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It’s always the best idea to try something new. New experiences open us up and make us change our minds about how we think about things. That’s why the film renaissance has really solidified in the past year. But rather than using the same old film over and over again, it’s great to try something new. So I bought some Brooklyn Instant Film Initiative Confetti Film. Here in the USA, things are finally starting to look up after a super difficult time. At least here in New York, we’ve got the virus much more under control. That’s why I think that Confetti Film by the Brooklyn Instant Film Initiative is the perfect film to get your hands on right now.
Essentials is a series featuring products we’re currently lusting over in quick, easy-to-digest posts.
The Brooklyn Instant Film Initiative is located in Brooklyn, NY. When they first launched a few years ago, they used to literally drop film off to you where ever you lived. It was awesome, and I’d like to think my old apartment in Williamsburg was one of their first-ever drop-offs. There’s so much to adore about this company. They’re Black-owned and operated. More specifically, they’re black-woman-owned. Being a POC myself and all the work that I’ve spearheaded to champion women and POCs here at Phoblographer, that’s works for me. And if that’s not enough for you, they’re doing something pretty unique.
Confetti film isn’t anything specifically new per se, but it’s a new take on something old. It’s specifically an ISO 400 35mm film that costs around $15 a roll. This film has been pre-exposed with confetti all over the images. When you run it through the camera, that confetti will appear all over your photos. Now let’s get this straight here, you’re not going to be shooting with Kodak Portra 400. No, this is probably Kodak Gold or Fujifilm Superia 400. The problem is that I couldn’t totally figure it out without undoing the outside wrapper. Nor could I tell by the 24 images I was getting per roll. In fact, you have to expose Confetti film at box speed. If you underexpose, it intensifies the confetti effect. If you overexpose it, you’ll lose the confetti effect a bit.
Then you need to develop it. For those of you looking for a film developer in North Queens, I’m in love with 37th Ave Photo Studio. It’s run by an old-school elder gentleman that does an incredible job with both developing and scans. If you like Luster Photo in the East Village, you’ll love this spot.
Confetti film is enjoyable. During my time with it, I shot anything and everything. There were celebrations of Biden being elected, random things, times with friends, and food exploration journies. And here’s where I found Confetti film to be best:
- Literal parties
- Anything in low light with neons
- Celebrations of any kind
Of course, I was only figuring this out as I was shooting with it. And thankfully, I’ve got another roll in my fridge for the next party I go to. Otherwise, it’s a well-done effect that just doesn’t make sense all across the board. At least, that’s how I feel. I’ve been doing some work on myself to deep dive into my own emotions and feelings. With that said, I’ll fully admit that it might not matter to me now. But in the future, these images probably will have a different effect on me. They’ll show a celebratory time and transport me to a trauma that I survived. And hopefully, all my friends would have survived it too.
Of course, I strongly recommend following local pandemic regulations, get vaccinated, and be safe, not stupid. When the world opens back up around you, make sure your film camera is loaded up with some of this stuff.
Brooklyn Instant Film Initiative is selling this film for a bit under $15 a roll. Go grab some.
