Inspired by scholarly writing around the transition from analogue to digital moving imagery, I searched for creative investigations that capture practical insight across these formats, but found few examples. One notable exception to this is Makino Takashi’s Generator (2011) which, like his other works, is a vibrant expressionistic film consisting of the accumulation of analogue grain combined with digital noise patterns. Takeshi operates in the intersection of formats and proved to be a key reference for my ongoing creative experimentation. By contrast, I was keen to begin my practical work with a simple, technically oriented exploration and hence Camera/Projector was designed as a straight comparison between analogue and digital.

To offer some homogeneity in the finished work, it was necessary to conduct the capture process with similar parameters across both formats. To achieve this technically, I researched digital sensor sizes in relation to celluloid film gauges. I found several instances where analogue and digital cameras feature imaging areas of approximately the same dimensions. Firstly, Super-16mm film captures an image of 12.52 x 7.41mm and so is comparable to the CMOS sensor in the Blackmagic Pocket Camera, which uses an area of 12.48 x 7.02mm to capture digital images. However, as this project was conceived as a methodological test, I was aiming for a quick turnaround, flexibility and low production cost, so the logistics of working with these two options provided prohibitive. Instead, I looked to the readily accessible camera in my iPhone, which featured a sensor 4.54 x 3.42mm in size - almost exactly the same as the frame dimensions of standard 8mm film, which are 4.5 x 3.3mm.

The production phase of this project took place in a single day. Working in a studio at Spike Island in Bristol (UK), I created a dark space by closing all possible blinds and layering material over windows. I then prepared each camera, using an app on my phone to enable greater manual control over the capture of digital footage and loading the film into a Bolex P3 camera. I chose to work with Wittner 200D colour reversal stock, as I felt the vibrant colours and additional contrast that characterise this type of film would exaggerate the analogue artefacts that this project sought to expose. I set up a projector in the centre of the room and began to explore this visually through the viewfinder or display of each camera.

Drawing on my previous lighting experiences, I was aware that adding moving particles such as dust, smoke or haze into the throw of the projector would enhance the shaft of emitted light, making it more visible on each format. With this in mind, I sprayed a fine powder into the room to give form and texture to the light. As I moved each camera around, I discovered that their unique response to this light was most apparent when pointed directly toward the bright projection source. Therefore, I designed a small handheld movement where each camera began several paces away, showing the projector and its beam of light as a whole before moving closer into the throw of light, essentially overexposing the images and revealing their medium-specific qualities. Between the analogue and digital shots, I maintained the same settings where possible, including focal length, aperture and sensitivity rating.