The Long Take Assignment

The long take assignment... ahhh... well. I suppose the long take would have to have been my least favorite of the 6 projects. As is comes down to the theory behind this, I am a little confused. Just a second ago I was writing a post about how thrilled I was when I worked on the camera less, because it allowed me to feel the film, and work with the physical representation. One would think that working with an older camera, from the middle 1900's era, would produce a similar response. I didn't mind transferring the long take to a digital format... I didn't mind editing it... and creating the sound track to accompany the visuals wasn't hard either. What really mad me not like this project was actually using the Bolex. I suppose it all comes down to the fact that I am spoiled. I am spoiled by the ease of filming in the digital age. Instead of looking through a cramped glass filled tube, and guesstimating the focus of a shot by how far the subject is from the lens, I am able to look at an LCD/LED monitor and preview exactly what I am shooting. But other than the cramped feel of the viewfinder, and the inability to hold that camera in a natural way, I was satisfied by our long take. It is not a project I am going to brag about in the future, but as far as the experience goes, I am glad to say I can now make, develop, and transfer a short movie in a few hours. The ability to deal with actual film on a basic level seems a pretty valuable skill to possess.