beautiful sunny day, so during the day we collected the film in an courtyard in the middle of the beautiful ancient building of the University.

We were a big group of people, three of us (Archivio Nazionale del Film di Famiglia), Simone Venturini, the head of the restoration lab and many students, that have received people, inspectioned and cleaned the film screened during the day and the evening. During the day, in fact, both in the morning and in the afternoon we organized screenings for people coming from other city that weren’t able to remain for the evening. In the morning we showed some wonderful 9,5mm film, previously transferred on video (the only time during the day we didn’t use the original film, because they were unprojectable), shot by the father of Mr Barbina, Lino Barbina, in the Thirties and early Forthies. There were in the room three of the five daughters and son of the filmmaker, all aged (70 years old). We have collected these film some months ago in Bologna and then we decided to screen them because the filmmaker came from a little village near Gorizia. And the son of the filmmaker has accompanied the projection with explanations and comments about their life in the Thirties. He was a little boy, but he remembers everything. It was very interesting. He was so excited that went in details in explanation and he did not give space to their two sisters near him, that in some moments were a bit irritaded, because also them would like to say something. One of them, the littlest girl on the film, directed to me in the dark room said: “Let him talk, it is his day, he is so excited that is impossible to stop or contradict him”.

Then, during the morning, two film of Mr Mammana, an ex teacher of natural science in the secondary school that use super8 film with his students in the Seventies and in the Eighties. One of them, a sound film, was entitled “My boa snake” and was made with one of his class and especially with one of his student that was completely crazy with snakes. And talk about his boa snake, a gift of his parents, and his passion for reptiles, showing the life and habits of this kind of reptile with skill and accuracy. The teacher, that was present during the screening, told us that now his ex student is a remarkable veterinary surgeon in Gorizia. And also that he has used often the amateur film practice to teach his matters because he had experimented that was a good way to involve students actively. He will donate all his film to our archive. With him was present also an ex student of him.

Then, during the morning, Mr Peteani, the son of Ondina Peteani (the first partisan courier of Italy during the WWII) and of the journalist Gianluigi Brusadin, came with more then twenty 8mm film shot from the latest fifties until the seventies by his father. One of this, shot in 1957, was a film that shows the way the newspaper l’Unità (the newspaper of the communist party) was spread in Friuli Venezia Giulia in the middle of the Fifties. We showed it during the evening screening with other two film shot in the sixties that showed his family during two camping holidays in Italy, in the south of Italy.

We have collected different documents about his family because he wants to realize a film on the history of his mother, using the home movies shot my his father that show her after the war and her diary.

Other people coming during the day, like Mr Venier, a man who has shot hundred film in 8mm and super8, but he has brought with him only few reels, and we have screened them during the morning and one also in the evening without him, because he went home after the morning projections. A marriage in the early Fifities of a couple of his friends. He told us that for all his friends he has realized a film in 8mm, and it was his wedding gift. Like Olivia Pellis, a Slovenian woman, who lives in Gorizia since many years, because she has married a man of Gorizia. She started to realize film in 8mm since the Sixties. And she has a very reporting style. Some people came only to ask information, but they didn’t bring with them their film. They will contact us in the next week to preserve their film collection.

The program of the evening screening was the following:

(All the evening screenings were introduced by the filmmakers except in two cases)

Olivia Pellis: “Miramare,” shot in Trieste in the early sixties during a visit to the flower garden of the city. A wonderful flower poetry, in 8mm, sound.

Venier: “The wedding of Elide and Dino,” shot in 1959, black and white, sound.

Brusadin: “Il Friuli per l’Unità,” black and white, silent. Shot in 1957. About the delivery of the newspaper l’Unità in Friuli Venezia Giulia.

Brusadin-Peteani: “Marina di Ravenna 1962,” shot in a camping on the adriatic seaside in the nord of Italia, 8mm, color, silent. “Gargano 1964,” shot in a camping on the adriatic seaside, in the south of Italy, 8mm, color, silent.

