May 5-7 2018, Land & Sea film & photography weekend

     
We are delighted to offer a special three day creative filmmaking workshop with visiting artist/filmmaker Robert Schaller (USA) responding to the dark skies, bright stars, neolithic sites and landscapes of Penwith. A unique creative opportunity, not to be missed!
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These workshops offer a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in an amazing landscape – Tregeseal Stone Circle is 15 minutes’ walk from our workshop base in the beautiful Cornish Cot Valley, overlooking the wild Cornish coastline – using it as inspiration for your creative practice.

 

 

 
Special handmade emulsion session, Saturday 5th May
Our day begins with an off-site filming session at Porth Nanven, returning in the afternoon (2pm-5/6pm) for a technical session at Lands End YHA (or join the hand processing session outlined below).In the afternoon, Robert will be sharing his experience and leading a session of experimentation with handmade emulsion techniques (Robert has been part of a European team working to develop a workable handmade emulsion). Images emerge from a handmade background, providing a tactile blurring between subject and surface.Available as part of our Film Weekender, or book in for day/afternoon on Saturday 5th May. See below.
Beginners’ Bolex 16mm, Saturday 5th May/Sunday 6th May
Our day begins with an off-site filming session (Saturday, Porth Nanven, Sunday Lizard Lighthouse), returning to process our work at the YHA.This beginners’ 16mm Bolex pathway is available on the Saturday and or Sunday, where you can learn how to use a 16mm camera, from loading via filming to hand processing your own film. You will come away with all the basics on buying film and how to set up your own home processing centre. In the morning we will be filming on location, in the afternoon we will process our film with kitchen-friendly caffenol. This produces a negative image and we will discuss the options for reversing this into a positive.
Evening sharing session Saturday 5th May
Evening sharing session at YHA, with Robert leading a screening of work – please bring film/photography to share!
Peracetic Acid reversal processing, Sunday 6th May
Our day begins with an off-site filming session (Lizard Lighthouse) returning to process our work at the YHA (2pm-5/6pm).Film artist Joanna Mayes has a particular interest in kitchen-friendly chemicals, so will be sharing caffenol (coffee, vitamin C, washing soda and salt) and peracetic acid reversal processing techniques (replacing standard reversal bleach with peroxide and acetic acid).One day £60 (including site-specific filming), half day processing only £40.Wilderness filmmaking & processing, Monday 7th May
Robert Schaller has been leading the renowned wilderness filmmaking camps across USA for many years. Robert specialises in techniques for filming and processing in wilderness locations; skills which are also appropriate to DIY filmmaking and home processing.We will be walking out to Tregaseal Stone Circle on Penwith Moors, considering ways of working with landscape, directionality and navigation. Robert will bring his portable darkroom and we will have a chance to bucket process our film out on the moors!Low light filmmaking, night processing & filming the stars!
Weather-depending we will be looking at low-light techniques and outdoor processing at night over the course of the weekend. We will be bringing out our stop-motion attachments and trying to capture the procession of the stars.
INTRODUCTION…..
​Welcome to our Dark Skies Bright Stars 3 day immersive film long weekender!We are very excited to offer this extended workshop, with USA visiting artist and DIY filmmaking specialist, Robert Schaller (http://www.handmadefilminsitute). We will be adventuring with our cameras across Penwith Moors to explore the ancient stone circles at Beltane, also think about navigating across land and sea using the stars, with plenty of time to relax and enjoy the spectacular scenery of the Penwith moors and the coast!We are also offering one day or afternoon processing only sessions on the Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th May (see above for details).We are able to offer this at a special price (including all materials) of £180 (£270 institution/company) for the three days, with the affordable option of sharing B&B accommodation with other attendees at Lands End YHA in the beautiful Cot Valley (c. £29/night, please contact us on our bookings email for details/booking); walking distance from the special Tregeseal Stone Circle and the famous Porth Nanven Cove with its ‘dinosaur egg’ stones on the spectacular Cornish coast.We are also hoping to offer a small number of low priced places for those on a low income. please contact us for details and to go on our list for further details.
Update: One Day Option also available (£60/day or £40 half day processing/technical workshop)
BOOKINGSSaturday 5th May to Monday 7th May inclusive
Venue: Lands End YHA, Cot Valley, Cornwall, by the coast and on the moorsPRICE:
3 DAY: 5,6,7 May:
EARLY BIRD: individual £145, company/institution £215
individual registration £180, company/institution £270.
Bookings be made and a place secured immediately with a 50% deposit

Includes all materials (reversal film/chemistry)
Shared B&B accommodation at YHA can be booked separately through us (see above or email us on bookings@ for details).ALSO AVAILABLE:
ONE DAY £60/HALF DAY TECHNICAL SESSION £40Bring your favourite 16mm/8mm film camera (some equipment available to share by request). Join us to learn more about ways or working spontaneously with physical film: Visiting artist Robert Schaller is an expert in leading Wilderness filmmaking courses, so you will experience working out on the Moors, with a portable darkroom and plenty of opportunity to learn/extend your 16/8mm filmmaking, including eco-processing both negative and reversal (using peracetic acid)! A chance to reinvigorate your filmmaking/make a step change in your ways of working and share our experiences of working with physical film. Techniques also transferrable to home/DIY processing.We are also offering a beginners pathway over the weekend, where you will learn the basics of using a 16mm camera, practicalities of buying and working with film and how to process your own film by hand with kitchen-friendly caffenol. Lots of tips available on how to turn your kitchen & bathroom into a home processing centre!!To encourage you to get booking, we are offering a limited number of Early Bird discounted tickets at 20% off (individual/institution).Limited shared accomodation is also available at Cott Valley YHA – this needs to be booked with us ASAP as we can only hold these places for a short time (please email us on bookings@ for details).​CLICK HERE TO BOOK ONTO THE COURSE!Kindly supported by:

Our creative team…..

WORKSHOP LEADER

Creative Analogue Filmmaking

Robert Schaller is the director of the Handmade Film Institute in Colorado, USA and runs the renowned Wilderness Filmmaking Camps around the world. Robert received his MFA at the University of Colorado with Stan Brakhage and Phil Solomon. His creative life and teaching combine an extensive early background in science with studies of music composition, ancient languages (Latin and Greek), philosophy, and experimental filmmaking, along with a love of the wild.  In filmmaking he has found a potent intersection of the tactile and ephemeral, making it a perfect medium for addressing humanity’s relationship to the material world.

The Neolithics created reflections and alignments of the night sky. What techniques can we use to approach these ideas through filmmaking? Robert will share his experience of wilderness filmmaking and the ways in which this approach reframes our experiences and creative work. The course will incorporate working on site at Tregeseal stone circle and other key locations for Cornwall astronomy and navigation, working with analogue film cameras and reversal hand processing.

WORKSHOP SUPPORT

Cinestar
 
Joanna Mayes and Jacqui Knight from Cornwall-based artist film organisation Cinestar will be supporting these events in Cornwall.