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experimentalfilm

Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One (William Greaves, 1968)

Feb

1

Filmmaking

Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One (1968)

Don Fellows – testing as “Freddy” – and Patricia Ree Gilbert – testing as “Alice” –, the director (William Greaves), and a camera assistant holding up a light meter. Everyone is eyeing everyone and it's not clear who is playing what part. DPs: Stevan Larner & Terence Macartney-Filgate.

A film about filmmaking, or Hollywood, to celebrate the opening of Edison's Black Maria in 1893.

“You and I are going to be filming the actors. The two of us, see, are going to be filming the actors – continuously – and you will be filming me and the actors. I'm going to be filming the actors and Terry is going to be in charge of filming the whole thing. You see?”

– William Greaves – Director

During a screentest for a documentary in a documentary in a film, director William Greaves attempts to cast the leads for his upcoming piece Over the Cliff, while a documentary crew records their progress.

War Machine (Duvet Brothers, 1984)

Jan

21

the passing of Orwell

War Machine (1984)

A repurposed TV still of a battle ship billowing thick black smoke with the text WAR MACHINE superimposed over it.

A scratch video from 1984 on the date George Orwell died (1950). Date of production is either 84 or 85.

All My Life (Bruce Baillie, 1966)

Jan

18

roses

All My Life (1966)

A still of a red rose bush next to a fence. Image via à pala de walsh. DP: Bruce Baillie.

Roses for the end of the Wars of the Roses (note: January 18 is when Henry VII married Elizabeth of York in 1486; the wars would continue until June 16 the following year).

“All my life, hold me close to your heart But all else above Hold my love, darling, just hold my love”

– Ella Fitzgerald, All My Life (Sidney D. Mitchell & Sammy Stept), 1936

In one continuous shot, the camera tracks a fence and rose bushes while Ella Fitzgerald's 1936 debut song All My Life is playing.

Kinoautomat: Člověk a jeho dům [Kinoautomat / One Man and His House] (Ján Roháč, Radúz Činčera + Vladimír Svitáček, 1967)

Jan

10

Representation of the People Act 1918

Kinoautomat: Člověk a jeho dům (1967)

The audience about to vote for one of two scenes, with two presenters on stage.. DP: Jaromír Šofr.

Voting, for the Representation of the People Act 1918, UK.

 

Made for the Czechoslovak Pavilion at #Expo67 in #Montréal, Kinoautomat was the world's first interactive film. During nine moments in the story, a moderator would appear on the stage, and ask the audience where the story should go now. Depending on the votes, one of two reels would play.

“The Kinoautomat in the Czechoslovak Pavilion is a guaranteed hit of the World Exposition, and the Czechs should build a monument to the man who conceived the idea, Radúz Činčera.”

– The New Yorker

After its very successful performance at Expo 67, and a one year run in Prague, Kinoautomat was banned by the Czechoslovakian government.

The Clock (Christian Marclay, 2010)

Dec

31

Hogmanay

The Clock (2010)

Prof. Charles Rankin (Orson Welles) during the climax in The Stranger (1946). The clocktower strikes midnight. DP: Russell Metty.

Midnight: it's Hogmanay in Scotland.

“There's no clue to the identify of Franz Kindler; except one little thing. He has a hobby that almost amounts to a mania: clocks.”

– Mr. Wilson

The Clock takes place over – and lasts – 24 hours, with each moment either being shown in a film still or mentioned by characters during a scene. In total, there are over 12 000 scenes edited into Marclay's tour de force.

Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari [The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari] (Robert Wiene, 1920)

Dec

25

Hanukkah + Christmas

Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari (1920)
Joseph Nicéphore Niépce (1822 – 1827)

Cesare (Conrad Veidt) escapes with Jane (Lil Dagover) in his arms. Composition and distribution of light and shadow – much of which was painted directly on the set pieces – strike a strong resemblance with the oldest known survived photograph by Nicéphore Niépce from ca. 1822 – 1827. DP: Willy Hameister.

A favourite scene featuring light for Hanukkah and Christmas.

Alan “How long will I live?”

Cesare “Till the break of dawn.”

Die Sage vom alten Hirten Xeudi und seinem Freund Reiman [The Legend of the Old Shepherd Xeudi and His Friend Reimann] (Hans-Jakob Siber, 1973)

Dec

11

International Mountain Day

Die Sage vom alten Hirten Xeudi und seinem Freund Reiman (1973)

The two friends setting off on their track of the Swiss mountains. Their chalet can be seen in the foreground. DP: Hans-Jakob Siber.

Mountain living on International Mountain Day. Available to watch via the Zürcher Hochschule der Künste's media archive.

Report (Bruce Conner, 1967)

Nov

23

1963

Report  (1967)

Television footage of JFK's state funeral with the caption “November 23, 1963”, superimposed over it.

The End (Christopher Maclaine, 1953)

Nov

13

ice cream

The End (1953)

A man suggestively licks an ice cream cone. DP: Jordan Belson.

KIPHO [Du musst zur KIPHO] (Julius Pinschewer, 1925)

Sep

25

1925

KIPHO (1925)

A very modern dressed woman with a small film camera. Superimposed but suggested she's filming it, a large teddybear – a bear is #Berlin's official mascot – to remind viewers that the Kino und Photoausstellung [“Film and Photo Fair”) takes place in the German capital. DP: Guido Seeber.