My friend and fellow artist Milford Earl Thomas invited me to the set of his short film Miss Dockery to shoot some pinhole and TTV photos.
He’s currently creating a fictionalized 1930 Vitaphone-style short film, shot on an antique 35mm HAND-CRANK MOTION PICTURE CAMERA to inaugurate an ongoing project dramatizing Southern Eccentric Octavia Dockery (1865-1949). As a photographer and lover of all things old and analog… i was really fascinated by the vintage hand crank camera. Even more fascinating is Octavia’s story:
[quote]Octavia Dockery was born into a privileged Southern family in 1865 as the daughter of a Confederate Brigadier General. President Grant escorted the teenage Dockery to her debutante ball, and the unorthodox and quick-witted intellect began a promising writing career with the New York World newspaper in the late 1880s. But a procession of unfortunate events forced her into bleak destitution the latter half of her life as she cared for a deranged friend in a crumbling Natchez, Mississippi mansion populated with chickens, geese, and a sizable herd of goats. These dire circumstances led to her entanglement in a murder case that made international headlines (including Newsweek and Life magazines) in the early 1930s. The sudden exposure by the world’s media cast a glaring spotlight on the bewildered Faulkner-esque Mississippi duo. After acquittal of the crime, the ever-resourceful Octavia parlayed her newfound celebrity into a more comfortable life for her and her companion. Dubbed “Mistress of the Goat Castle” by the world’s journalists, Miss Dockery finally gained the audience she deserved, however unexpected.[/quote]Read more about Milt’s project on his Kickstarter page.
Milt is a prolific artist and a filmmaker, probably best know for his silent film Claire which toured international festivals with a live orchestra.
Miss Dockery, pinhole photo shot with Altoids tin camera.
Set of Miss Dockery, pinhole photo shot with Altoids tin camera
Hand-Crank Camera in Action, pinhole photo shot with Altoids tin camera
TTV photo shot through the viewfinder of a vintage Argus twin lens reflex
TTV photo shot through the viewfinder of a vintage Argus twin lens reflex
The crew
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