Casey Shaw
Casey Shaw is an experimental filmmaker with a distinct visual style who often works with other filmmakers to navigate the landscape of shooting on analog film for the first time. The Negative Space has been proud to provide scanning services for many of Casey’s projects!
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EMAIL film@shawscope.com
Taken by Edward Buckles Jr. ig @e.buckles
INSPIRATION
What’s your earliest memory watching or experiencing a film?
Although I don't remember it, my parents took me to see "Sleepless in Seattle" in theaters as a baby. It was released two weeks after I was born. I watched this film for the first time during the lockdown and was amazed at Sven Nykvist's brilliant cinematography, especially when Meg Ryan is listening in on Tom Hanks' son in her kitchen closet. I can only hope some of Sven's magic rubbed off on me as an infant.
Tell us about one of your favorite artists, filmmakers, or authors from whom you draw inspiration
This is often a moving target for me. The more I learn about art, I am continually amazed. I love work by the surrealist Roberto Matta, director Tony Scott, and animator Genndy Tartakovsky (Samurai Jack), and I'm just discovering artists like Joan Miró and Giovanni Piranesi. Many of my friends are artists as well, so this by no means is an exclusive list, but the work of Edward Buckles Jr. (director, Katrina Babies @e.buckles), Jesus Cyph (artist, @jesuscyph), and Levi Porter (cinematographer @yealevi), is inspiring to me on a personal level.
WHY FILM?
Taken by Edward Buckles Jr. ig @e.buckles
So why analog?
Of the movies I admire, the vast majority are shot on film. I love the way to work on set, and the way that my crew and I can communicate when seeing a finished image immediately is not the highest priority. It creates a different hierarchy of needs and efficiency that I rarely find in digital productions. This became an option for me at first due to two people helping me 1. find a camera (Kyle O'Neil) and 2. connect me with a lab (Kathy Mazza). I am grateful for both of them deeply. Now, my company's focus is to connect rising filmmakers in New Orleans to cameras and labs.
How did you become interested in shooting analog?
From the beginning, my intention with photography was to learn how to film a movie. The film 'Children of Men' was a driving force in my initial choice to purchase a DSLR with tips I had earned from working in bars in New Orleans as a student. My career progressed by working as a camera assistant, and eventually, I saved enough to purchase a mirrorless camera. At this same time, another New Orleans filmmaker hung up his hat and offered for me to purchase an Arriflex 35-3 for about the same price as the Sony model of that time. Looking at it empirically, the Arriflex had been used on dozens of films I admired, and the Sony had been used on none (at that time). I took a chance on the Arriflex, and have clung to the medium ever since.
PROJECTS
Describe one of your shots or setups that you’re most proud of and how it came together
When I was 20, I went on a trip to visit my friend who was studying abroad in Argentina. I purchased 100 rolls of Fuji Superia stills film (then only around $200) and took a Mamiya rangefinder and my dad's old Nikon to 'become a photographer'. I said that if I got one photograph I was proud of, I'd be happy. I would shoot about 40 rolls. When I returned to the states and get them processed, only about 8 photographs were exposed in total, none particularly good. Both of the cameras I had taken were broken, and I did not meet my goal of that single photograph. Since then, I have gotten thousands of photographs on film I am proud of, but the most excited I get is when I'm able to teach someone new a camera or photographic technique. Seeing them learn from my mistakes, go out and shoot, and get great results far faster than I did is a remarkable thing. Not everyone has to learn by trial and error if that person shares their process with a newcomer, and how fun it is to watch another artist succeed in ways that I couldn't.
Tell us about an upcoming project and/or plug your own work or services
In January of 2023, I plan to direct an experimental sports project using 100% expired film, much of which is from the 1970s and 1980s. Levi Porter, my cinematographer, and I have frequently shot with aged film and are now putting that to the test by shooting around 7-8000' of 10 different 16mm film stocks on a 12-day shoot in upstate New York. Temperatures at times can reach -5F and shooting on film saves us from having to deal with the power and sensor issues digital cameras can have at colder temps, as well as having a strong story purpose. The Negative Space has adjusted its scanner to specifically account for the higher exposure values needed to cut through the lifted base fog of expired film. I am very excited about the risk we are taking by choosing this medium and feel fully supported on the lab side by Nicki and her team.
If you are a filmmaker located in New Orleans (or Louisiana) and are interested in shooting on film, please send me an email at film@shawscope.com.