Lanthorn.com

West Michigan Home Movie Day captures life, history

By Brittney Mestdagh
10/15/2008

Dig through boxes, dust off old film reels and bring them to the Wealthy Theatre in Grand Rapids on Saturday for West Michigan's first Home Movie Day.

Everyone is encouraged to bring their home movies to the theater Saturday at 1 p.m., and they will be shown from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Grand Valley State University students, faculty and staff are welcome to attend, as well as the greater Grand Rapids community. Attendees can learn more about the different methods of filming or watch personal accounts projected in three-minute segments.

The first Home Movie Day in the U.S. took place Aug. 16, 2003 and was started by a group of filmmakers, professors and artists. Today, it is celebrated in select cities across the U.S. and other nations throughout the world.

"It will give viewers a chance to peer into history and let it unfold in front of them," said Jennifer Proctor, event coordinator and assistant film and video professor. "Many old movies are at risk of being lost."

Proctor and other film activists wanted to bring the event to Grand Rapids to spark local interest in viewing, preserving and making home movies.

"People often associate home movies with something dreaded and boring," she said.

She noted younger generations are interested in family heritage and retro aspects of earlier societies.

"Sometimes peering into history through home movies is more raw and honest than documentaries," she said.

It is also an opportunity to see aspects of culture that have not had much exposure recently, she added.

"You'll see historical documentation: Footage of the city, vintage clothing, furniture and old cars," said Margo Greenlaw, event coordinator and GVSU film and video assistant professor. "A three-minute glimpse into someone else's life."

Greenlaw noted this glimpse allows the audience to fill in the blanks and wonder where those people on the screen are now.

"It allows you to live vicariously through others," she said.

It is also beneficial for students who have never shot film before to see, she added. Technology is moving more toward video production, but Greenlaw said she believes it is important for students to appreciate a different approach to the craft.

Film production is different from video production because the filmmaker has a limited amount of time to portray a story or an image to the intended audience.

"I think it will be an interesting event to learn from," said freshman Kayla Carr, a film and video major. "I've never seen a film clip before."

Other students like Carr may see it as a learning opportunity to witness what advantages film may have over video production.

Some people dig through their relatives' attics or basements and find boxes of film reels, but they have no idea what is on them. Many do not have a projector to view them on, so Home Movie Day lets them bring in the film to see what is actually on it, Proctor said.

Coordinators of the event will also educate the owners of the film on how to transfer the footage to discs.

"Preserve them and treasure them because they might not be there forever," Greenlaw said.

For more information, visit the Web site http://www.homemovieday.com.

bmestdagh@lanthorn.com

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