How to Enjoy Experimental Film

One of the most noted experimental animators in the UK, Paul Bush joins the show to discuss his life and work, both in scratch animation and stop motion. Ever popular with audiences, Paul has produced extraordinarily beautiful films, one of which was described by one critic as being akin to “reading a book by moonlight”.  Watch Paul's films online here: https://vimeo.com/user5238437 You can also find some early works as well as writings uploaded on Paul's own website: https://www.paulbushfilms.com

Coming next week wherever you get your podcasts: 10 new episodes of How to Enjoy Experimental Film Featuring Paul Bush Guy Sherwin Peter Rose,  Inger Lise Hansen  John Woodman Ingo Petzke  Marie Losier

Filmmaker Ding Xin, more commonly known as Sandy Ding produces extraordinary "psychoactive" films, which lull the viewer into states of altered consciousness to weave his very special kind of cinematic magic. In this in-depth interview, he discusses his filmmaking methods as well as his wide ranging interests in noise music and hypnosis. Sandy graduated from CalArts in 2007 and now teaches at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. A DVD of his films can be purchased from the Paris-based distributor Re:Voir. https://re-voir.com/shop/en/revoir/766-sandy-ding-psychoecho.html and some films, including his first feature Night Awake can be viewed via Re:Voir's VOD service. https://vod.re-voir.com A selection of the films found on the DVD are also now available to view using the Re:Voir app, a subscription service boasting a huge selection of experimental films. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/online-re-voir/id1545131544

Filmmaker Emily Richardson joins us to discuss her highly atmospheric explorations of spaces and locations, many of which are in states of transition. Working both in film and digital video, Emily's works communicate a sense of immanence in often anxious atmospheres hinting at something just unseen at the periphery of our vision. These spaces are often "haunted" by soundscapes created by recording and manipulating sounds recorded on the locations.  For more information, visit emilyrichardson.org.uk

Prolific filmmaker Nick Collins joins us to discuss his extensive body of film work. Shot in some of the filmmaker's most frequently visited locations, these are films that defy classification, despite the regular presence of landscapes and of carefully controlled structures. Simply put, we are in the presence of a filmmaker who explores the world around him and we are gently invited to explore with him. Extremely hard to label, Nick's cinema might even transcend the label of experimental film, with appeal far beyond what is sometimes described as a "niche" interest.  Nick's films can be found here: https://vimeo.com/user13647711 Or on DVD published by Simon Payne, from the BFI Store. https://shop.bfi.org.uk/five-greek-films-dvd.html Filmmakers discussed in this episode include: Simon Payne Yasujirō Ozu Carl Theodor Dreyer Anna Thew Authors discussed include: Gaston Bachelard

Bret Battey is a composer and visual musician, who creates both electro-acoustic music together with digital moving image art. The films are as complex visually as the music is to listen to, but together they create an altogether gripping and captivating experience. Musically, Bret is influenced as much by the sweep of late romantic composers such as Gustav Mahler as he is by the granularity of Iannis Xenakis, or the 'organised noise' of Edgard Varése and a host of other more recent electro-acoustic composers. Visually, he works often by digitally manipulating photographs (which he has often taken himself) to create colourful abstract visualisations to compliment the music, working often from programming individual pixels into alluringly complex larger pictures. Here, he discusses the processes involved in creating both music and image for his artworks, as well as the lineage of visual music into which he fits.  Filmmakers discussed in this episode include: Oskar Fischinger Jordan Belson Norman McLaren

The incredibly prolific Lynne Sachs returns to the show to discuss her films, particularly those found under the collective title "I Am Not A War Photographer". These titles include: States of Unbelonging, Which Way is East, Investigation of a Flame, The Las Happy Day and Your Day is My Night. We also discuss her films Film About a Father Who... as well as film as an act of civil disobedience. Many of Lynne's films can be found on her personal Vimeo page, as well as The Criterion Channel and, in the case of Film About A Father Who... on a new Blu-ray Disc. 

One of the leading figures in the field of experimental documentary, Lynne Sachs joins H2EEF to discuss her extraordinary body of work. In subjects ranging from the personal to the global political, Lynne's films are consistently sensitive and completely compelling. In this episode, she discusses the field of experimental documentary in general as well as her ways into the field.  Filmmakers discussed in this episode include: Jonas Mekas MM Serra Chantal Akerman Robert Altman  Jean-Luc Godard Sharon Greytak

Larry Gottheim returns to the show to discuss some of his mid and late period works as well as the questions some of these films raise. It includes a discussion of how Larry found himself travelling to Haiti and becoming deeply involved with Voodoo as well as the deep self questioning that led to his latest films Chants and Dances for Hand and Knot/Not, both of which can be downloaded from the New York Filmmakers' Co-Operative Vimeo page. Some of the discussions travel to quite dark thematic areas and Larry will be discussing the problems, both intellectual and moral, of assembling the material for some of his films. 

