(Above) Come on in.
(Above) Photographer Scott Ferguson and unidentified friend.
Above: The Dark Room is cultivating a new audience of young art directors, designers and photographers.
Click on any image for larger view.
(Above) This scene, with the last spike of sun just before the sky turned black, was on-screen for exactly 3 seconds. I was lucky.
(Above) Definitely click on the above pic.
Click on any image for larger view.
Above: The house is falling.IT’S ALMOST 1:30 am AND I AM FALLING ASLEEP, but tonight my wife and I watched The Wizard of Oz (1939) in it’s entirety to the music of Pink Floyd’s 1973 album, The Dark Side of the Moon.
It was at FK Photo, run by Mark Katzman and Scott Ferguson. The Dark Room is a part of FK Studio, a large party room that is beautifully designed—and the ultimate place to get to know folks in the industry. Why, I even met a beautiful young woman who claimed to be a descendant of Robert E. Lee? Wow. I was seriously impressed. I had to sit down. The movie was about to start.
Anyhoo, the film was projected at least 20 feet across in Blu Ray, Hi-Def. The quality was AMAZING. Fifteen feet in front of me the quality was just about like a giant print. Except it was moving. I knew I was seeing something special.
Because the image was Blu Ray Hi Def, I started shooting images right off the wall with my digital camera. I was just blown away by the incredible sound and images and the detail I had NEVER seen in this film before. After all, I remember seeing the film for the first time it was shown on color TV! That was analog euphoria. This was hi-def euphoria.
Some of these pics—to me—very much mimic the haphazard style of many snapshots I like. Additionally, what I like is the way these pics are so familar, but way darker. And even scarier than I remember.
If you have seen the Pink Floyd music and video—let me know what you think. Was this an accident, or an intentional Pink Floyd mind freak? I say it is an accident— that we’re locking onto the occasional coincidence—forgetting all the places it doesn’t match.
The Dark Room is a private room, a part of FK Photo in St. Louis. FK Studio can be reached at 314.241.3811.
Later.
yeah, i recently watched the remastered dvd of the wizard of oz + was quite blown away. having only seen it on tv as a kid or worn out vhs, i had no idea what i was missing.
ReplyDeletein one of the last scenes, where the wizard gives the scarecrow his diploma, you actually see the texture of burlap all long his face. i know i gasped out loud, never having seen that before. what an unexpected joy to rediscover hidden elements in a film you once thought so familiar.
OMG Micah Mae- you are so right. This blu ray stuff is incredible. I was seeing all the little stuff, the little textured beading along the edge of the Tin Man's gloves; the textures; things you could not even see on the big screen at a movie theatre. And Blu ray at 20 feet across was something else altogether.
ReplyDeletestrange-o coincidence, i'm working on a project right now and it's titled "the dark side of the rainbow." needless to say, my inspiration stems from both the Dark Side of the Moon and the Wizard of Oz. do you mind if i use a couple of those images??
ReplyDeletei love you're blog an have bookmarked it!
-dani d.
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ReplyDeleteHey dani-
ReplyDeleteSure, use anything you want, justy link back to the site if you don't mind. You are from Brooklyn--I know Park Slope pretty well. I have friends there.
John
I would commit felonies for that "Dark room is in use" sign.
ReplyDeleteCris
I used to repair 16mm films and occasionally would have to sacrifice one frame when splicing broken film back together. I remember being in awe of images from the Wizard of Oz when I fixed a copy of it. One frame I remember keeping was from the same scene you shot where the witch appears in Dorothy's window during the tornado. I love how that scene was shot.
ReplyDelete