A Kickstarter campaign has just launched to fund Revival – a feature-length documentary exploring the resurgence of film photography. The project is the brainchild of Dean Ginsberg, an Australian director who shoots on Super8 and 35mm film.
Since 2018, the popularity of film has continued to rise as people search for a more organic, tangible style of photography. Despite living in such a fast-paced, media-consuming world, film is getting more and more popular. Revival will explore what it is that makes film different, why people have such an affinity for it and what it is about it we find so aesthetically pleasing.
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According to the Revival team, even big brands such as Burberry and Uber have shot massive campaigns on film. Pop stars such as Harry Styles and Taylor Swift have also been known to incorporate film into their work, and Taylor Swift has even been credited with 'bringing Polaroid back' after featuring instant camera snaps on her album, 1989.
Along the way, Dean hopes to speak to a wide variety of people from the film community, including 35mm and medium format photographers to wet plate / tintype photographers to archivists and photo labs. Revival will also talk to technologists and psychologists about how digital image culture today is changing society, and what we might’ve lost along the way with this more convenient, fast-paced method.
Some of the photographers who will be involved in the film are Joe Greer, a Nashville street photographer; Austin Augie, a professional BMX rider who specializes in model and sports photography; Edie Sunday, a surrealist and practicing psychologist based in Texas; and Adrian Cook, an Australian tintype photographer.
Dean has already assembled the production team, which consists of Emma Paine as cinematographer, Genevieve Kaiser as editor and second unit director, plus James Carr, Rebecca Matthes and Sean O’Reilly as producers.
Dean remembers the first time he became obsessed with film photography. “One of my friends first showed me the 35mm photos he'd been capturing, I was instantly hooked! I went and bought a 35mm camera that week and have been shooting film, and Super8, ever since.”
Revival describes the resurgence of film photography not so much as a comeback but a movement, and hopes it will continue to push this growing art form. In order to create the documentary Dean envisions, he’s started a Kickstarter campaign in hopes of raising AU$254,908 (or roughly $179,440 / £188,708) by 26 February. To pledge and see the promotional video, head to the Revival Kickstarter.
As always, be aware that not all Kickstarter or other crowdfunded campaigns get off the ground, or even ship a finished product. This article is not an endorsement of the Kickstarter project in question.
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