Event Venue: BOULDER PUBLIC LIBRARY
Event time (screening): 2-6 PM
Event time (inspection): 2-6 PM
Total Audience: approx. 35
Number of people bringing films: 14
Films screened by Gauge:
8mm: six
Super 8: seven
16mm: eight
9.5mm: none
Video:none
Volunteers: All associated with CU Boulder Film Studies
in in one capacity or another
projectionists: Grant Speich ,Tony Hernandez
inspectors: Sarah Biagini, Taylor Dunne, Seth Mitter, Grant Reynolds,
assistants and scribes: Shea Johnson, Modestina her friend
Press (pre-event and post-event): Boulder Daily Camera Friday magazine spread and full story, interview with Joel Haertling librarian, and Jeanne Liotta
Report submitted by: Jeanne Liotta
On this page please describe films screened, making note of any exceptional films or films for future DVD compilations, as well as any films with unusual stories or strong audience reactions.
I am attaching the complete list of notes we took via various student volunteers. I was quite surprised to see so many 16mm films among the home movies. People arrived with their entire collections in some cases, due to the Daily Camera article which really brought people out of the woodwork. I wasn’t really prepared for such high attendance and such unique and wonderful films!
We had a local business woman Gwen Scherer who runs Memories-to-Digital and helped to educate people on ways of transferring their films. I feel that many of the films we saw were worthy of archival preservation, particularly the Colorado ranching film and the Vietnam films, and I would like to put people in touch with places that can help. People were also interested in knowing where they can rent projectors and editors (!) and one couple brought their 1974 super
8 projector with tags still on, so someone could show them how to use it.
It was a very lively and chaotic event, Halloween candy was passed around, Bingo was played and won by TWO people, one who received a roll of Super 8 film from my own supplies and one who received a DVD of award winning films at Rotterdam also from my own supplies. We were working with a ZERO cash budget - except for in-kind donations of equipment and labor from Univ CO Boulder Film Studies and from my own studio, as well as the Public Library location which was free for use.
All the participants were patient and engaged in discussing the films, sharing details and asking questions. One octogenarian participant brought a baggie full of souvenir photo keychains taken at a resort with his family in the 60’s and we passed them out to the audience while he told us where his wife and child were now. This kind of camaraderie was evident throughout. I was basically the mistress of ceremonies and interrupted the proceedings regularly with various educational tidbits, while all the amazing student volunteers were busy the entire time answering questions, inspecting film in 3 formats, and keeping it organized for projection. Whew!
2011 Boulder
Home Movie Day: Review of films
- Salmon Fishing : Mid 60’s, color Kodachrome
A Regular 8mm film shot on a lake in Massachusetts in the 1960’s. This film shows a family enjoying boating and fishing together. The film also includes shots of speedboats and other water activities.
- Playing in Surburbia: 1941
A black n white 16mm film shot in 1941 suburbia that documents a married couple playing their infant child outside. The film then suddenly switches to a woman cooking in the kitchen and showing off her brand new refrigerator. This film felt professional - it seemed to be a print, and it was edited, esp noticeable in the cooking scene which seemed like a perfectly timed demonstration or how-to.
This Super 8mm film shows a space shuttle taking off into the sky. Magenta.
- Chick as a baby: Early 40’s,
16mm Color: Chick brought in this film and watched himself as a baby in St Louis Missouri. Film was either shot in 1941/1943. Shows his grandfather pulling him in a wagon and playing with him. Beautiful photography.
- Missionary in the Congo: 1940
16mm film shot in the Congo. Shots of local culture and missionaries—family of participant who was a baby in the film playing with local african children, living in the jungles of the Congo. Black and white.
- Family on their way to church: 1966
This home movie documents a family on their way to church. Shows some 60’s fashion with polka dots. Super 8, color, Easter?
16mm B &W, 1930’s? a hunting vacation for numerous families. log cabin that was fully equipped with hunting tools and weapons. Men horsing around, go into the boat with their guns. They exhibit the wins of the hunt, 12 dead deer and shows some rough housing with women and children who are otherwise only seen on the porch in aprons. somewhat disturbing.
- New Guinea Army Base- 1947
Regular 8mm Color: The film documents life on the army base in post-World War 2 in New Guinea, documents his surroundings of the beautiful beaches, palm trees and of the majestic sea. We also are shown shots of people with whom he shared his time with, army personnel and locals. After being shown the landscape on land, we are shown the aerial view of the filmmaker’s living space including a coral reef. Back on land we see kangaroos, we are now in Australia, and monkeys frolicking, he plays with monkey, surrounded by a graveyard of crashed airplanes. Nature has seemed to adapt to its new post-war environment. The last shot we see is another left over from the war, as a dud explosive lies upon the land. This participant had many films but most were not projectable. This was shrunken but the best of the bunch.
- Honeymoon in the Big Easy: 1930’s
16mm Color: This film shows a couple on their honeymoon in New Orleans in the 1930’s, the participants parents. Seemed like they may have hired a photographer to shoot the movies since they were both in them.
- Two Films from Venezuela: 1950’s
Super 8mm Color: The first film shows a family in a rural area of Venezuela. There seems to be a family gathering going on. We see children, adults and animals surrounded by a rural landscape. We see members of the family pump water from a well.
