Hi Karuna, If you're interested in learning 16mm projection, I recommend looking into Mono No Aware's PROJECTION BASICS FOR 16MM FILM: TABLE TOP MODELS <https://mononoawarefilm.com/2026-sept-projection-basics-eiki-sslo-16mm> workshop, which is happening in September.
While they may not provide you with opportunities to learn projection, Fred's AI suggestions are all institutions I recommend engaging with if you're interested in celloid-based filmmaking and exhibition. Best of luck! On Thu, Aug 6, 2026 at 5:34 PM Fred Camper <[email protected]> wrote: > 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 > > -- > Frameworks mailing list > [email protected] > https://mail.film-gallery.org/mailman/listinfo/frameworks_film-gallery.org >
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