Claudio Rossi: “Cupra Marittima 1981,” a film that shows the little sons of a young couple, with a really poetic editing, super8, sound.

Mr. Perco: “Tito pogreb - Tito’s funeral,” a film that show the funeral of Tito on the Yugoslavian TV, super8, silent.

Colarusso: A 16mm film founded in a cinecamera bought in a flee market, shot by an anonymous filmmaker during see- skiing in the sixties, black and white, silent.

After the official screenings we have furnished a little corner with a super8 projector and until 2am we have screened other super8 film on a wall that we have escluded from the evening screenings. For reason of time. A screening with only the students of the university and some friends of friends. Many surprises! Like a wonderful reel of cutting scenes from a super8 of the father of one of the students present in the room.

WORLD DAYS FOR AUDIOVISUAL HERITAGE

This year, like in 2007, we decided to organize also the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage (27 october). The difference with last year is that in 2007 we organize on 27th october an Open Day of the archive, in Bologna of course, using the same formula of the HMD. But for us was the first “HMD” in our city and in our archive. For those who don’t know, becauese of the period (second saturday of august) we did never organize HMD in Bologna, but every year in different parts of Italy. From last year we decided that we’ll go on with us travelling HMD through Italy, but we’ll “use” the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage to have a special occasion to open the film archive linked to other iniziative to awaken people to the importance to preserve home movies.

In 2007 it was a great success, so this year we started on 24th October organizing a evening screening focalized on Angelo Marzadori, a bolognese filmmaker who captured unique moment of the rebirth of Bologna after the II World War. His daughter, Paola Marzadori came to the World Day of Audiovisual Heritage last year with more then 70 8mm reels, shot by his father from 1950 to eighties. During the last year we have worked a lot on this collection involving Paola Marzadori and other relatives. Angelo Marzadori died in 1999. And on 24th we have presented the result of the work, with the intervention of the scholar Pierre Sorlin, and showing one of the film integral, “Bologna Democratica” shot in 1951, with the accompaniment of experimental music of Bartolomeo Saier. It was extraordinary.

In the next two days, on saturday 25 and Sunday 26, we opened the archive to the public. We want to share with you our great experience in organizing this open days of the archive. For us these Days have had different meanings.

First of all it was the occasion to open for the second time (the first was last year) our film archive to our city to all the people who are interested in our film archiving activities. Through this “free access” of the archive we introduce common people to the film archive activities world’s, that usually are “private area,” forbidden to non professional people. For an archive which are engaged in the safeguarding of private film it meant much. Our work is possible only if “common people” share with us their private film and memories, only if they trust us and our way on working on their film.

And precisely for this reason that last year we decided to adhere to the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage and in this day open the archive. This year distributed on two days, 25 e 26, because on 27 october that this year was on Monday, we have organize a symposium of which I’ll tell you after. We organized conducted tours around the different spaces of the archive: bureau and cataloguing area, technical lab, catalogue access point and the conditioning area where all the film are stored. And we have also given practise demonstrations of the activities of cleaning and inspection film and telecine. We have shown the archive in action! And this was a great way to show the archive. Many efforts but great outcomes, really! In the same time we collected during all the days, from 10am to 6pm, the film brought by people of Bologna. The Days were in fact also Home Movie Days. So we invited people to share their film with us to show some of them in the eveninig screening. And it caused an assault, really! We didn’t stop working. We were many people, Paolo Simoni, Mirco Santi, Claudio Giapponesi, Maria Roig Alsina, Sabina Silenu, Dunja Dogo, Matteo Pasini, Roberto Benatti, Paola Pusceddu, Lucia Stefano, Francesca Morselli, Ilaria Ferretti and me (Karianne Fiorini), and we didn’t have a minute of break. More than 30 persons came with many films, other people came saying that they have film and in the following days they would bring their film (and many of these did). Most of the people decided to donate their film heritage to us.

