Jonathan Grado

If I didn't turn off the lights and run up the basement stairs as fast as possible I knew I would just be absolutely consumed by it (them on the weekends). Still, I loved my basement growing up.

I didn't realize though how much of this basement nostalgia would find its way into my work years later. In my mind my family basement is this warm yet static place with the television changing over time. I know the look of it changed over time, but I always remember it looking a specific way. As my brother and I got older the TVs evolved. I've had this idea for awhile to put my photography on an old CRT TV and film it. I knew I wanted an old tv that had the controls on the bottom to keep it as symmetrical as possible. I wanted to be reminded of watching tv in my basement again.

This idea of combining an analog project with modern photography and video had been stuck in my head for some time. I had kept an eye out for CRT TVs for sale, and over the summer finally found one pop up in driving distance. The purpose of this had changed a few times though, and I landed on the idea of not only using it for a self portrait, but filming it as well.

The biggest hurdle wasn't finding the right TV though, it was how would I stream to and film an old CRT TV screen?

Sharing a Laptop Screen to CRT TV

I had the idea for a set of short videos that looped endlessly called "Overthinking in...". These would be titled after where the tv was filmed. But first I had to film the actual TV content. That part is me in front of the blue velvet. Then when that video was done, I had to mirror my MacBook Pro screen to the TV. To do this, I first connected the laptop with an HDMI out to a component converter. From the component converter, I connected that to a coaxial converter. That coaxial cable then attached to the VHF connectors on the back of the TV. It was strange seeing these two technology eras connecting, modern tech plugged into vintage hardware. There's a part of my brain that took a second to catch up with what was getting plugged into what, even though I was the one that just did it.

To recap, you'll need: HDMI out, component converter, coaxial converter attached to VHF connectors.

Recording a CRT TV Screen without Flicker or Reflection

Like almost all of my photography and video, I shot this using my Fuji X-T5. Filming the CRT TV was tricky. There's a good chance you'll initially see flickering on the screen or a rolling effect. The most important thing to do is to make sure the shutter speed of your camera is divisible by 30. Think of it like getting your camera and TV to blink at the same time.

The next issue to consider are reflections. I initially had a really great take, but then when I looked closer there was a subtle reflection in the middle of the screen I just couldn't get over. I ended up getting a larger black curtain and placing my camera in a thin slit in the middle of it. Hiding all the reflections so they don't appear on the TV screen is key. With some trial and error I think it came out pretty nicely. One was filmed in front of blue velvet, and the other in a flower installation. But the last thing I haven't touched on, am I still scared of the basement? I don't know but I'm glad I run faster now.

You can see one of these videos living on my homepage and about page.