unterwegs in Sachen Film >>> <<< on the road making films!
Kelp is seaweed. I collected some, brewed a tea, added some coffee and vitamin c and washing soda and developed an old Kodachrome in it. Yummy smell, strong developer, the film became orange! I will reverse it digitally and the colour will turn to oceanblue!!
Well … I moved my darkroom into my bathroom again like it was 2 years ago. Now tidier. It feels good. My first Kodachrome (developed in Rodinal) is hanging to dry and I think I’ll have a glass of red wine and celebrate!
I filmed some Super 8 black&white films and then developed them in different soups: Jacaranda blossoms and seaweed … both mixed with vitamin c and washing soda as usual. The blossoms or the weed don’t do the job solo, it works only in combination with the other two (ph balance).
The results are amazing, the films came out beautiful, the seaweed film a little yellow-sepia! Maybe because of the salt contents? Must ask my chemist friend Thierry …
It’s hot at the Echo Park Film Center!
Jacaranda blossoms lose their sweet color as soon as you pour hot water over them …
(the yellowish image, the ocean waves: that’s a seaweed developing!
All film stills original negative and then scanned and digitally inverted)
I collected some sea weed and made a tea, strong and salty-fishy smelling and for sure not potable!
I developed a film in it … super 8 black & white … and it turned out quite light and low contrasty with a yellowish tint! Yippeeh!
Why light, why low contrast? I presume because of the salt content. Must ask my chemist friend.
Today is my workshop day!
All is prepared …
We’ll develop films in coffee, red wine and probably in Jacaranda flower tea – press your thumbs that it will be fun and successfull!!
I’m possessed. By the idea of developing black&white films in an environment-friendly way. In a yummy way: using ingredients that you can find in your kitchen. Or at your local supermarket, for little money. Ingredients like instant coffee, red wine, tea, soda, vitamin c powder, vodka, lemons
Here’s a three minute film that I developed in 5 different soups the original negative version (later I digitized and reversed it to positive, it’s not yet online, come back later!!!)
I’m in love with LIFT’s darkroom!
Today I tried another coffee based developer … and to refine the soup a little I used Lake Ontario water instead of regular boring tap water. And added some squirrel beer!
The result: wonderful black&white positive film!!
I’ve been processing Super 8 films myself forever I like it, diving into chemicals, the excitement of opening the developer tank after fix and watering and checking: pictures on it or not?! This evening I processed a black and white TriX using the Foma (Czech) reversal kit. But I processed it negative which means only the first developer and then fix. Yeah! Great! One cassette contains 15 m (50 ft) of film and they are now hanging zigzagwise through my room, drying nicely! Happiness is a warm film!