Besides collecting film during the day and organize visits in the different spaces of the archive, we have dedicated different spaces-rooms to different way to present our work: the Circo Togni Home Movies room, with the catalogue of this film collection, realized by fifteen students that have attended our course about preserving and presenting home movies in spring 2008 (if someone is curious could see the website we realized www.memoriadelleimmagini.it/archivio, a space-room focalized on the amateur filmmaker Angelo Marzadori, a space-room dedicated to another amateur filmmaker Gaetano Carrer, a continuos screening in a big space on a big screen with different film collections, a touch screen system with a catalogue of 48 sequences divided in 4 macrocategories and 12 microcategories in each to go along the city and the people of Bologna in different situations. All the sequences are part of the film collections we have collected last year during the last World Day for Audiovisual Heritage (a selection of more than 150 hours of film). And dulcis in fundo difference performances with different artists. A dancer, Sara Gotti, that has made a choreography on the background of an home movie of the 1968. The performance was done in a courtyard of our archive with people that view the performance in a corridor looking through two windows, like they were looking in a room of an house. It was wonderful. During one of this performance was present the filmmaker and his wife, the protagonist of the film, that at the time was pregnant, and their son, now forthy years old. And they were really satisfied about this way of re-using homemovies. And on saturday 26th, in the afternoon a group of four experimental jazz musicians have accompanied some film shot in Bologna in the early sixties around the city. In the first part of the saturday evening we screened some film we collected last year on 27 october with the comments of the relatives of the filmmakers and the comments of the historian Luca Alessandrini, the director of Istituto storico Parri, the historical institute with whom we collaborate from 2005 and that gave us our actual seat.

At midnight we made a screening of two film shot in the early fifties in a night-club of Bologna, l’Eden, with ballets and striptease artist shot by two different filmmakers, Mr. Baravelli and Mr. Calanchi. And the end a film shot by Nino Gatti during an osé ballet at Teatro Duse of Bologna in 1952. The three film were accompanied by two experimental musicians.

That’s a synthesis of all the long days, that culminates with the symposium on 27th October about “Private cinema: a new source for historians?”. The speakers-historians we invited were Susan Aasman (University of Groningen), Patrizia Dogliani (University of Bologna), Paolo Sorcinelli (University of Bologna), Luca Alessandrini (Historical Institute Parri), Luca Bolelli (University of Bologna).

To all the speakers we have given previously a film without any informations about them and they have analyzed the film like a source for historic research. It was the first step to involve historian in our work.

If you want to see some pictures:

HMD 18 october

WDAH 24 october

WDAH 25-26 october 2008

WDAH 27 october 2008

Thanks to Liz Coffey for this in-depth report on HMD Cambridge:

This year’s HMD took place in the same room as last year, which is a film classroom in the Carpenter Center where the Harvard Film Archive is located. This building is the only LeCorbusier building in North America, by the way. The room has a permanent screen, video projector, and projection booth. We did our inspections in the projection booth and set up the projectors in the room (not the booth).

Jason played DJ again this year, with my portable turntable and collection of LPs. We offered music for each of the films, although not everyone took us up on that. With or without tunes, we encouraged people to speak about their films, and I occasionally made technical comments about what we were looking at.

We started the event by showing “Home Movies” on VHS while we completed inspections. We showed this at the first HMD Boston back in 2003. This is a Robert Benchley short comedy from 1940. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032604/ Always a crowd pleaser.

We opened ceremonies with a little speech about HMD, home movies, preservation, etc..

First up, a VHS transfer from 8mm Kodachrome from our own Melissa Dollman. Although we had advertised for video this year (VHS, DVD were all we were able to support, and we advertised a 5 minute maximum), Melissa was the only one to bring video. The movie was from the 1950s in rural South Dakota, and featured her family, who are Yankton Sioux, at Christmas, including the only known footage of her great grandmother, who was visiting from the Reservation. Beautiful interior shots, classic family film.

