Brakhage Response

This piece is a really great starting point for anyone interested in
experimenting with film scratching, painting,etc. The fact that he begins
with the assumption that you have no tools at your disposal makes the
article linear and point-by-point in introducing each physical part of the
film and the processes discussed. His descriptions of the inner workings
of the camera (and how to thread the film) are really clear helpful,
including subtlties such as leaving loops in the film on each side of the
gate. The numbered step-by-step instructions he includes in the text are
also useful. I actually looked back to this article and used it as a reference
when loading film into a 16mm camera in another documentary class I
am currently taking. I think that the way he includes his own individual
techniques and opinions makes this a much more enjoyable read, as he
mentions the accepted ways but will sometimes offer a counter argument
based on his own experience. I will admit that some of the technical talk
about splicing went a little over my head, just because it is hard for me to
visually conceptualize the differences he talks about between splicing
techniques, but that's due to my limited eexperience with this medium.
His encouragement of trying new things and listening to your muse
makes the piece very personal and more directed to amateurs eager to
experiment with this fairly new art form, which I found refreshing since
so many articles seem bogged down in technical talk and specifics. His
details about working with light and understanding it's connection to the
camera and film is really interesting too, relying on your eye to get a sense
of how to be conscious about using it right. By the end of the article he
seems to be at his most poetic, even off setting lines ("the end") as if the
letter itself is a work onto itself. Overall, the writing was very concise and
even engaging, as much as possible while still supplying a huge amount of
technical information.