Analogue beyond digital

Today in Hallein Piers Erbslöh spoke about the world of analogue film making. Originally from Düsseldorf, Erbslöh now works in Vienna, where he co-founded the Vienna Filmkoop in 2009. He outlined the history of independent film co-operatives, which since the 1960s have been providing opportunities for artists and film makers to access the otherwise prohibitively expensive processes necessary for their work. There are now a network of film labs around the world - some 35 met last year in Zagreb - supporting the thriving world of analogue film.

Erbslöh is not against digital technology, but suggests that it is “something different”. It is “not film”. Film is something which can be touched - can be directly manipulated by the artist. He showed us many examples of recent films made by both himself and others. There is a wide variety of techniques, from scratching the surface of the film directly to alternative ways of printing, copying and editing, which lead to quite different results. Digital, in contrast, remains a very different medium. The fact that the mainstream film industry is becoming increasingly digitalised should not distract us from the qualities of the analogue. Erbslöh did admit that the possible collapse of Kodak caused by the decline in demand for analogue film will have a direct effect on contemporary film makers; but he did say that film co-ops are investigating alternative sources, even should it come to buying the patents themselves.

An integral part of the medium today involves challenging the strictures of traditional film making. After showing us footage from a recent meeting of film labs in Vienna, he remarked that this showed “a few examples of how not to use a film projector”. His advice to aspiring film makers was simple: get some equipment and “don’t read the instructions”!