Chrissy was up next, with the first of several super 8 Kodachrome reels we were to show from her collection. Her father shot this film of the San Diego Zoo in the 1960s, and his camerawork featured animal antics. Humans were around, but only shown as trunks, just sort of in the way of the animals. (Animals, by the way, turned out to be the major theme of this year’s HMD.) The film was well shot, with quick in-camera edits, and quite entertaining. The action turned from the zoo to grandma’s house, for some classic family film material.

Peter Mork, a perennial poster boy for HMD Boston, arrived with an 8mm Kodachrome film he made at age 14 in 1966 called “The Last Mission.” It was a sort of James Bond-type spy film featuring his friends and brother. Peter described the film as “budget spy - not an Aston Martin, but a station wagon.” They had costumes, sets, special effects, gore, interiors and exteriors. By the end of the film, our hero had been tied up and beaten, cut with a bottle, whipped with a chain, and run over by a speed boat. Things were blown up. Spoiler alert: there was no hope for a sequel. All in all, a high concept amateur production that was very well done. The film was highly edited & I had to repair several old cement splices. Peter had shot titles using a colorform-type title set. This made my list of best movies we’ve ever shown at HMD. A definite contender for a future best of HMD.

Scott was up next with an 8mm film I failed to take notes about. Scott is a film collector, but this particular offering was of his family.

Reed Sturtevant, another HMD regular who always tops my list with outstanding content, brought an Ektachrome super 8 sound film. He brought it last year but I didn’t have a sound projector. I hadn’t tested the sound on our new Eumig projector this year (not expecting to have to use that part of it, and also not having any test film), but we went ahead with it. We started at the wrong speed, but the sound worked!

This film also tops my list of best HMD films ever. When Kodak introduced super 8 sound in 1973, Reed bought a camera immediately. Kodak was doing a promotion that included free film, and he took his free roll to his school (MIT) and shot his friends at the School of Architecture. He hadn’t seen the film in a long time and thought it might have him telling his girlfriend to tell him she loved him on film, but that wasn’t quite it. The reason this film was so interesting to me was because it was so good at showing off the medium. People were coming up to the camera and looking at it, or talking about it. “Hey, where’d you get that camera?” “That has sound and picture?” And Reed also talks about the camera during the film. He tells his girlfriend not to get too close because she’ll be out of focus, as she peers closely, out of focus, into the lens. “What do you mean my eye will be out of focus?” “Well, I mean it will look out of focus in the movie.” The audience gave big laughs near the end of the film when Reed’s friend says she’s unsure about being filmed: “Who’s going to see this film?” “Everyone.”

It seems, with 35 years in between, almost unreal, a set-up, but once I thought about this reaction, it made the film a thousand times more authentic. This is the first time these people had seen a synch sound camera, and the film really captures the moment. The movie is not perfect, but it is an incredible time capsule for technology. Another contestant for the future Best of HMD.

Back to Chrissy for another beautiful 1960s super 8 Kodachrome family film of a county fair (more animals!) and various family dinners. Lots of food, and the family dressed to impress the Kodachrome. “Our family’s really into food.” Lots of shots of the various dishes, including preparing fish and tacos.

Local scenester Katrina Galore brought her own CD of Maria Callas for her super 8 B&W teenage drama (1997). The film is all interiors with natural lighting, which was perfect and rarely underexposed. In this classic of teen angst, a girl (played by Kate’s sister) binges and purges and dies. Inspired by an after school special (that I also saw in school). Funny and dark.

Back to you, Chrissy, for more on how families dined together in the 1960s in southern California. Wine bottle are opened, a large fish is bloodily decapitated in the yard, more dressing for the Kodachrome. Grandma, a favorite character in these films, wears huge white framed glasses and dresses like a teenager in the best way, 1960s go-go grandma in a red, white and blue pantsuit. The rest of the family dons primary colors.

I showed a super 8 film I made over the summer while visiting an old roommate in France. I followed her husband and baby around the farm as they visited with the horses, the chickens, and the geese. The baby loves the horses the best.

