Whether you call it collage, compilation, found footage, detournement, or recycled cinema, the incorporation of previously shot materials into new artworks is a practice that has generated novel juxtapositions of elements which have produced new meanings and ideas that may not have been intended by the original makers, that are, in other words “inappropriate.” This act of appropriation may produce revelation that leads viewers to reconsider the relationship between past and present, here and there, intention and subversion. Fortunately for our purposes, the past decade has seen the emergence of a wealth of new sources for audiovisual materials that can be appropriated into new works. In addition to official state and commercial archives, vernacular archives, home movie collections, and digital archives have provided fascinating source material that may be repurposed in such a way as to give it new meanings and resonances.

In this program, a continuation of part one presented last June, we bring together a selection of recent films that appropriate footage from diverse sources in vastly different ways. Our goal in choosing these films is to show the range of approaches contemporary filmmakers are taking in repurposing found materials. Indeed, tonight’s films push the boundaries of the “found footage” film raising questions about how we define “found footage” filmmaking in an era in which ever more materials are available for reuse in ever more complex ways. We believe that together, these films reveal how (in)appropriation is flourishing at this social and historical moment. – Jaimie Baron & Andrew Hall

Special Thanks to Tyler Hubby

Tonight’s films include:

The Ship by Brandon Downing (2009, video, sound, color, 4:50 min.)

“A short featuring collaged elements of The People the Time Forgot (1977), Cousteau’s Odyssey: Calypso’s Search for the Britannica (1980), Pippi in the South Seas (1976), Footlight Parade (1939), Frankenstein Versus Baragon (1966), and Geeta Mera Naam (Geeta is My Name) (1982). Subtitles by Brandon Downing. Music from  Jaan Pechaan (1952) and Frankenstein Versus Baragon (1966).” (Brandon Downing)

The Animated Heavy-Metal Parking Lot by Leslie Supnet

(2008, video, color, sound, 1:40 min)

“An animated tribute to Jeff Krulik and John Heyn’s 1986 video documentary classic, Heavy Metal Parking Lot. Remaining faithful to no-budget film making, Supnet reconstructs her favorite scenes using cut-out characters made out of aged paper, glue and ink.” (Leslie Supnet)

The Legend of Pwdre Ser (Dave Griffiths, 2008, color, video, 1:30 min.)

“Welshmen, NASA and snooker champions collide with advanced intelligence from outer space. Produced for ‘The Golden Record’ exhibition, a contemporary version of the phonograph record included by Carl Sagan in the two Voyager spacecraft in 1977.” (Dave Griffiths) Note: Watch for the movie cue-dots.

Friend Film by Colin Barton (2008, 16mm, 6 min.)

“This is a eulogy to lost friends, either by death or disassociation. River Phoenix appears as the archetypal figure of my generation. This film lives in a space of a junkie’s death walk, and their final exit from the earth. Hand-painted 35mm original with optical printing are at the source of this work; with a little help from an electric toothbrush and washing machine. Sound by Crank Sturgeon.” (Colin Barton)

Alone by Gerard Freixes Ribera (Spain, 2008, b&w, 3:05 min.)

“The heroic characters in mainstream fiction always show individualist attitudes. Here, that hero’s individualism is taken to its complete extreme.” (Gerard Freixes Ribera)

The Acrobat by Chris Kennedy (2007, 16mm, b&w. 5:50 min.)

“A consideration of the relationship of gravity and politics - the beauty and necessity of rising up, but also, perhaps, the significance of allowing oneself to fall. An exploration of how such forces resonate across space and time.” (Chris Kennedy)

Emergence by Marcin Blajecki (Poland, 3:45 min.)

An animated film traced on a 1953 McGraw-Hill film called Physical Aspects of Puberty.

Outlaw by Ann Steuernagel (US, 2008, 2:54 min.)

“A ‘recycled’ cowboy movie composed from found 16mm film footage. Through radical editing and layering, Outlaw accentuates that which is both iconic and ecstatic in the traditional Western.” (Ann Steuernagel)

Asleep at the Wheel by Mike Maryniuk (2005, 2:30 min.)

“Hole-punched memories and hand-processed hallucinations.” (Mike Maryniuk)

****Intermission****

That’s Right by Matthew Causey (2008, 3:07 min.)

Everyone, to the right!

Anemic Cinema with Z Coordinate by Jorge Sa

(Portugal, video, 3:23 min.)

“A tribute to Marcel Duchamps’ experimental film, Anemic Cinema, working with Z coordinate.” (Jorge Sa)

The Motions of Bodies by Ann Steuernagel (US, 2008, 4 min.)

“Inspired by Galileo's experiments with gravity.” (Ann Steuernagel)

Isolating Landscapes by Heidi Phillips

(Canada, 2007, sound, color, 4:31 min.)

“Isolating Landscapes is a short experimental film which includes found footage of landscapes, sailboats, and people washing in water. A series of ice heart moulds are shot over time showing a slow melt. Thematically, the work seeks to describe detachment and loneliness. The piece uses multiple film techniques such as hand manipulation of found footage, reticulation and hand processing of colour super 8 and 16mm film.” (Heidi Phillips)

The Last Interview in Exile by McLean Fahnestock

(2008, video, color, sound, 1:18 min.)

“In January, 1980 David Frost conducted a final interview with the exiled Shah of Iran in Panama. This monumental meeting of two personalities is distilled to a single exchange.” (McLean Fahnestock)

Profanations by Oriol Sanchez (2008, Spain, video, 20 min.)

“Profanations is a three-channel video work consisting of appropriation and reconstruction of images and sequences of films by Jules Marey, Pudovkin, Kirsanoff, Eisenstein, Romero, Halperin, Kulechov…from which a series of little, miniature micro-stories have been created. These stories have been organized according to Campanas de Luz (Light Bells), a music composition by Joan Riera Robuste. Profanations emerges from an interest in exploring relationships between sound and images with narratives and abstraction, playing with (dis)articulation found in film narratives, creating a rupture within narrative and representation.” (Oriol Sanchez)

Total running time: approximately 80 min. with 10-min. intermission.

To purchase tickets, click here.

Check out a couple to see what the incredible range of tonight’s show:

Brandon Downing's The Ship:

This screening series is supported, in part, by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission and the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles.

Additional support is generously provided by the American Cinematheque.