Discussion of analogue film-based filmmaking is a growing discourse in academia. In 2021, the University of Aberystwyth held a well-attended five-day conference The Shifting Ecologies of Photochemical Film in the Digital Era. The promotional material stated:
Since the early 2000s, the medium of film has moved from a dominant to a marginal position as digital technology has rendered photochemical and mechanical technology obsolete on a commercial scale. Despite this, artists are finding new ways to work with film, forging alternative communities, pursuing artisanal methods, repurposing abandoned equipment, reinventing primitive techniques and exploring new hybrid technologies. (Aberystwyth University, 2021)
The same institution has developed a film workshop where students can access film equipment and integrated its use into academic programmes.
Beyond academia, there is a vibrant community of experimenters and instructors supporting the use of film by artists. Dr Joanna Mayes in St Ives teaches techniques for processing film using developers made from plants foraged from the sites where the film was exposed. James Holcombe provides technical support to filmmakers and organisations from his garden laboratory in Frome, Somerset. Holcombe recently became the UK agent for ORWO film, an East German manufacturer that survived the economic shock of the unification with West Germany. ORWO produces black and white film and has stated that it will produce colour 16mm stock soon.
Karel Doing explains in a journal article how he took his research into direct animation of plant material on unexposed film-stock – dubbed phytography – from his PhD out to a community spread around the world by running workshops:
I have been extending my phytography practice by organizing workshops, which have been affected by local flora, climate and participants. During these workshops, technique and context are discussed, experiments are set up, images are produced and, finally, results are projected, sometimes with multiple projectors. (Doing, 2020)
Social media has provided a means for ‘analogue filmmakers’ to share knowledge and promote photochemical practices. Facebook groups exist for various niche interests: Aaton Anonymous has a wealth of knowledge about this camera marque, Bolex Camera Users help each other use their clockwork cameras. Instagram has numerous posts labelled with film-specific tags, such as #16mm – currently appended to 357,940 posts, #super8 – currently appended to 312,634 posts.
https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/16mm/ on 26/06/23
https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/Super8/ on 6/06/23