A DIY Come-On: A History of Optical Printing in Avant-Garde Cinema

Abstract:This article provides a history of low-budget optical printing in avant-garde cinema. Drawing on archival research to trace its path from its innovation in do-it-yourself amateur filmmaking circles to its diffusion in filmmaking cooperatives and universities, the article argues that optical printing represents an instance of a semiprofessional network of advanced amateurs, hobbyists, and artists repurposing a commercial technology for their own ends. In addition to shifting the avant-garde's investment in perceptual transformation from in-camera effects to post hoc manipulation of footage, optical printing became a cultural resource that avant-garde filmmakers could use to reimagine their relationship with their materials and mobilize in relation to their practice.