Jason KingST. TULA - Our Lady of Cinema - The Patron Saint of Film
July 8th 2008 09:39
Further to my Mamma Mia review and my discovery of St Tula following is the article in regards to St Tula: Our Lady of Cinema - The Patron Saint of Film.
For many years very little was known of St. Tula. Some said that she was merely a figment of the imagination of Adolfas Mekas. Others seemed to confuse her with Maya Deren, thinking that the famous image of Maya Deren looking out of a window was a picture of St. Tula. However, the true and accepted image of St. Tula is the one discovered by Adolfas Mekas in Porto Stefano, Italy. Still others insist that Maya Deren was one of many incarnations of the Patron Saint of Film. The impending canonization of Maya Deren may soon clear up this matter. In the meantime, thanks to the efforts of Lulubelle Shelley that we are now able to arrive at an appreciation of St. Tula the film theorist.
The writings of St. Tula were thought to have been forever lost, being that they were among the collection of documents kept by Pope Joan at the time of her disappearance from history. It has turned out that through a simply marvelous method of detection Ms. Shelley was able to recover these writings.
The “Miracle of the Edge Code” has some thinking that the Vatican may soon accept St. Tula as an official Saint. It would seem that, although several centuries dead, Tula of Verona has been able to reach beyond time and leave her mark upon filmstock by making technicians at Eastman Kodak subconsciously choose letters from her writings as the emulsion batch codes on their products. With a little research, Lulubelle Shelley was able to recover St. Tula’s writings through the transcription of these edge code letters.
This present volume marks the first publication of The Sayings of St. Tula. As film continues to be produced, it is hoped that more of her work will soon come to light.
— Joel Schlemowitz
New York, 1998
Here are some of her quotes:
Excerpts from “The Sayings of St. Tula”
Book I - proverbs and parables
“Film loves light.”
“Love the Scratch. Love the Grain. Love the Lightleak too. They are the lines, the freckles and the suntan upon the face of cinema.”
“The Old Testament of the American Cinematographers Manual told you that ‘To err in focus was a sin.’ But I say unto you, ‘Love the circle of confusion as you would the point of light in focus.’ The out-of-focus image is as true to the perception of the camera as the in-focus. Love it for what it sees that is beyond your own eye’s expectation.”
“Love the under-exposed and the over-exposed. They let you see beyond the expected.”
“Say not that ‘The film did not come out.’ Film always comes out. Sometimes not the way you had expected.”
“The Motion Picture loves Motion, but it loves Time still more.”
“Worry not how thou will afford thy Film. For St. Tula shall see that thou shalt. But have patience beyond what is humanly possible, and keep the faith through long trials of hardship and inaction, for Her waiting list is very, very long.”
“St. Tula proclaims ‘There are no degrees of initiation into the worship of the Spirit of the Silver Halide. Beware thou those who would have thee think it so. For the only initiation I ask of thee is to press the button. Thou art then inducted into the Mysteries of the Spirit of the Silver Halide. Thou art then to receive my blessings. Thinkest thou not that you need go any farther to receive further blessings. Thinkest thou not that there are further Mysteries to be revealed with initiation into the levels of Sync Sound or the rental of grip trucks, for this is not so. For the Spirit of the Silver Halide is present in all Film.’”
“Count thy sprocket holes as thou would the beads of a rosary.”
“Dream twenty-four dreams per second.”
“Let the Silver Halide be the Body and Light be the Blood. Film thine Film as thou would take the Communion of the Filmic Image.”
“If thy shot offend thee, cut it out.”
“St. Tula saith ‘Cast aside those Tables and Charts of the Old Law.’ [i.e. The American Cinematographers Manual—L.S.] ‘Lay your hands upon your Camera and let St. Tula guide your settings of Aperture, Focus, Frame Rate. St. Tula shall guide you in the use of Variable Shutter, Time Exposure, and Single Frame Exposures. Look not through the Viewfinder, but let your Camera’s Eye be guided by the Saint of Cinema’s Holy Visions. She shall guide your pushing of the button and shall bless your Film with the epiphany of a Cinematic Vision.’”
“The power of the Spirit of the Silver Halide is there only for those who wilt wish to see it.”
“If thou hast no Camera, paint thee thine Film upon Clear Leader, for St. Tula Blesses the Image thus born of an Immaculate Conception.”
“Blame not broken Equipment. Your vision may be too small to see what the broken Camera sees.”
“St. Tula loves your Film. Even if no one else does.”
“Film without Fear.”
“As you would not forget your Saint, forget not her followers. Give them your Shortends so that the Worship may be increased.”
“When you follow St. Tula you take a Vow of Poverty, whether you know it or not.”
