"16mm: Reports of Its Death Are Greatly Exaggerated" (2006)

16mm:Reports of Its Death Are Greatly Exaggerated Scott MacDonald (bio) During recent decades, successive waves of new moving-image technologies have changed the film exhibition terrain, and it has seemed increasingly logical to assume that, before long, certain of the older production/exhibition film gauges will inevitably give way to newer, more convenient technologies. During the 1970s and early 1980s, it seemed to some that as video improved, it would replace 16mm (and 8mm/Super-8mm); and of course, it did, at least as a home-movie exhibition format. In more recent decades the development of DVD technology has increasingly replaced home video, and threatens to entirely replace 16mm exhibition in classrooms at every level. Almost no one maintains a capability of showing 16mm prints at home; and I have learned that when I am invited to a college or university to present films, my first questions need to be, "Can we show 16mm films?" and "Can we show them in a [End Page 124] room designed for film exhibition?" Most of the time, the answer is still yes (often a somewhat puzzled and/or grudging yes), but it is now normal to learn that this college or that university "hasn't shown a 16mm print in years." One does get the sense that, in the minds of many academics and those who provide their technical support, the moment of 16mm exhibition is virtually at an end, and that good sense and practicality dictate that we adjust to the changing times. There are, of course, any number of obvious reasons why adjusting to the disappearance of 16mm seems to make perfect sense. As universities struggle through a difficult economic period, buying a DVD of a classic film seems far more cost effective than continuing to rent a 16mm print of that film, year after year. In most cases, a single rental of a 16mm print is more expensive, and sometimes considerably more expensive, than purchasing a new DVD (which may come with a variety of useful extras). Further, since most 16mm distributors have been struggling to stay afloat financially, fewer new 16mm prints are struck, and especially in the case of important classic films released originally in 35mm, a new DVD often provides a better viewing experience than is offered by a fading, scratched 16mm print. Arguing that 16mm is film and DVD is not seems increasingly pointless since DVD projection of classic 35mm films is often the visual equal of most 16mm projection of the same films and is usually far superior in terms of sound. Who would rent a silent, 16mm print of Vertov's Man with a Movie Camera [1929], when the new DVD, produced by David Shepard, with a soundtrack by the Alloy Orchestra, is easily available?—only someone unfamiliar with this and other DVD versions. On the other hand, as many are finding out, there are problematic financial issues with DVD presentation. For one thing, while most academic institutions and many museums still have decent 16mm projection available at relatively low cost—basically the cost of maintaining projectors—good digital projection remains quite expensive. Admittedly, many of those who show moving-image media in academic contexts don't care about quality exhibition, but for those who do, 16mm remains a reasonable option in terms of quality. Further, when public exhibition is an issue, public exhibition rights, even for DVDs an institution owns, can be as expensive as renting a 16mm print. Despite the arrival of DVD and the seeming precariousness of 16mm exhibition in most of academe, I continue to believe that 16mm will not disappear as an exhibition format any time soon. In fact, I feel sure that before too long 16mm projection will undergo something of a revival. Sixteen millimeter cannot disappear simply because its long history as the primary film gauge for avant-garde and experimental filmmaking (I'm using these terms in the standard way, not because I particularly like the terms, but because they denote a particular dimension of film history). Avant-garde and experimental filmmakers have produced, and continue to produce, a considerable body of films made specifically for exhibition as 16mm prints. Because this history includes many...