Super 8mm Color: This film shows the grandfather of a home movie day participant who was the Lieutenant Governor of Venezuela. We see him on army bases being interviewed, cutting ribbons and mingling. It appears as if they are opening a communication station, a generator is shown off and we are in a room surrounded by wires. Very “Che.”
- Day at the Races: HOT RODS,1960’s
16mm Color Kodachrome: This film documents a day at the races at the famous Road America racetrack in Wisconsin. We are shown shots of different cars, the color is absolutely breath-taking in this film. Men display their cars, all with numbers on them. It appears as many people came to this event all dressed up in 60’s fashion including a red polka dot matching skirt and top. We are also shown men working diligently on their cars, women being looked up and down by the camera and some high speed racing on what looks like a beautiful summer day. There is a car crash but the day goes on, and the driver who is uninjured gets out and walks along the course. Next we see shots of the cars at different points in the race track, we can see that the film-maker was quite an avid race fan. As it looks like he sneaks into areas to catch glimpse of different areas of the race, but eventually he is drawn back to the highly populated finish line, where we see the final of the race and of what looks like an fun a day..
- Little Jimmy grows up: Jimmy 9 months and On: 60’s
Super 8mm Color: This film chronicles the first years of a families first born child. We witness him play, take his first steps in a car wash, have his first haircut by a man with fantastic pompadour, swim and squirm in the bath and giggle a lot. The film documents the development
from him being an infant to a competitive young boy of five. We see him compete with his younger sister to see who is in fact the better cleaner. We are also shown him attempting to cook as he puts on the electronic whisk and breaks eggs into a bowl. This family documented
most of this boy’s early childhood, and they were determined to have it look good, including having movie lighting in a few of the shots and titles made on a titling board. Film is shot in their house, on vacation, out in the streets, and in their backyard. Chronological except for one reel. This participant also brought the keychain souvenir
photos
- Playing with Puppies: Late 60’s Early 70’s
Regular 8mm Color: This film shows four ,3 girls and 1 boy, children
playing with two puppies, on a fall day in Boulder.
- A trip to Fort Lewis, Vietnam and The Philippines: 1967 and onwards
16mm Color : This film opens with shots of fort Lewis airbase. We see planes, the airfield, and then are taken up to skies in a plane where the shadows of the pilot’s helmets decorate the screen. Then we are transported to Vietnam, where the filmmaker in a cinema-verite style documents a Vietnam that is not discussed in history books. The every-day activities of the soldiers are shown, smoking cigarettes, building the base, and just joking around with each other. We are then shown Vietnamese women and children who fill sandbags that were put all
along the perimeter of the base. The perimeter surrounded by mystic green mountains and roads of mud. The base is filled with barracks, rockets, and helicopters. The filmmaker tells us that this location is in the central highlands of Vietnam. We are then taken to the Philippines by helicopter, where an officers club is being built; apparently Nancy Sinatra visited this base. It is evident that the US army preparing for battle, as shots of the landscape are followed by
rows of tanks, helicopters and rockets. We see the US Army give the soldiers a taste of home with locations of bases named by us cities, Miami Bar, New York Laundry. A PR activity of soldiers playing baseball with Vietnamese children is also shown, followed by a Red Cross van
surrounded by children getting medical attention. This film showed all those present a day in the life of a us solider in Vietnam before the fighting a rare view into our history. Made by the same filmmaker who did HOT RODS. He brought his 16mm camera and square format still camera to Vietnam during his tour. AMAZING, gorgeous photography.
- California Ocean, Pool Party and National Park:
Super 8mm Color: A film of a family day at the beach. The ocean crashing, surfing on a boogie board, children swimming in the ocean. We next are brought to a pool party where children are swimming and the bell-bottomed wearing adults are playing badminton. Next we are brought to a California national park to look upon some deer. The deer look back at us. Following this there are numerous closing shots of the Pacific Ocean crashing upon the beach. Lovely.
- Mystery of the bunkgard noogie goldhill inn: 1972/1974
Super 8mm Color: Final scene of a play featuring a light saber goddess of geothermal energy and many visionary miners. Musical number appears to be going on, followed by a lightning burst and a pleased audience. Participant also owns slides and audio of this event and would like to recreate it. Hoping a student can help.
16mm Color: Parade in Walden Colorado a ranching community near Wyoming border. Featuring children cowboys, donkeys, ambulances, fire department truck with a ½ naked girl on the side, prairie girls, trucks, cars and talents. It seems as if the whole town came out to show their skills. The beds of trucks become stages as girls twirl, ladies play the piano and sing, children dance in hula skirts, and costume-wearing adults seem to put on plays. After the parade we are shown a deceased 2 headed calf, this shot is long and the audience cannot look away, its absolutely fascinating. The surrounding area of mountains is shown followed by some cattle branding. Then we are shown a family sequence of a mother in 19th century costume with her children surrounding her. The film moves unto a large family dinner that looks like it could be Christmas, there were snowmen on the table, the children seem to be in fancy pajamas and shots of the children playing and adults conversing. The film ends on a windy day, where the trees are blowing all over the place, we then see a house and a car that looks new. AMAZING photography, wonderful historical film..