This workshop offers an introduction to film photography through the lens of sustainability.
Participants will experiment with all stages of film production using 16mm black-and-white film: the history of film photography, shooting, development, editing, and projection.
Each group of students will have access to a Bolex camera and a 30-meter film reel per person, corresponding to approximately three minutes of footage. The goal is to film visually interesting shots—light plays, textures, movements, spaces, or empty scenes—to explore the raw and tangible beauty of silver-based images.
The films will be developed at HEAD – Geneva using eco-friendly household products such as coffee, vitamin C, and baking soda.
The films will then be dried, edited manually or on a flat surface through cutting and pasting, and finally projected onto original film in a cinema during a collective screening at the end of the week.
This workshop invites reflection on a low-tech and sustainable practice, valuing the reuse of technologies existing for over a century, and on a minimalist approach to creation. It allows students to discover film as a physical and shared experience, at the intersection of ecology, technology, and visual perception.
The workshop offers an introduction to filmmaking using the lens of sustainability.
Participants will experience every stage of creating a film with a 16mm black-and-white film: history of the silver screen, shooting, development, editing, and projection.
Each student group will have a Bolex camera and a 30-meter roll of film per person, roughly three minutes of footage. The aim is to capture visually engaging shots—light play, textures, movement, spaces or faces—to explore the raw, tangible beauty of analog imagery.
The films will be developed at HEAD using eco-friendly household products such as coffee, vitamin C, and bicarbonate of soda.
The films will then be dried, hand-montaged or on-set, by cutting and collaging, and projected onto original film during a special screening at the end of the week.
This workshop encourages reflection on a low-tech, sustainable practice, highlighting the reuse of technologies existing for over a century, and promoting a mindful approach to creation. It offers a physical, shared cinematic experience at the intersection of ecology, technique, and perception.
The evaluation is based on participation in the five days of the workshop and on the degree of active engagement of the student.