Ralph, another collector, breaks out a 16mm film he bought at an auction. He’s disappointed I won’t show his non-amateur films, but that’s life. It’s Alaska in the 1930s, the coast, scenes shot from a train, a woman holding a live bird. Often the lens turret makes an appearance, something which always astonishes me: who was responsible for that incredible design flaw!? Glaciers from a boat, another zoo.

Mark, my co-worker at the HFA, brought in some 16mm films he bought at a yardsale in Maine over the summer for $1. 1940s New Hampshire: the Man on the Mountain (RIP), the sea, the woods, swimming in a lake. Kids on parade, kids doing bike tricks on a homemade ramp (great bikes!), a boxing match, kids clown around dressed as clowns, acrobats. Cars on the track, kids and ponies, amusement park rides. Girls jump off the pier into the water. At camp, a picnic, taking the flag off the pole at vespers. Autumn arrives in time for drum majorettes, a football game, a woman with her Doberman, a squirrel (see how often the animals appear!), mother and child feeding ducks in the sun, a kid with a coonskin cap. Mark donated the films to the HFA, and we all agreed it was worth the $1.

One couple showed up with a film they didn’t want to show because it was of the man as a kid and said he was embarrassed to show it because he was fat in the films, which I found really sad. They didn’t stick around to watch other people’s childhoods. I’m not sure what they were expecting, but we didn’t deliver.

I showed two pigeon films (again with the animals). Both are Kodachrome super 8 camera rolls. The first was one I shot in two parts, the first half is Providence in the winter two years ago, the second half is pigeons on a medieval church in France this past summer. The second roll is the pigeon film I threatened to show last year but didn’t. Jason pulled out some classical music for this one that really synched up perfectly with the film. As the action of the pigeons flying around got more exciting, the music did as well. This is a film I made on my way to work 2 years ago, of the pigeons around Symphony Hall flying in those swooping circles they like to do. At one point they get really excited because a lady who feeds them is walking toward their feeding spot. They recognize her and surround her as she tosses out a bag of birdseed. It’s prettier than it sounds.

Throughout the last part of the day, I kept calling out for a guy who had brought in a very short super 8 film, but every time I was ready to show it, he was gone. He and his friend wandered in and out, and some point he got drunk and stumbled in and sat down for about 2 minutes, then disappeared again. His friend stuck it out for most of the show, so finally, since it was the last unscreened film, we showed it without him (his friend was there). It ended up being a really good coda for the afternoon: a cut camera roll (about 20 feet) of super 8 color shot from a car in Hollywood in 1972, showing all these great signs, fast in-camera edits. Some volunteers breathed a sigh of relief that it wasn’t some scary porn (but having inspected it, I knew it wasn’t going to be scandalous, despite my hopes to the contrary).

All in all, another successful and fun Home Movie Day. We went out to late lunch/early dinner and drinks at my fave local, Charlie’s Kitchen, and talked about the movies and the event. What went wrong, what went right, which films were our favorites, and so forth.

A few days after the event, I saw a friend of mine, who had been at the event. She had never watched home movies before. I asked her what her favorites were, and she declared an affinity for the classic 1960s home movies from Chrissy. I found this great, because they were such good examples of classic family films, and were well shot and edited (in-camera), never a dull moment, practically an ad for Kodachrome. These kinds of films are the bread and butter of HMD, even though we often overlook them in favor of the weird stand-out films (“The Last Mission” and the super 8 sound for me this year). I guess they’re also the kinds of films I worry might bore people who are not used to watching home movies, because they were made with such a small audience in mind, just the family or maybe even just the person with the camera and projector. When this kind of film lacks a strong editor, a person who can frame well and has an eye for color, decent film stock and lighting, they can be deadly. The rolls Chrissy brought were each about 15 minutes long! That’s often far too much, and putting up one of those big reels can be scary at HMD, but in this case we enjoyed the 45 minutes as if the family were our own.