Karuna,
Here's a suggestion:purchase your own projector
<https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=kodak+pageant+film+projector&_sacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2334524.m570.l1313&gad_source=1&loc=9217253&mktype=&poi=&cmpgn=20120595482&geo_id=&network=g&mkscid=102&gad_campaignid=20120595482&mkcid=2&MT_ID=&adpos=&matchtype=&abcId=&keyword=&mkrid=711-153677-346401-4&crlp=658181441985_&sitelnk=&rlsatarget=dsa-1680301660446&gclid=CjwKCAjw4dDTBhAqEiwAkHYmSs2mAP5hRIID86gg2-GKBuQKvgdCa9SUtNnHpK8m0xbxGvSaUGrD2xoCARIQAvD_BwE&_odkw=eiki+film+projector&norover=1&adgroupid=157497837028&gbraid=0AAAAAD_QDh8OIIFCMmrJEFdpiyyN7QFi6&device=c>!
This may not be the right suggestion for you. Other methods may be
better. You will also need to find some junk film to experiment with.
Someone just sold a batch on FrameWorks, I would guess for not too much
money. Connect with other people who project film in New York. Locate
someone who can repair Pageants. FrameWorks can help there, and can also
help by telling you how difficult it is to get them repaired. Basic film
projection is not a big challenge. Learning to thread up a Pageant, to
clean the gate and rollers, to look for possible problems and the
obvious mistakes in mis-threading that can damage film, can help. What
is best is to do it all yourself, in my view. This doesn't exclude
working with others. In fact, there are many groups in New York City of
people working with film on film, and I have pasted in information about
them below, and connecting with them is probably my best suggestion.
The thing about film projection is that you learn by doing enough of it
to avoid obvious mistakes. For example, silent films were sometimes
printed on double-perf stock. Inexperienced projectionists often are
unaware the intentionally silent films still exist. Not long ago at a
respectable venue in Chicago a Hollis Frampton silent film that had been
printed on double perf stock was screened with the sound on. The
resulting machine-gun-like sound was recognizable to anyone who had
heard it before, but no one spoke up. I am somewhat limited in mobility
and didn't want to stumble around in the dark and risk falling. What I
should have thought to do, and will do if there is a next time, is yell,
very loud. There were others there who had recognized the sound and also
did nothing. An experienced projectionist would have figured it out
right away. Similarly, with another common mistake, this one with sound
films: threading it too loose around the sound drum. That is another
recognizable sound, wobbly. I sat through over two hours of this with
projectionists who recognized that it was a little strange but never
having heard it before thought it was an intentional part of the film
(Michael Snow's /Rameu's Nephew/) and did nothing.
It would be best to also secure some kind of splicer, extra projection
bulbs, extra exciter lamps, extra reels, a small rewind apparatus, and
perhaps some extra parts such as belts.
Nothing can beat having a projector you can mess around with and get
used to. You can also likely find 16mm prints of interesting films to
purchase without spending much. But with regard to that, learn about
vinegar syndrome.
With junk film, I used to encourage students to fool around. Edit your
own found footage film (having a viewer will help a lot). Experiment
with scratching on film and painting on film. Having done the last will
help you understand these techniques when you see them in films by
accomplished filmmakers.
Then for more information, there is AI. Yes, I know, I know, AI is evil,
and can have evil effects, but it also can be incredibly useful for
consolidating information. One search you could try, which I have not
but predict will be helpful, would be "What are the comparative
advantages and drawbacks of cement and tape splicing with film on film?"
I did a more immediately helpful search for you on Chat GPT, and have
pasted in the answer. Note that at the end it's revealed that ChatGPT
"knows" me and has personalized it slightly. I do know, and respect,
most of the organizations it recommends.
Fred Camper <http://www.fredcamper.com/>
Chicago
_________________________________________
Are there groups in New York City of filmmakers making films on film
that offer mutual support?
Yes. In fact, New York probably has the strongest remaining community in
the U.S. of filmmakers who continue to shoot, process, project, and
discuss work on film. It is not a single cohesive "movement" as it
sometimes seemed in the 1960s and 1970s, but there are several
overlapping organizations that provide real mutual support.
The ones I'd especially point to are:
* Millennium Film Workshop — probably the closest thing to an
artist-run home for experimental filmmakers working on film today.
They offer equipment, workshops, open screenings, and a community of
people making Super 8 and 16mm work. Their new Bushwick space has
become an important gathering place.
* The Film-Makers' Cooperative — historically founded in 1961 by Jonas
Mekas, Stan Brakhage, Shirley Clarke, Andy Warhol, and others, it
remains a member-run organization devoted to distributing and
exhibiting avant-garde film. Although it is primarily a distribution
cooperative rather than a production collective, members meet
through screenings, workshops, and events.
* MONO NO AWARE (Brooklyn) — in some ways the most energetic
analog-film organization today. It runs affordable workshops,
equipment rentals, artist screenings, and an annual exhibition
centered on Super 8, 16mm, 35mm, and expanded cinema. Many younger
filmmakers have entered analog filmmaking through this community.
* Negativeland Motion Picture Film Lab (Ridgewood) — although
primarily a laboratory, it deliberately functions as a community
resource. Besides processing and scanning, it makes darkrooms,
optical printers, Steenbecks, and other equipment available and
encourages collaborative use and exchange of technical knowledge.
I'd also mention a few adjacent institutions:
* Anthology Film Archives isn't a production collective, but its
screenings remain one of the major meeting places for experimental
filmmakers.
* The Gotham Film & Media Institute (formerly IFP) supports
independent filmmakers generally, though much less specifically
film-on-film than the organizations above.
One interesting change from your generation is that many of today's
communities blur the traditional distinctions between filmmaker, lab
technician, projectionist, chemist, and archivist. Analog filmmaking has
become so specialized that sharing equipment and technical expertise is
almost essential. Groups like MONO NO AWARE and Negativeland embrace
that model explicitly.
Given your own interests—silent films, 16mm projection, experimental
work, and your longstanding connection to the New American Cinema
tradition—I suspect you would find the strongest intellectual affinity
at Millennium, the Film-Makers' Cooperative, and Anthology, while MONO
NO AWARE would expose you to a younger generation of artists who are
rediscovering film as a medium.
On 8/6/2026 2:29 PM, Karuna Prasad wrote:
Hello everyone,
I’m a freelance filmmaker and independent cinema professional working
at the intersection of experimental and documentary filmmaking, with a
particular interest in celluloid. I’m hoping to learn analog film
projection and was wondering if anyone knows of opportunities in New
York City where I might be able to shadow an experienced projectionist
or train on the job, whether at a cinema, archive, artist-run space,
or elsewhere.
I’d be grateful for any recommendations, introductions, or advice.
Many thanks,
Karuna Prasad
www.karunaprasad.com <http://www.karunaprasad.com/>
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