Camera Less Film
At workshops at the Cube Microplex in Bristol we looked at 'Camera Less Film' and 'Expanded Cinema', visiting the projection room, learning about Film formats, 8mm, 16mm, 35mm, Imax and Digital Cinema. Looked at a range of Film makers including Spanish Experimental Films - 'Exp no 1' and 'Exp 2' by Joaquim Puigvert and Pintura 1962 -63 by Ton Sierra. We made our own 'scratch'/ 'camera less' film on 16mm.
Below are links to related film makers working in this field, including: Len Lye, Noman McLaren and Stan Brakhage. Plus examples of the technique used in feature films, most notably title sequence for 'Seven' and '24 hour party people'.
Len Lye
Len Lye also worked with kinetic sculpture and other mediums as this trailer for documentary film shows.
‘Master of Motion’ celebrates the life and work of Len Lye and his longstanding relationship with Aotearoa, Taranaki and the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery. Alongside vintage footage of the artist and interviews with experts in his art, Master of Motion includes a wealth of recently uncovered archival materials telling the Len Lye’s story in his own voice. The 30-minute documentary will introduce you to the Len Lye story, showcasing his visionary work in film and sculpture and his monumental ambitions for his work beyond his own life
Filmed in Tate Liverpool
Stan Brakhage
Mothlight (1963) is a "found foliage" film (4mins) composed of insects, leaves, and other detritus sandwiched between two strips of perforated tape.
Filmstrips from Stan Brakhage’s Mothlight, 1963, 16 mm, color, silent, 3 minutes 13 seconds.
like a moth to a flame
Title Sequences - using direct cinema techniques
This is the intro credits scene for Michael Winterbottom's "24 Hour Party People"(2002),a movie about the rise and fall of Factory Records(1978),founded by Tony Wilson(20.2.1950-10.8.2007)in Manchester, and music bands and events that happened around them. The song is Happy Mondays' one that named the movie.
Film
Two Sisters (1991) is an animated short by Caroline Leaf, etched directly onto tinted 70 mm film. Production : National Film Board of Canada (nfb.ca)
‘Viola writes novels in a darkened room. Marie, her sister and only companion, takes care of her every need. Together, they are an island unto themselves, quiet and complete in their isolation. And then the abrupt arrival of a stranger throws their tenuous order into chaos.’
Music Video
In this music video I used scratch animation, created on 16mm film, then overlaid this over the top of video footage. Using Luma key to only let brighter footage through and making blacks transparent.
Vicky Smith
Vicky Smith is an artist film maker and academic who has worked in experimental animation and 16mm film for 30 years and has screened work internationally in galleries and at festivals.
Vicky was part of the London Film Makers Co-op, has a PhD in experimental film, is co-founder of artist collective Bristol Experimental Expanded Film (BEEF) in Bristol and lectures at the University for the Creative Arts, Farnham.
See:
GO, GO, GO! Women in Experimental Animation – an Essay by Vicky Smith
A superb in depth essay reflecting on the breadth of practice of women working in experimental animation from 1954 to the present day, encompassing the USA, Europe and Australia.
Other clips/ films/ experiments to look at
Cameraless Film Art - Vimeo Channel - Animated art created (drawn, painted, scratched) directly on film
