PA Grant Reports
Upper school art teacher Joseph Wilcox studied 35mm filmmaking, hoping to bring the hands-on experience and knowledge he acquired into the classroom, either by developing an analog filmmaking curriculum or by organizing a Mono No Aware workshop for MMFS students.
With the support of an MMFS PA grant, I got to dive headfirst into 35mm a filmmaking class, getting hands-on experience loading, filming, and editing on actual 35mm motion picture film. The class covered everything: film stock options, exposure techniques, lenses, and the ins and outs of working with the ARRI IIC MOS 4-PERF camera kit and Prime Lenses. I learned how to clean, load, focus, run, maintain, and operate this iconic camera myself.
On an evening dedicated to familiarizing myself with the camera package, I filmed a self-portrait on VISION3 500T film, set against a seamless backdrop. Over the next few weekends, our group worked together as a crew, each person stepping into different roles to support one another’s short film productions. The goal was to create a short on 35mm that we’d each conceived, directed, shot, and edited—all within a film-to-film workflow.
For my film, I shot around downtown Brooklyn, with scenes in Cadman Plaza and Borough Hall. My wife starred as the protagonist, following a story about creating a reflective device from a plant, accompanied by a monologue layered over the visuals. I also had the chance to support my classmates on their films, taking on various roles.
We discussed how to promote our pieces to film festivals, and had all equipment, materials, and services provided, including a 4K scan of the final film. The experience wrapped up with a screening party at Anthology Film Archives, where I got to see everyone’s work on the big screen.
This workshop gave me hands-on experience and knowledge that I hope to bring into the classroom, either by developing an analog filmmaking curriculum or by organizing a Mono No Aware workshop for MMFS students.
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