I bow to thee St Tula!!
For many years very little was known of St. Tula. Some said that she was merely a figment of the imagination of Adolfas Mekas. Others seemed to confuse her with Maya Deren, thinking that the famous image of Maya Deren looking out of a window was a picture of St. Tula. However, the true and accepted image of St. Tula is the one discovered by Adolfas Mekas in Porto Stefano, Italy. Still others insist that Maya Deren was one of many incarnations of the Patron Saint of Film. The impending canonization of Maya Deren may soon clear up this matter. In the meantime, thanks to the efforts of Lulubelle Shelley that we are now able to arrive at an appreciation of St. Tula the film theorist.
The writings of St. Tula were thought to have been forever lost, being that they were among the collection of documents kept by Pope Joan at the time of her disappearance from history. It has turned out that through a simply marvelous method of detection Ms. Shelley was able to recover these writings.
The “Miracle of the Edge Code” has some thinking that the Vatican may soon accept St. Tula as an official Saint. It would seem that, although several centuries dead, Tula of Verona has been able to reach beyond time and leave her mark upon filmstock by making technicians at Eastman Kodak subconsciously choose letters from her writings as the emulsion batch codes on their products. With a little research, Lulubelle Shelley was able to recover St. Tula’s writings through the transcription of these edge code letters.
This present volume marks the first publication of The Sayings of St. Tula. As film continues to be produced, it is hoped that more of her work will soon come to light.
— Joel Schlemowitz
New York, 1998
Here are some of her quotes:
Excerpts from “The Sayings of St. Tula”
Book I - proverbs and parables
“Film loves light.”
“Love the Scratch. Love the Grain. Love the Lightleak too. They are the lines, the freckles and the suntan upon the face of cinema.”
“The Old Testament of the American Cinematographers Manual told you that ‘To err in focus was a sin.’ But I say unto you, ‘Love the circle of confusion as you would the point of light in focus.’ The out-of-focus image is as true to the perception of the camera as the in-focus. Love it for what it sees that is beyond your own eye’s expectation.”
“Love the under-exposed and the over-exposed. They let you see beyond the expected.”
“Say not that ‘The film did not come out.’ Film always comes out. Sometimes not the way you had expected.”
“The Motion Picture loves Motion, but it loves Time still more.”
“Worry not how thou will afford thy Film. For St. Tula shall see that thou shalt. But have patience beyond what is humanly possible, and keep the faith through long trials of hardship and inaction, for Her waiting list is very, very long.”
“St. Tula proclaims ‘There are no degrees of initiation into the worship of the Spirit of the Silver Halide. Beware thou those who would have thee think it so. For the only initiation I ask of thee is to press the button. Thou art then inducted into the Mysteries of the Spirit of the Silver Halide. Thou art then to receive my blessings. Thinkest thou not that you need go any farther to receive further blessings. Thinkest thou not that there are further Mysteries to be revealed with initiation into the levels of Sync Sound or the rental of grip trucks, for this is not so. For the Spirit of the Silver Halide is present in all Film.’”
“Count thy sprocket holes as thou would the beads of a rosary.”
“Dream twenty-four dreams per second.”
“Let the Silver Halide be the Body and Light be the Blood. Film thine Film as thou would take the Communion of the Filmic Image.”
“If thy shot offend thee, cut it out.”
“St. Tula saith ‘Cast aside those Tables and Charts of the Old Law.’ [i.e. The American Cinematographers Manual—L.S.] ‘Lay your hands upon your Camera and let St. Tula guide your settings of Aperture, Focus, Frame Rate. St. Tula shall guide you in the use of Variable Shutter, Time Exposure, and Single Frame Exposures. Look not through the Viewfinder, but let your Camera’s Eye be guided by the Saint of Cinema’s Holy Visions. She shall guide your pushing of the button and shall bless your Film with the epiphany of a Cinematic Vision.’”
“The power of the Spirit of the Silver Halide is there only for those who wilt wish to see it.”
“If thou hast no Camera, paint thee thine Film upon Clear Leader, for St. Tula Blesses the Image thus born of an Immaculate Conception.”
“Blame not broken Equipment. Your vision may be too small to see what the broken Camera sees.”
“St. Tula loves your Film. Even if no one else does.”
“Film without Fear.”
“As you would not forget your Saint, forget not her followers. Give them your Shortends so that the Worship may be increased.”
“When you follow St. Tula you take a Vow of Poverty, whether you know it or not.”
I bow to thee St Tula!!
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Comment by Rix
Comment by Jason King
Salty Popcorn
I was really excited though thinking someone was going to comment on Tula.