The Anti-Digital Movement?
Film and Typewriters. No, not “anti” anything. Yes, I shoot film. I also type “important” things on an old Smith-Corona manual typewriter. No, I’m not 90 years old, and do employ digital devices, (iPhones, iPads, computers, DSLR, etc.), all the time. However, if it’s of any consequence to my life, or someone else’s life, I almost naturally fade to things I can feel, smell,…and sometimes even taste. Even a pre-AI Nikon F Photomic, (as shown above), is preferred to my D3. I’m not comfortable with “bits and bytes”. Now, I thought that was just me. Or what the hardcore futurists refer to as a “hipster”. Then I saw the movie “California Typewriter”, and realized it’s not just me,…or a small group of ‘old farts’ circling the wagons in the face of a “digital onslaught”. Or even limited to the analog photography community.
The Human Experience
So, what does a typewriter have to do with people who shoot film? On the surface,…nothing. But then I saw the movie, and John Mayer, (the musician), said something that made it all click. And while I won’t go into his eloquent soliloquy here, (or Sam Shepard’s, etc.), it was in fact exactly what I, (and other analog photographers), try to convey to the questioning masses on an almost daily basis. We are not trying to get anyone to throw in the digital towel, or see the world through our eyes. Not when it comes to film,…or screenplays or novels or physical thank you notes,….or vinyl records, wooden boats, handmade brass espresso machines, or very old Patek Phillipe watches. It’s just a highly personal symbiotic relationship we choose to nourish.
Director Doug Nichol found the small Berkeley shop, California Typewriter, when he was looking for a place to fix his broken typewriter. After meeting the family, Nichol decided to shoot a short film that turned into a documentary over a five-year period that features other prominent members of the typewriter community. (who knew?) “There’s also a lot of Bay Area writers and typewriter collectors and people who enjoy writing on typewriters,” Nichol said. “The shop serves as kind of the lifeblood to all these people who own typewriters.”
I’m not going to take it…
Upon the film’s release, people from different parts of the country, and the world, made a “pilgrimage” to the shop when visiting San Francisco. I guess it became an excuse for the great society of Luddites, (other people’s term,…not mine), to come out of the woodwork. Kind of like a mass exodus and public statement,….“I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore”, as declared by the longtime news anchor Howard Beale in the 1975 film classic “Network”.
Alright, maybe not that overly melodramatic. But, you get the idea.
“Working here, the world comes to me,” said longtime employee Ken Alexander. “I’ve met people from all over the planet that come through this store over the past 20 years and they’ve been very fascinating people to talk to.” According to Alexander, typewriters are important for creators because they help them “think” while also providing more privacy. (every thought will always be on a physical piece of paper, and allow a creator to stew in his own thoughts through the editing process,….not on some cloud in bits and bytes blanketing the earth)
Is the Struggle Worth It?
“CALIFORNIA TYPEWRITER” is a documentary portrait of artists, writers, and collectors who remain steadfastly loyal to the typewriter as a tool and muse, featuring Tom Hanks, John Mayer, David McCullough, Sam Shepard, and others. At the moment, (Mar. 14, 2020), it is free to watch on a few channels, including Roku, Netflix, VUDU, Tubi, etc. But available to rent on most streaming channels. (Google Play, Redbox, etc.)
It also movingly documents the struggles of California Typewriter, one of the last standing repair shops in America dedicated to keeping the aging machines clicking. In the process, the film delivers a thought-provoking meditation on the changing dynamic between humans and machines, and encourages us to consider our own relationship with technology, old and new, as the digital age’s emphasis on speed and convenience redefines who’s serving whom, human or machine? This is not meant to admonish anyone who thinks differently! So drink a glass of wine, smoke a doobie,….or whatever,…and chill. 😁
As quoted by Variety editorial writer, Owen Gleiberman,…’California Typewriter’ is “An ingenious meditation on what the digital era is doing to us…” Couldn’t have said it better myself. Now, let me get back to the ‘agitate and invert’ portion of my Tri-X development. 😳