The Celluloid Ashram

McCall chats with me straight from wrapping her first film on 16mm titled "Petals On Whittier Blvd." A deeply personal story drawn from her relationship with her Grandfather while growing up in the cultural vibrance of an East Los Angeles neighborhood. Her journey to capture this story also taps into the political turmoil that permeates their community today. Appropriately, our conversation delves...

A conversation with cinematographer Joshua Ewert and his first narrative, on film, being shot on 65mm. The determination to start on large format definitely warrants our extensive chat.

I ambush long time friend, director of photography, Thais Castralli at the Bob's Big Boy in Bubank, California where she talks to me about her life and career. Her longtime relationship with film began in Sao Paolo, Brazil developing an appreciation for classic Hollwood films which comes full circle as she recently lensed a 35mm Panavision film shoot about Tinsel Town in the 20's.

Welcome long time filmmaker Anthony Booth. A poet visualist, Anthony ties cinematic images with the old school Hollywood sensibilties. His love of analog is prevalent in all the art he makes.

Friend of film Eric Iyoob speaks to me about what it's like making movies on film in Scranton, Pennsylvania, the film community, and who inspires him in filmmaking.

Longtime friend Jake Borowski sits down to talk to me on how he began in films, about the benefits of shooting practical effects on film and where to begin.

Fairly new minted 16mm film director Tyler Del Cont sits with me in the Ashram to discuss his newest short "8 Portraits" A off-the-cuff meta dissection of the efforts of making a film whilst hearing interviews from other creatives. We discuss his journey to loving cinema on film. And some of his influences. And his determination now to make everything he holds personal on film.

Fellow Ohioan and film shooter Jake L. Mitchell and I have a conversation about his start and his new feature shot on super16, the magically sublime "Riddle Of Fire"

Long time friend and ASCF ambassador Jessi Spickard joins us in the Ashram to talk about her journey from actress to director, coming off her very first film shot on 35mm. Her path will inspire others to make aspirations a reality.

The remarkably talented Dajiana Huang joins us in the Ashram and talks about fighting for film, adventures in craft, and advice on people wanting to start in celluloid. A great friend to film!

Legendary steadicam camera operator Elizabeth Ziegler worked on massive shows like "Ghost" "Magnolia" "A Nightmare On Elm Street" "Tombstone" and "Wayne's World" but she is best known, amongst us film nerds, as the operator on director Stanley Kubrick's last film "Eyes Wide Shut" very grateful for the time spent going down memory lane.

Shooting ratio for film

Lenser Chayse Irvin ASC, CSC is a philosopher, an artist and a long time film shooter. A true celluloid friend, his insight on storytelling and how he approaches shooting stems from a music background. Glad to talk to someone with a very independent spirit!

Some thoughts on Integrating analog cameras with digital accesorries

Naomi is a painter turned filmmaker who lives inside of a set and fantasy world called SiggySooky, that she has been painting and fabricating for more than 4 years. SiggySooky is the world in which all of her films reside in, and is a colorful dimension that is designed to be shot on celluloid. https://siggysooky.com/

The fantastic photo artist Diane Lac gets ambushed at the Ashram where she shares stories of early naked film photos and making her last film project on 35mm film! https://dianelac.com/

The buoyancy of Ai Kojima permeates through the projects she's involved in. Full of whimsical good natured antics her film work, instead, reflects a deeper sensibility of being an observer to life and behavior. Ai is who celluloid was made for! https://www.aikojima.com/

The remarkable Ariana Hoshino skyrocketed into celluloid shooting by purchasing a K3 16mm camera and now has amassed four projects all made on Kodak stock. Here we talk about her beginnings and dissect the stepping stone projects that that led her to choose film as her preferred medium. https://linktr.ee/arianahoshino?fbclid=PAAabPcBVse8ci_oCusANJ7YW7ggpQYBQ6K0fY7kMt8l7g2-zXWyaCk1SqouA

Remarkably unique filmmaker Toshin Rao joins me in the Ashram to talk about his journey into making film. Self-taught, Toshin makes whimsical stories that go against any conventional visual standards and has crafted some incredible fun shorts. seen here: https://vimeo.com/789183284.

Live from The Hollywood Show iconic actress Joanna Cassidy ("Blade Runner" "Who Killer Roger Rabbit? "

Dreaded remjet! How do I remove after lab didn't do proper wash?

The wild and serendipidous meeting with NYC based cinematographer Eddie Yasin yielded a remarkable conversation on the entry point of filmmaking as well as a navigating the tribulations of how you should go towards fear. All due to a random posted photo of a very rare camera (Arriflex SR2 Plus) he spotted when he landed in Los Angeles. A remarkable talent whose knowledge of cinema and exuberant cu...

Rawstock! What do you look for in choosing a film stock!

Lenses! A beginner's guide to navigating lens choices for film cameras

Live from ASCF clubhouse (also known as The Cigar Warehouse) lenser and friend of celluloid, Arlene Muller chats with me about her start in cinema and also her advice on how to start shooting film. She also offers invaluable insight on how to keep moving forward when you first start and are struggling to find a foothold in the industry.