Film Scratching Animation by Triple M Productions

Hey all you animation fans out there!
Here's a technique you don't see every day!

When we were young filmmakers in the 80's, a friend told us about creating special effects by scratching the emulsion off of the film with a pin. We experimented with it to make crude lightsabers and lightning effects, but our true calling came when we discovered a whole reel of processed 8 millimeter film that was accidentally unexposed. The entire reel was completely black! To our delight, the film scratching resulted in bright images of light bursting through the dark background, but the technique was not easy. The standard 8 millimeter film frame is incredibly tiny. Imagine drawing inside a frame no bigger than half a pinky fingernail! In the end, we found the best technique was to draw the scratches with a sharp matte knife, like using a pencil, all while viewing the process with a magnifying lens.

The result is crude, yet somewhat psychedelic, and it might peak some acedemic interest to you animation nuts.

To see the film actually projected on a screen is a cool sight. The scratches actually glow with a wonderful brilliance you don't quite get on this VHS video transfer.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Film
• scratching
• animation
• scratch
• millimeter
• film

[Shaudawn]

I'm not sure what was more difficult, the teeny, tiny area we used to scratch on, or the fact that there were so many freakin' frames we had to scratch over and over...it got tiring to do. I was a little disappointed the INXS song wasn't included...but I know...copyrite. Still, the song and the flow of the animation seemed to really go together. Still, one of Triple M's best experiments, IMHO.

[TripleMProductions0]

Of course, Donovan M. found a great shortcut. After getting sick of frame-after-frame, he started making patterns of wavy lines. All he did was draw long lines down the length of the film for a few feet, and it looked cool.

[Casetopfloor]

sick

[rachelmccloskey89]

hi, did you have to do this in a dark room? i am trying to etch myself. i have the film here but not sure if you have to do it in a dark room or not, and after you've finished doing all the shapes, how do you develop it?

[jetlagsyndrome]

This is epic!

[DerManuDA]

What is the name of the song ?

[REEL4REAL]

Incredible!!!

[OuchByGriff]

soooo much work

[Westner123]

Really like them! :O and i'll need them for schoolprojeckt can u share them?:D

[DualityPictures]

This is awesome. Would you mind if I used this in one of my videos? You would be listed in the credits =)

[Bobchai]

I actually did this as a kid in the 1960s, with some unexposed 8mm film which had been sent to the processor by mistake, and it was also all-black and my film was quite similar!