Biography
Roger D. Wilson is an independent film artist based out of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Roger received a Degree in Film Production in 1993 from Confederation College in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Since receiving his degree Roger has lived and worked in Calgary, Winnipeg and Ottawa and has held a variety of positions in the film industry including cinematographer, lighting technician, lighting & grip co-ordinator at William F. White International Inc and Technical Director at The Independent Filmmakers Co-operative of Ottawa.
In 2004 Roger turned his focus towards his own creative side and started to create experimental films. His process is based on the need to be consistently exploring the world of experimental filmmaking. He creates his films using techniques such as pixilation, time-lapse photography, hand processing and cameraless animation processes. He also creates his own black and white film prints for exhibition. Roger is widely known for his technique of manipulating film emulsion prior to photographing images. Working in complete darkness Roger treats his film stock to processes that alter the films emulsion. He began exploring this process in 2005 with his film Just Like You Said Dad where he scratched the unexposed film stock with a nail prior to processing. Roger dove deeper into this technique of emulsion manipulation by bleaching unexposed film stock in household bleach before photographing with it. He used this technique in his films Cures what Ales You, Camera Paint and Brain Static: a self-portrait. Roger continues to explore pre-exposure emulsion manipulation and has since buried black and white film in soil and then photographed with it; scratched black and white film and then photographed with it; boiled black and white film in water and then filmed with it and has bathed black and white film in baking soda, berg colour toner, household bleach, photographic bleach, Jell-O and alcohol all before ever photographing images. His recent film Against the Grain reveals the results from many of these experimental processes.
Roger is also a founding member of The Windows Collective, a group of six Ottawa filmmakers who create and exhibit experimental film loops. His 16mm film loops My Friend Isabelle, Gasping for Air and Liquid Fields were all created as part of the Windows Collective.
In the summer of 2010 Roger attended Philip Hoffman’s Independent Imaging Retreat where he created his 16mm black and white film Moving Forward. At the film farm Roger had the opportunity to deepen his knowledge of hand processing 16mm black and white film as well as learning how to create film prints using flashlights and 16mm Steenbeck editing tables. In 2011/2012 he participated in Main Film's Film Factory Program, it was through this opportunity that he created his film Against the Grain.
Roger’s films have screened at festivals across Canada. His film Camera Paint, won the Best Experimental Award at the 2008 Niagara Filmfest in St.Catherines, Ontario. His film Knotashed: an Alderson Oasis was one of six finalists for The 2011 Georges-Laoun-Opticien-OBORO Super Short Film Prize. Roger presently sits on the board of directors for the Independent Filmmakers Co-operative of Ottawa as President.
In 2004 Roger turned his focus towards his own creative side and started to create experimental films. His process is based on the need to be consistently exploring the world of experimental filmmaking. He creates his films using techniques such as pixilation, time-lapse photography, hand processing and cameraless animation processes. He also creates his own black and white film prints for exhibition. Roger is widely known for his technique of manipulating film emulsion prior to photographing images. Working in complete darkness Roger treats his film stock to processes that alter the films emulsion. He began exploring this process in 2005 with his film Just Like You Said Dad where he scratched the unexposed film stock with a nail prior to processing. Roger dove deeper into this technique of emulsion manipulation by bleaching unexposed film stock in household bleach before photographing with it. He used this technique in his films Cures what Ales You, Camera Paint and Brain Static: a self-portrait. Roger continues to explore pre-exposure emulsion manipulation and has since buried black and white film in soil and then photographed with it; scratched black and white film and then photographed with it; boiled black and white film in water and then filmed with it and has bathed black and white film in baking soda, berg colour toner, household bleach, photographic bleach, Jell-O and alcohol all before ever photographing images. His recent film Against the Grain reveals the results from many of these experimental processes.
Roger is also a founding member of The Windows Collective, a group of six Ottawa filmmakers who create and exhibit experimental film loops. His 16mm film loops My Friend Isabelle, Gasping for Air and Liquid Fields were all created as part of the Windows Collective.
In the summer of 2010 Roger attended Philip Hoffman’s Independent Imaging Retreat where he created his 16mm black and white film Moving Forward. At the film farm Roger had the opportunity to deepen his knowledge of hand processing 16mm black and white film as well as learning how to create film prints using flashlights and 16mm Steenbeck editing tables. In 2011/2012 he participated in Main Film's Film Factory Program, it was through this opportunity that he created his film Against the Grain.
Roger’s films have screened at festivals across Canada. His film Camera Paint, won the Best Experimental Award at the 2008 Niagara Filmfest in St.Catherines, Ontario. His film Knotashed: an Alderson Oasis was one of six finalists for The 2011 Georges-Laoun-Opticien-OBORO Super Short Film Prize. Roger presently sits on the board of directors for the Independent Filmmakers Co-operative of Ottawa as President.
