Cameraless Film Bee
First Saturdays 1-2pm – Open to All Ages – FREE
Learn a different technique for cameraless animation each month – on 16mm film!
September 3 / October 1 / November 5 / December 3 / January 7
Led by Charlotte Taylor
What is a film bee?
Similar to a quilting bee, during a film bee, people gather together to make a film! At each film bee, we’ll show you a new direct animation technique and together we’ll make some kind of crazy-wonderful experiment on celluloid! Whether you’re an expert animator or brand new to the world of film – direct animation is for everyone! You’ll be surprised how much fun is to play with film! We’ll provide all the materials needed to work on the film – and we’ll give you a link to the digital copy of our finished product!
What will we do during this workshop?
Direct animation is a technique of animating DIRECTLY on a piece of celluloid – whether drawing with markers, scratching with pens, painting with inks, or collaging found objects – all the art happens on the film, which is then run through the projector. There’s no one way to make direct animation, and each month we’ll introduce you to a new technique, from tape transferred text to bleached leader, you’ll be surprised at the magic you can make with everyday materials! We’ll spend most of the film bee making a film – everyone making their own segments, which we will splice together to create the finished piece!
The best part – ANYONE CAN MAKE DIRECT ANIMATION! These workshops are open to ALL AGES – and no experience is necessary! Come to one, come to all of them!
Want to see some direct animation in action? Check these great films out:
Len Lye – Free Radicals
Jodie Mack – All Stars
Norman McLaren – Blinkity Blank
Stan Brakhage – Mothlight
Roger Beebe – TB TX Dance
Want to know more about direct animation? Here are some resources:
Helen Hill’s Recipes for Disaster: A Handcrafted Film Cookbooklet
Steven Woloshen Interview in Edge of Frame
About the Instructor:
Charlotte Taylor is a process. She is an experimental animator and the program coordinator/faculty of film and video production at a small college in Western North Carolina. Her research ranges from digital animation and handmade film to optical toys, and she is particularly interested in alternative forms of production and presentation. She earned an MFA from the University of Iowa and a BA from the University of Florida. Her work has screened at venues across the world, including: Ann Arbor Film Festival, MonoNoAware, Indie Grits Festival, Strange Beauty Film Festival, TIE, EFF Portland, FLEX Fest, and the Anthology Film Archives. She was the recipient of the 2012 Helen Hill Award from Indie Grits, for her film The Edge of Summer. She enjoys organizing and teaching community filmmaking workshops and is the Director at Mechanical Eye Microcinema, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing equitable community access to media arts workshops, resources, and screenings. Charlotte is currently working on a direct animation music video and an animated 16mm essay film about women in Belegarth medieval combat.
Mechanical Eye Microcinema 