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Lab Man

A short docu-portrait about Arturo Arnold, a master of emulsion who processes all of the 8mm and 16mm motion picture film for a busy film lab in North Hollywood, CA.

  • Neil Butler
    Director
    Herzog & Morris, Lewis & Klarq
  • Neil Butler
    Producer
  • Arturo Arnold
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    4 minutes 10 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 15, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    2,500 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Shooting Format:
    16mm
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.33
  • Film Color:
    Black & White
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Neil Butler

Neil Butler is a filmmaker, writer, and educator. His short film "Herzog & Morris" premiered at BendFilm in Oregon and won the Audience Award for Best Short at the Tallahassee Film Festival in Florida and runner up in the Best of PsychoFest program at WIFF in Wisconsin. He also co-directed the short film "My Psychedelic Summer" and the musical feature "Lewis & Klarq."

Most recently, Neil edited the documentary "Betye Saar: Drifting Toward Twilight," a commission from The Huntington Art Museum about the legendary assemblage artist. Directed by Kyle Provencio Reingold, the film is currently running alongside Ms. Saar's new exhibition at the museum and was also selected to screen at UrbanWorld in New York and the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in California.

Neil currently serves as Production Manager for Ghetto Film School in Los Angeles, a non-profit arts organization with the mission to educate, develop and celebrate the next generation of great storytellers.

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Director Statement

I've always been fascinated with the art and science of motion picture photography. Back in film school in the 90's, our first productions were all shot with hand-cranked Bolex cameras. Even when we graduated to synch sound Arri's and transitioned to editing on Avid, we still graded our thesis films in an analog theater with those rudimentary red, blue and yellow wheels as our only tools for adjusting color.

Obviously the digital video revolution of the new millennium brought professional imaging within reach of most anyone with a little hustle and a story to tell. My own filmmaking discipline flourished once I got my hands on a DSLR and a couple of decent lenses. But I was surprisingly delighted when I returned to film school a few years ago, this time as a teacher, only to be hired to lead a 16mm production class shooting once again with those charming Bolex cameras. I've since had the pleasure of watching many a Gen Z digital native embrace the challenge of crafting hand-tooled images awash in chemical anomalies and grainy textures.

While I'm certainly no celluloid purist, I deeply appreciate the focussed intention required by this legacy technology and I've grown immensely as a filmmaker from a rededication to the craft. Along the way, I've gotten to know Arturo Arnold, the resident lab man at Spectra Film & Video in North Hollywood. Whenever I stop by Spectra, I'm compelled to step behind the counter and check out what Art is cooking up in the back. I see Lab Man as one part instructional film lesson and one part character study of a man whose passionate efforts are keeping this tradition alive for those who still value its many virtues.