Thanks to Pat Doyen for this report.
City: Rochester
Event Venue: Visual Studies Workshop, 31 Prince St., Rochester, NY
Event time (screening): 2pm – 5pm
Event time (inspection): (includes early drop off times) - Tue 10/13 10am - 12pm, Wed 10/14 10am - 12pm, Thu 10/15 5:30pm - 7:30pm, Sat 10/17 1pm - 3pm
Total Audience: 69
Number of people bringing films: 16 people (22 films dropped off, 15 projectable)
Films screened by Gauge: 8mm: 4, Super 8: 6, 16mm: 5
Volunteers : 13 - Antonella Bonfanti, Anthony L’Abbate, Alexis Mayer, Ed Stratmann, Nancy Kauffman, James Layton, Deb Stoiber, Jeff Stoiber, Kristen Merola, Jenn Libby, Larry Arbeiter, Pat Doyen, Dan Varenka
Special events/screenings: exhibit of small gauge and amateur film equipment and ephemera in the lobby of the Dryden Theater. Exhibit during the Photo Historical Society conference.
Press (pre-event and post-event): the Rochester City Newspaper, University of Rochester’s @Rochester, and in the Democrat and Chronicle.
There was a lot of local footage (we put out a call specifically for local (especially lost) city landmarks due to it being Rochester’s 175th anniversary). In addition to street scenes, amusement parks and the annual Lilac Festival, a highlight was footage of a Kodak building being imploded. There was also some great harness racing footage from Rochester in the late ‘20’s. One of the audience favorites was a b&w 16mm film, circa 1928, that showed a first communion ceremony at a Rochester church. The imagery was beautiful, with the children in white gowns streaming out of the church and down the steps. Everyone was quite taken with it, although one person said the church was like one of those clown cars because the stream of children was never ending. Someone suggested they were going back in the side door and coming out again.
There was also a beautiful 8mm Kodachrome film from 1956 of Mexico City. A market is shown as well as a theater with a huge mosaic façade. Also modern Mexican architecture in the city, a boat ride and some pretty good shots of a bullfight.
One family film showed an oil delivery with the delivery man smoking while pumping the oil! Most people hated a 3min super 8 film from the ‘70’s that was one shot showing kids playing in an orchestra – silent. I kind of liked it, it was surreal.