Discoveries on Break

This break has definitely had its interesting moments. My grandmother is moving out of the house that my grandfather made with his own bare hands, so many of our days were spent in a sea of bubble wrap and packing peanuts, dozens of cardboard boxes and yards and yards of tape. With my grandfather deceased, every family member has had to jump in to help. It has always been interesting to go through my grandparents older relics. We have found so many interesting things from an old family tree records dating back to the 1700s and my great-grandfather's army outfit from WWI. So all in all this unpacking and packing it was not a shock to discover something else. What was shocking was the fact that it was so unexpected. We pried open a box only to discover my grandfather's old film and projector. The camera itself was a Brownie and Hawkeye camera, projector and a Bell & Howell film light kit. After some research I can only guess that the camera itself was the Brownie 127, which was sold between 1952 and 1967. This would make the most sense since my mother remember him receiving the camera as a gift and using it all the time for family movies. We have packed it all away in a box labeled so that I can get back to the equipment in the near future.

The second great thing that happened this break was a surprise from my brother. He bought us a 55inch, LED TV. The viewing experience was something completely new. The image is so clear that you feel like you are on set watching the action take place. It is great to notice the small details in the background that I normally miss. I still can't decide how I feel about it though. It is amazing to watch, but the fact that it is so clear almost makes everything else look so fake. With such high-tech TV that audiences can purchase, I wonder how much harder it is to make a film? Or is it better that all those little details that filmmakers spend so much time on are now clear to the audience? In any case, it was definitely an exciting experience.

~Amber Capogrossi