a/v geeks

as a kid growing up in public schools film was an integral part of my learning experience. in fact for many of us when that 16mm projector rolled into the classroom there was suddenly a great sense of joy. a break from the "desk" learning and a chance to just sit and watch. sometimes these films were vacuous and dead and offered nothing more than a chance to lay our heads down and go to sleep for a while. but occasionally one of these films would reach beyond the walls of our institution and take us on a special journey. they might tell an ancient folktale or take us into the human body with an animated cartoon character as our guide. we might climb a mountain or cheer for a boy trying to protect a balloon.
for a time there was a group in the bay area dedicated to showcasing many of these old academic films. they leased space in the basement and former speakeasy of a downtown hotel in san jose and ran twin bell and howell 16mm projectors for anybody who wanted to show up. i guess people stopped showing up because they stopped doing it. but as i perused the internet recently i was pleased to discover that they along with a number of other organizations have archived many of these old films for any of us kids who don't want to lay our heads down on the desk and take a nap. they are a treasure trove to all of the a/v geeks like me who never get tired of loading the projector in hope that the next film may just be one of those magical journeys. so if you'd like a hall pass to roam freely and head over to the a/v room, simply click this link. (the browse by keyword is probably the best way to navigate) enjoy!