[Frameworks] Frameworks Digest, Vol 65, Issue 2

[Eric Theise]

On Wed, Apr 6, 2022 at 8:07 PM Fritz Robinson <fritzrobinson at outlook.com>
wrote:

> I want to know from Eric in this post how he prepares his contact printed
> strips for developing. Does he edit them together before sending film to be
> processed. Will processors take undeveloped rolls of film that has been
> edited. I don’t know if the glue or tape will withstand the process.
>

Hi Fritz,

Thanks much for your interest. It's a little complicated to explain.

Although my source materials, the etchings, were in strips, I contact
printed onto 100 foot rolls of 3383
<https://filmstocks.info/stocks/kodak-3383-vision-color-print-film>. At the
time, Monaco, a local lab, would spool that stock onto daylight reels on
request. I wouldn't be surprised if Mono No Aware does that today.

I created a sort of split magazine from two 400 foot film cans, using tin
snips to cut a slot across the height of the cans, spray painting the
insides with matte black paint, lining the incision with black velvet to
prevent emulsion scratching and light leaks. The cans were brought together
so that the slots touched, and were then placed into a photographer's
changing bag. I'd arrange the etchings, gels, guides on the light table
with room lights on. I'd then switch off the lights and spool the print
stock across the light table over the elements I'd arranged. I'd forgotten,
but I think I made a very long, narrow sandbag that ran the length of the
table to weigh things down, and then I'd do a quick flick on a
spring-loaded switch to illuminate the fluorescent tube that was under the
glass surface. Very brief. Then I would wind the exposed footage into the
take up can, bring the cans together, put them into the changing bag, and
turn the room lights on again before preparing the next strip.

Repeat.

(A better way to do this is to use a vacuum table that was once common for
platemaking in the printing industry.)

This was not inconvenient compared to what you're suggesting: splicing
exposed footage together for a lab to process.

I'm many thousand miles away from home and don't know that I have any
detailed photographs of my setup. The interior image at
https://erictheise.com/films/ shows the light table I used on the floor at
left but it's probably too distant to be helpful.

Hope the words make some sense.

Eric
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