H E L L O.H E L L O A G A I N .

This Film is Free is about learning from your peers.

It’s about what it takes for you to solve problems. It’s about what your creative process is and is not. It’s about the fascinating selection of non-linear steps resulting in both personally intuitive decisions and logical relationships. The project you are now a part of exists to give you knowledge and give other creative individuals the opportunity to learn from your work.

O N E

K EEP A LOG OF E VERY THING YOU THINK OF

If you write down all the bits of ideas, then you have more to combine when someone else has a good idea.

THIS FILM IS FREE was first sketched out on a

napkin by photographer Erik Simkins on a normal

rainy Northwest morning. Partnering with designer

and friend Jonathan McConnell, the two have set

out to help other creative people learn from the

best. The best includes you, your colleagues, your

friends, the people you watch on the blogs, and

anyone you happen to find inspiration from.

We've set up a system where you will receive a

set of variables, a roll of 35mm film for use in an

analog camera, and a notebook to document your

creative process in.

All we ask is that you chronicle the way you

approach the problem and your own creative

process. After you are finished, we will upload the

images and your documentation to our website;

allowing you to view the “how” and “why” of your

work in comparison to other creative people from

around the world and gain from that experience.

T W O

KNOW WHEN TO LE T IDE AS DIE & WHEN TO NE VER STOP

You don’t have to have a point,to have a point.

Not having a direction is difficult when working on

a creative project. Not having a direction on a

self-authored project is worse. But if you believe in

what you’re creating, that it will help someone

learn or grow, then it’s worth it. So long as you

stand by it, you will be successful in what you are

trying to accomplish.

What is THIS FILM IS FREE?

It’s a system where you learn from other people.

It’s a way to share your creative story with

someone else. It’s through this process and

comparison of work that has a common root that

will provide knowledge to learn from. This is not a

school assignment, this is putting yourself out

there and having a dialogue about what it is we do

with other people in the same position.

The goal is to create a constantly growing

documentation of the creative process - a research

project that is not a bound book or case study,

a social experiment to document the way we look

at the world.

TFIF

T H R E E

ACCEPT THE FAC T o f NOT LE AV ING YOUR STUDIO BEFORE 2AM, E VERYDAY

Yeah. Those are real statistics.

Part of making your ideas happen, is just putting

in the time until it happens.

And when you decide to make a project real, you’ll

realize what you’ve gotten yourself into. So long as

you still stand by your work, jumping into a large

pool of PHP and trying to swim will seem fun.

Initial invitation to participateCustom package and label

The end result of the project being that participantswill gain more critical & creative thinking skills and approach problems in an honest, more cohesive manner

Website and InterfaceScanned, tagged, bagged,catalogued, documented, color corrected, interviewed,content is the king

Name specific invitationExplanation and instructions

(decline to participate)

Acceptance to participate

Actual package sent to participant

Sealed Notebookand film in box

Theme & Constraint cardsactual film

Shoot 24 frames based on topic and condition

Upload to Flickr

Brought in to TFiF Web Interface

Possible friend on board and get another participant

Document the creative process in some fashion

Eventually the website will drivemore participants to join.Thus the process will sustain itself.

FRIENDS

PRODUC T IV IT Y

F I V E

GO B IG o r GO HOME & DON’T LOOK BACK

Go to the extreme example.Whether it’s successful or not,you will either enjoy what you’vemade or hold a large notebook of what you’ve learned.

This is the flow chart of the user experience from

initial printed packaging to the web interface, and

the representative final results.

As successful and simple as this sounds, it is yet

to be implemented. If you would like to participate

or talk about it, feel free to drop me a note.

F O U R

BAL ANCE YOUR L IFE BY AC TUALLY PUT T ING YOURSELF IN YOUR WORK

Use your own experience, it’s the most honest source you have.

The project is about the creative process as

exemplified in the shooting of a roll of film.

Thought, pressure, composition, adrenaline,

tension, creation. Release. Repeat.

I used my own 35mm B&W prints to flesh out the

branding materials for the packaging and website.

This personal connection drove me to continue this

project with the goal of making it a real living web

community of creatives.