You don’t need a lot of money or the latest technology to make a good film. All you need are some chemicals, a light proof room (or one you can make light proof) and some patience.

Tools you’ll need:

3 plastic tubs at least 10 cm deep and about 40 x 30 cm to contain the chemicals, water and film during processing.

1 plastic funnel for mixing chemical (and only mixing chemicals!)

1 plastic pail for mixing chemicals

1 long plastic or wooden spoon for stirring chemicals

1 photographic safe light (optional)

3 or more plastic jugs for storing chemicals

Timer or clock

Rubber gloves

Dry line and clothespins so that you can hang your film to dry.

Chemicals you’ll need (these can be ordered online through Kodak; http://kodak.ca or through the Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto; http://lift.ca)

Developer:  D19

Fixer

Getting started:

Make sure the room you are using is light tight and well ventilated.

Put on your gloves. This is extremely important as these chemicals are volatile and can cause bad burns if they come into contact with skin.

Mix all your chemicals ahead of time so that they can cool to room temperature before you begin processing. When mixing chemicals, make sure you are using room temperature water. Set them up in your bathtub in an order that works best for you.

Ensure that you leave a bit of space between each chemical so that they don’t splash into one another.

Determine your development time using the stock information sheets for the type of film you used.

Set up your darkroom space and get a sense of where things are.

Make sure the lights are off, and take the film you will develop and pull out roughly a 30-foot strip. Put the remainder back into a light tight can.

Put the mass of film into the developer immediately. Gently work with the film in the developer – separating it and submerging it for two to three minutes, or however long the developer time is on your stock information sheet.

Lift out the film and place it in the water. Again, gently move and separate the film for one to three minutes.

After the wash, move your film directly into the fixer. The fixer clears the film and gets rid of its chemical by-products. Wash the film for about five minutes.

Once you are finished, turn the light on and separate your film and hang it to dry with the line and clothespins. As the film dries, go back and develop another 30 feet. Once it is dry, you can go and project it or reprint it. For a neat technique, try solarizing.

To solarize your film, mid-way through the development cycle flick your bathroom lights on and off several times, or use quick bursts from a flashlight. This causes a partial reversal of the tones in the negative and gives a stunning effect.

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