FISHER-PRICE PXL2000 CAMERA (PIXELVISION) HANDLING BASICS FOR BEGINNERS

FISHER-PRICE PXL2000 CAMERA (PIXELVISION) HANDLING BASICS FOR BEGINNERS

Come join us at the Yucca Community Center for a hands-on workshop on the iconic Fisher-Price PXL2000 camera, also known as Pixelvision! Learn the basics of handling this unique camera and unleash your creativity. Whether you're a beginner or just curious about this retro technology, this event is perfect for you. Get ready to dive into the world of lo-fi filmmaking and capture memories in a whole new way. Don't miss out on this exciting opportunity to learn something new!

LEARN HOW TO RECORD WITH THE FISHER-PRICE PXL2000 VIDEO CAMERA ON BOTH AN EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE RECORDER AND ON CLASSIC AUDIO (VIDEO) CASSETTES!

OVERVIEW: This is a general overview training on how to use the Fisher-Price PXL2000 video camera provided by Avant-Guardian* (with potential future rental access). We will briefly go over production audio recording, but only as it directly pertains to different PXL2000 shooting workflows.

- PXL2000 Camera handheld VS 3D-printed tripod mount

- AA Batteries VS External Battery VS A/C Power Adapter

- Audio Cassette VS External Monitor Video Recorder (Atomos/BlackMagic)

- PXL2000 Internal Mic VS Production Audio into PXL2000 External Recorder VS Production Audio into Zoom H6

DETAILS: Participants will learn about Fisher-Price’s PXL2000 video camera history, its experimental and mainstream cinema relevance, its introductory basics, creative techniques, and advanced skills to handle the analog PXL2000 in a digital world. We will share with attendees the most reliable places to purchase their own PXL2000 camera and where to have them worked on for repairs. There will then be general hands-on filming participation that all of the students will execute in both inside and outside locations, with 2 different PXL2000 setups, and a small crew of workshop peers to help with the production of each workshop attendee’s training shots. We will shoot inside interviews with a tripod rigged PXL2000 with external monitor and video hard drive recorder and outside b-roll or mini scenes with a stripped down bare PXL2000 for easy movement and speed. Each participant will get direct hands-on experience recording with the PXL2000 to their own audio cassette, which will be provided for all workshop attendees by Avant-Guardian. During the last part of this workshop, we will review all of the footage shot during the workshop. You will leave the workshop with experience and knowledge of recording PXL2000 video to both an external hard drive and an internal audio cassette tape, recording audio both independently and internally to the PXL2000, and capturing/importing PXL2000 video into non-linear editing software programs like Adobe Premiere and Davinci Resolve to edit your masterpiece film. You will be ready to shoot your own PIXELVISION film with our rental gear as an officially certified Avant-Guardian!

INCLUDES: Participants receive 1 x Audio Cassette tape to use in class that they will then keep. They will have the opportunity to load, record, capture, and direct (or just shoot) a few training shots. We will have the Community Room inside the Yucca Community Center, the immediate grounds surrounding the Yucca Center, and we will be half a block from Hollywood Blvd (and a few blocks from Hollywood & Highland) so we can stroll around Hollywood for additional shot locations. Upon completion, participants will all be certified to rent from Avant-Guardian**.

Price: $50 (+ Eventbrite fees)

Instructor: Dustin Thompson (DustinSThompson@mac.com)

Course Cap: 10-15 participants -> If full when signing up, contact Dustin for Waiting List

Location & Time: Saturday, December 6 (12-4PM) at the Yucca Community Center in Hollywood

* Avant-Guardian is a filmmaking collective that currently supports independent, non-narrative, experimental, and genre-bending avant-garde film artists through workshops, film screenings, visiting artist lectures, mentoring, and eventually through equipment rentals. Our goal is to provide affordable access to motion-picture and experimental cinema equipment for professional, amateur, and beginning film artists to create while also providing affordable access to workshops, lectures, film screenings, and critical discourse for those artists’ inspiration. In 2026, we will have an Intensive Bolex 400-ft. Camera Package Workshop and an Intensive PhotoSonics High-speed 16mm 400-ft. Camera Package Workshop, amongst others. *

** In order to rent equipment from Avant-Guardian, basic training on the gear is essential either through workshops or one-on-one basic training with an Avant-Guardian instructor. If you are already properly trained, contact us! An Avant-Guardian instructor will still need to give a brief overview before your first rental on our basic best practices for said gear. There will be a $5/month membership fee to access all available Avant-Guardian rentals. **

*** For expanded access to Avant-Guardian equipment, we are looking for Still-Photography and Motion-Picture/Cinematography Interns for early next year in 2026. Please let us know that you’re interested whether or not you’re attending any of our workshops. We will be putting out official information on this in the near future. ***