Category Archives: personal reflection

pr. cl. (a CalArts optical printer film circa 1975-77)

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I was a a student T.A. at Cal Arts 1975-1976, and I was tasked with instructing fellow students on the operation of the Optical Printer and the Oxberry Animation Stand (skills I acquired from the great Pat O’Neill, a mentor).  In the course of teaching Optical Printer techniques, the class did little film experiments (which I used to keep in film cans that I labeled “pr. cl.”, my abbreviation for “printer class”).  I left CalArts before the end of the 1976 academic year to work at Industrial Light & Magic on a film called Star Wars, and the classes were ably taken over by David Wilson.  One of the students in the class, Rick Blanchard, ended up with the “little experiments” and created this film.  Crazy, but I have no memory of how I ended up with a print of the film, which I had digitized a number of years ago, along with other films, and promptly forgot about.

CalArts optical printer, circa 1973:

1973_CalArts_printer

My autobiographical collage film.

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In My Head is a sort of autobiographical rumination, constructed of ephemera I have collected throughout my life (photographs, home movies, letters, writings, clips from favorite movies growing up, etc, whatever & whatnot … you know, stuff).  It began with my postcard collection, then my movie poster collection, then it got sentimental & nostalgic.  Although deeply personal, I must warn viewers that I am a very unreliable narrator.