16mm film

16mm Film is one hundred years old! It first appeared in 1923 as a viable solution to film-making, being more affordable than the established 35mm film of the time. The smaller size of the medium also allowed for the creation of more compact cameras to the point of being portable. Director’s could thus travel the world with a camera and 16mm film spools, taking documentary film-making to another level of answering our social needs and awareness.

The Bolex

The Paillard Bolex, commonly known as The Bolex, is a 16mm motion film camera conceived and built in Switzerland. Early models date back to the 1930’s and it remained in production for over 50 years. It is the camera that sets the standard for longevity, and because it is devoid from batteries, it’s still as functional today as it ever was the day of it’s creation! The Bolex was particularly successful amongst documentary and experimental film-makers, thanks to it’s compact, lightweight, and efficient design.

Footage & Edits

What you see is what you get. The images might seem like they have been edited with special effects in a modern software but they actually haven’t. The cuts happen when I stop filming, the jump-cuts when pictures are taken and the beautiful film burns when the film is exposed to light through the camera body. Occasionally, I will remove a piece of footage, or shift a segment around but what you see is mostly how the camera caught it.

Content & Subjects

The films are inspired by travels close and far, encounters with inspiring lifestyles and stunning viewpoints. The camera holds enough film for approximately 3 minutes of continuous filming at 24fps thus creating these little non-narrative clips to which soundtracks have been added.

Soundtracks

Music is the main emotional conductor to images, especially for non narrative films. As a result, it is of great importance for the soundtracks to suit the aesthetic. Thus, I seek to collaborate with current composers and musicians to elevate the senses carried by these films.

Developing & Hand-Processing

Developing is the act of transforming the light sensitive exposed film into an archival form where the images are stable and can be worked. Hand-processing is engaging in the developing process. I do this mostly with the Black & White film stock, not with colour, as is a step-up in cost and complexity. The end result is recognizable, usually bearing more textures caused from to the manipulation of the film and the micro elements encountering the image making crystal halides.

Stills & Frames

In addition to creating an online library of my work, I also Print high quality screenshots of the original footage on demand. It is a way to experience the images without the interference of the digital artefacts as the prints are extracted from the original 2K, and haven’t been compressed for the needs of internet.

Robin Rigault

A man with a movie camera, inspired by the dynamism of our industrial society, confronted and confined by the greater forces of nature. The Bolex has been an incredibly reliable companion in most of my adventures and encounters, allowing me to generate physical film strips of images, thus archiving moments for future reproduction.