LittleFilm.org About Us: Brodsky & Treadway

The "we" behind LittleFilm.org is Bob Brodsky and Toni Treadway. We first met in late 1974 and have worked together since 1976 as Brodsky & Treadway. We made films and then started technical services for 8mm film. We have roots as filmmakers and writers but may be better known as technicians and advocates for 8mm filmmaking, both for family and artist made films.

If you are interested in a list of all the books and articles we have written since 1978, here's our publications.
To get a idea of what we have been doing on the road to "spread the word" here's a list of most of our workshops and other gigs, worldwide.

We received some wonderful film festival honors (and a few funny looking handmade treasures that we kept) for our 1980 film "John Lindquist Photographer of the Dance." "Lindquist" is the film that led us on the path of technical services for the film needed a good transfer to be considered by Public Television. Our major recognition for teamwork came as an award for quality technical services and our actions as advocates. We received an INDY in 1988, from AIVF, the trade group in New York, the Association of Independent Film and Video. AIVF's Eastman Kodak Award for Excellence reads "for setting internationally recognized standards for work in Super 8 film." This award was voted on by many filmmakers we had worked with in our first decade, so we really enjoy looking at our bookends.

Ancient History: Bob Brodsky first made movies in 1944 with a Risden 16mm camera and war surplus film from gunsight cameras. A McCarthy-era detour lead him to another career but he got to New England and then by 1967 back to his first love photography and filmmaking as an independent producer. Making 16mm films and slide shows for many uses in a New England mill city, he embraced Fuji's Single 8mm, then Kodak's Super 8mm film as an accessible moving image tool for community films.

Aha!Toni Treadway joined Bob in film work and in 1976, we made 4 documentaries on the Bicentennial, one in 16mm, 3 in Super 8. This lead Toni to the "aha!" moment, saying, "this little film is important; it gives people the tools to record their lives. I think we ought to concentrate in helping make it work for people." We spent a lot of time in those years writing articles, and coaching all kinds of people on the phone about filmmaking. It may be hard to remember that this was the era before camcorders.

THE STUDIO
We launched Brodsky and Treadway, our film-to-tape transfer studio in 1980 because we were dissatisfied with the state of available transfer services we tried in 1979 all over the US and Canada for our Lindquist film. At that time, industry attitudes towards Super 8 film was prejudiced and meant small gauge film work was not taken seriously. Thankfully, after years of singing the merits of 8mm film, we find attitudes have changed and almost everybody considers 8mm and Super 8 an interesting gauge.

Writing and teaching
We wrote a monthly column "Superserious 8" in Filmmakers magazine from 1978 to 1980. From 1980 to 1991, we managed to write monthly articles for AIVF's The Independent for ten years. We criss-crossed the country giving workshops on small grants from the National Endowment for the Arts as advocates and trainers in Super 8 film. This activity came at a time when 8mm, Super 8 and film itself were perceived as dead media because of the onslaught of home video and camcorders. We succeeded in bringing 10 Super 8 filmmakers from overseas to tour the state with help from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Artists filmmaker Poli Marichal got a commission from the state arts council too and we toured again. 1988, quite a year.

THE BOOK
In 1983, we wrote a Super 8 filmmaking book of simple systems called "Super 8 in the Video Age." In it we answered frequently asked questions and addressed appropriate uses of Super 8. At present the book is excerpted in the website but we let it go out-of-print as much of the equipment mentioned in it was no longer available. It will reappear in a revised version in cyberspace.

THE IC8 a.k.a. LittleFilm.org
In 1983 when our studio was full of work we founded the non-profit organization "IC8" to do extra advocacy work and presentations when we could. The International Center for 8mm Film, Inc. [a.k.a. IC8 or LittleFilm.org] gave many workshops, sponsored articles and published the newsletter "B&T's Little Film Notebook" for 22 issues in paper form. Now on-line, and updated more often, the newsletter come to its peripatetic community in the form of a website www. LittleFilm.org.

THE GOOD NEWS
Today, we see 8mm and Super 8 film being appreciated, studied, disseminated in interesting ways. The mediamaking scene more independent, open, tolerant and lively than ever. More artists, producers, archives and families have gotten the message about preserving the images and artworks on 8mm film. More film archives, librarians, researchers, producers and historians have begun to take Little Film seriously.

Please visit the rest of our website for more information and FAQ about filmmaking and preservation of 8mm and Super 8 films: LittleFilm.org

Brodsky & Treadway The founders of LittleFilm.org, Bob Brodsky and Toni Treadway, have worked together for 25 years as filmmakers, technicians and advocates for 8mm film. We keep a roof over our heads through Bob Brodsky's unique technical skills. Please go to the Brodsky and Treadway home page for info about our transfer studio, click here. Quick details on our transfer work? Only camera original reversal film, only 8mm, Super 8mm and 16mm, only scene by scene with wet gate. Your original film is irreplaceable so for peace of mind, please call before shipping work.
Brodsky & Treadway, 69 Warehouse, Rowley, Massachusetts, 01969 USA Telephone: 978.948.7985, hours: 9-6 EST.

This information is a public service of LittleFilm.org
Copyright © 1978- 2015, Antoinette Treadway. All rights reserved.
Toni Treadway, webmaster and Bob Brodsky, founders, in 1983,
of The International Center for 8mm Film, Inc.
Write us at LittleFilm.org, P.O. Box 335 Rowley, MA 01969 USA

Please note, if you must ask us a technical question, we ask you read the entire website first as many topics are covered here. Please telephone 978.948.7985 between the hours of 9-6 EST and leave your name, number, question, time zone and best time to reach you. Alternately, please email us that information. Please use the standard form of this address: Treadway [at] LittleFilm [dot] ORG. (This address is not written as a link in an attempt to slow down junk mail. Simply rewrite it the normal way for email.) Your patience is requested. Thank you.