Introduction

INTRODUCTION:
BLTP: A MANIFESTO FOR PILM

Well, why are we all here, no not existence but this twinkling corner on the web.
Well as Louis Kahn the famous architect once said

“A wall isn’t wall until light has fallen on it”

He was talking about buildings but flickering lights dancing on walls is where I come in. I’ve always loved the pictures, the flicks, and cinema. At first it was watching Pete’s Dragon at the Odeon in Barnsley. Which moved onto back to back Star Wars, at college it was late night video binges, being blown away by Evil Dead, scared witless by Blue Velvet, made to cry by “my life as dog”. We even had a film club where, they’d show lost classics and that strange beast the cult film.

And then a few years ago a friend got a super 8 camera which I gradually borrowed more and more. I now have a trunk full of lovely mellow super 8 films. My super 8 obsession launched the randomly annual BLTP film festival where friends brought their work to show. Sadly even though super 8 looks lovely, is quite cheap, it’s fiddly to edit and a faff to project, so gradually I lost heart.

Then digital came along and I started making little films with my digital stills camera (quite like super 8 films in form). And at last a few days ago I got a pucker video camera.

WHY PILM?

My video camera cost not much more than my stills camera did, everyone can borrow a pc. So we can say good bye to watching other people’s films. When was the last time a feature film showed you something truly about your life? We all have things to say and with cheap cameras we can say it, sure some of it will be crap but Hollywood makes at best 4 films each yeas worth watching so PILM says bye bye to film factories and hello to cottage industry.

Let’s go out and make films.

They can music videos, animations, urban westerns, well shot and edited wedding videos, weird art obsessions, poems, slapstick, wildlife films, video diaries, if it’s well shot we’ll even put your kid’s school play. What’s important is you point the lens, press the shutter, make the cuts, and slave over the titles.

If you have film you want to share, upload it onto YouTube or similar.
Post the embed code and any blurb and I will put it up.

I’m not interested in filth or happy slapping or just other peoples reposted stuff but films you’ve made.

So to paraphrase Louis K

Your souls not truly alive until light’s shined on it

Remember our watchwords

Every home a cinema,
Every woman an auteur
Project our dreams and we’ll illuminate our world.