What’s a ‘Rayogram’?
The basic principle is very simple; an object of some sort is placed on the film, the film is then exposed to light and then developed. Areas of film exposed to light turn black with development. Where the object was on the film blocking the light, no silver develops and thus that area remains clear (or is white when projected). ‘Rayograming’ in its basic form thus leaves white silhouettes on black film.
That’s the photographic principle. Applied to motion picture film of course, we have to imagine these silhouettes being formed on very small 16mm film frames rather than on large sheets of photographic paper, and then we have to imagine these small images moving through the projector at 24fps. The challenge with a motion picture rayogram is to make something beautiful by working with these two factors.
What works well?
The 16mm film frame is 10.4 x 7.5 mm in size. When rayogramming onto 16mm in the dark room it is usual think in terms of a short length of 16mm being exposed at one time- say a foot – rather than each single frame. This is in part a practicality (there are 1440 individual frames in one minute of film – imagine how long it would take to expose each one by hand individually!) and in part the essence of the game – what works well when rayogrammed onto a continuous strip of film which is then cut-up into separate frames 24 time a second? When considering objects to rayogram in this way, obviously it makes sense to think small. It also makes sense to think in terms of something with recurring patterns. This is because any one ‘frame’ of film is only on the screen for one 24th of a second. That isn’t long. A recurring fine pattern will enable the rayogrammed image to stay on screen longer than just this one frame. Rayogramming something with a small recurring pattern will also help with working in development of the motif and the structuring of the film as a whole. Consider fabric, or glass, or things stuck on acetate, or film – objects with a bit of length to them are good. Naturally, this is just a suggestion to get you thinking. A superb rayogrammed 16mm film could well be made where every ‘frame’ is radically different from each other. You could even make a device to expose just a small amount of film at a time, like a torch with a cardboard tube stuck on the end of it which would only expose a section of film the size of the end of the tube. This would make it possible to make repeat exposure of a small object quite quickly. Another factor worth considering is the direction of the light you make the exposure with. For instance, consider a nail standing on its end on the film. With light from directly above, the silhouette on the film would be a circular dot at the head of the nail. Lit from a side, and the shadow of the nail will result in an angled silhouette like, like a sun-dial. With different directions of light, the changing shadow from the same object will result in different silhouettes.
Where might we go with this project?
Initially, rayogramming produces white silhouettes on black film. Make a print of this film and you get black silhouettes on white (well clear) film. A finished film could be a mix of both of these (or a print made from both ‘polarities’ of the same or different material). It would be possible to add colour by filing in white silhouettes with ink or dye. When rayogramming flat subjects, it is possible to lay more than one layer on the film at a time. This way, light will only reach the film where it misses both layers of objects. You could also repeatedly rayogram onto the same piece of film. This way, the white silhouette you created would be a ‘difference’ silhouette, like having just the overlapping section of two overlapping circles in a venn diagram. One could print several rayogrammed silhouettes onto the same piece of finished film, making a double rayogram where the rhythm or shapes of the two silhouettes interfere with each other. Rayogramming directly onto film also puts image into the optical sound track area of the film. Depending on the image, this can make interesting sounds that can be an integral part of the film. 
Widely spaced images make a simple ‘pop’ sound, whereas images with fine details make more of a hum, the closer together, the higher the pitch. Alternatively you could conceive of the film with a separate sound track played on disc or printed on the film. Rayogrammed films naturally tend to the abstract. However it is not inconceivable that a carefully conceived rayogrammed film could have a symbolic and poetic, or even a narrative component. Just what people produce and how far they go with it will be up to them. I would like to imagine that with a little planning we can achieve more than the usual rayogram workshop which typically ends with a single length of film of white silhouettes of a string of random objects not particularly well suited to watching at 24fps. I’d like to imagine that some people will want to take their idea to a fully realized and finished film!
How should we go about this?
A good way to cut to the chase would be to discuss your ideas about possible objects and techniques for rayogramming in advance. I think this means being generous with your ideas and letting us all know and all give feedback as to how well it might work. This way, it should be possible to get the most out of your initial rayogramming experiment. Initial rayogramming workshops will be held at nanolab in Daylesford. This will be in groups of 2 for two or three hours at a time. It may be that some of you will only take your experiment this far. However given the few materials needed to do rayogramming, it would be easy for some of you to do more work on your films at home. All you would need is a darkenable room (and night usually takes care of that!) a torch for exposure, and a torch with a red filter (like red cellophane) for a safe light. You could then rayogram at home, and post the film up to nanolab for development. Of course, you could also develop at home – either using a Lomo tank if you have one or can get access, or using a bucket (under a red safelight this is very easy – and working in short lengths it’s even easier). At each stage, nanolab is prepared to make a telecine of the film which would then be put on-line to share work-in-progress results. Printing or editing if desired would also be available at nano in Daylesford on a one-at-a-time basis.
So to begin, the thing to consider is just what might rayogram well onto 16mm film projected at 24 fps and what development possibilities this rayogrammed motif might offer. This may not all come together at once – playing with the tools and seeing some initial results is usually necessary to work it up into a film – but start thinking in this direction and let us know your thoughts!
The Rayogram Research Project is our workshop project for the next part of the year. If you want to get involved, email info@artistfilmworkshop.org Initial cost will be $25 which will include 100′ of 16mm film stock to rayogram onto. Further stock and printing will be available at additional cost.
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