“The day is close when the 8mm home-movie footage will be collected and appreciated as beautiful folk art, like songs and the lyric poetry that was created by the people.”–Jonas Mekas. One of my jobs entails cleaning and splicing home movies on 8mm and Super 8mm film, and transferring them to video. I have, at this point, spent maybe 100 hours watching things like people’s children taking their first steps, water ski events, the opening of Christmas presents, and at least 10 hours of the Rose Parade. And you know… Jonas Mekas is right, these films really are beautiful examples of folk art. To see the same gestures of camerawork and performance repeated numerous times by different people… it is a really special opportunity I have to get a glimpse into how people lived 50 or 60 years ago, and the things they valued and cared about. Other people know this too, which is why you should go out and see home movies when you have a chance… and of course, if anyone in your family has a box of films sitting around, do something to save them! Maybe participate in Home Movie Day if you can… and an even better idea, make some of your own! Super 8 film is still being made (and regular 8 for that matter).
In a similar way, educational and industrial films offer another chance to sort of see into the past. There is, from what I understand, a rather fierce and competitive market out there of collectors who scour the rapidly disappearing film libraries—and the internet—for this sort of material. One collector here in Los Angeles, Russ Harden, has thousands and thousands of 16 mm films that he’s collected over the years from schools and libraries—in face a better word than “collected” might be “rescued”, since many of these films were on their way, or had already been sent to, the landfill. Russ presents a yearly screening of some of his favorite films from his collection—Gems from the Archive. Highlights from this year included a film on the importance of getting exercise that included an extended montage of imagery related to feet as well as a rousing choreographed dance sequence/song about feet, and a instructional film on the proper way to make sandwiches that are as pleasing to the eye as they are to the palate, including favorites like the sardine sandwich and the deviled ham sandwich. This one wasn’t shown, but you get the idea:
[...] B. on the Scout Network Blog invokes Jonas Mekas on how 8mm home movies are modern folk [...]