One of the giants of the American Avant-Garde, Larry Gottheim joins H2EEF to discuss his life and work from his near legendary early films like Blues, Fog Line and Barn Rushes to his mid-period work (more recent work will be discussed in part 2).  The serenity and beauty of Larry's early films can be enjoyed in a DVD produced by the New York Filmmakers' Co-Operative and Re:Voir and more recent works are available via the NYFMC's on-demand Vimeo page.  Filmmakers discussed in this episode include: Stan Brakhage Tony Conrad Ernie Gehr Hollis Frampton Ken Jacobs Jonas Mekas Nicholas Ray

Filmmaker Bill Morrison, whose work explores found and often decayed film footage, discusses his work and the nature of memory when contained in found footage. Broadly describable as documentary films, Bill's works have a hypnotic quality (his production company is even called Hypnotic Pictures!), which feature footage both from fiction and documentary films as well as home movies, scientific documentations and more. He recently collaborated with composer David Lang on the short film Let Me Come In for LA Opera as well as the feature film The Village Detective: A Song Cycle. His feature Decasia (in collaboration with composer Michael Gordon) was the first film of the 21st century to be entered into the Library Of Congress National Film Registry and his work consistently transcends the boundaries of the term "experimental", winning over audiences around the world. 

Painter who makes experimental films and experimental filmmaker who paints, Jeff Scher joins us to discuss his complete embrace of the term "experimental" across a rich and varied body of work including rotoscope animations and live action films.  A student of Adolfas Mekas, Scher also teaches animation at NYU. Jeff has collaborated with musicians as diverse as Joan Baez, Bob Dylan and Graham Nash as well as winning a Creative Arts Emmy for his work on the HBO special The Tattoo on Great Grandpa's Arm. Many of Jeff's films are available on 2 DVDs from Re:Voir https://re-voir.com/shop/en/ And more are available on his personal Vimeo page: https://vimeo.com/user623597 Filmmakers discussed in this episode include: Kenneth Anger Bruce Baillie Robert Breer Max Fleischer Marie Menken Warren Sondbert Francis Thompson Andy Warhol

Anna Thew returns to the show for a lively discussion of her film works, including Cling Film, which has been known to generate considerable controversy, particularly when shown in the UK. Much of the work, however is very personal and has universal appeal, whether humorous, or tragic. We'll also discuss broader themes connected to the films including the AIDS crisis and the role of arts in education. Filmmakers discussed in this episode include Luis Buñuel Jean Cocteau Takahiko Iimura Kenneth Anger Carolee Schneemann Yann Beauvais

Painter turned filmmaker Anna Thew discusses her first steps in filmmaking, leading to her feature film Hilda was a Goodlooker, which dramatises her mother's reminiscences and Behind Closed Doors, which deals with the trauma of losing her mother suddenly. Anna's cinema is deeply personal and yet possesses universal appeal, which will be approachable to audiences everywhere. Highly literate and indeed cine-literate, these are works that amply reward repeated viewings to explore their links to other works. Find a selection of Anna's films on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/user4605273 Filmmakers discussed in this episode include: Anne Rees Mogg Rose Lowder Peter Gidal Malcolm LeGrice David Hall Chris Wellsby Guy Sherwin Marcel Duchamp John Smith Steve Farrer Katerina Thomadaki Maria Klonaris Yann Beauvais Cordelia Swan John Maybury Derek Jarman Stan Brakhage Kenneth Anger Terence Davies George Saxon Writers discussed in this episode include: Alexei Sayle Walter Benjamin Jean Genet

Contains brief strong language. Join film artist John Smith as he explores some of the major works of his career from his breakthrough film The Girl Chewing Gum, through documentary works including Blight and Home Suite, to his most recent works in the video medium including the Hotel Diaries, The Kiss and Citadel.  A number of John's recent films can be found on YouTube including Dad's Stick: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rx2hPQ2S08k&t=25s Several more films and excerpts are available on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/johnsmithfilms/videos And there is a DVD box set available from Lux Online, for which 50% of all sales go directly to the artist: https://luxmovingimage.square.site/product/john-smith-3-dvd-boxset/70?cp=true&sa=false&sbp=false&q=false&category_id=10 John collaborated with composer Jocelyn Pook for the film Blight. Find out more about her work here: https://www.jocelynpook.com Filmmakers discussed in this episode include: Peter Gidal Nicky Hamlyn Writers & Artists discussed in this episode include: A.L. Rees Cornelia Parker Berthold Brecht

Contains brief strong language. Legendary London-based artist-filmmaker John Smith joins H2EEF to discuss the beginnings of his career leading up to his breakthrough film The Girl Chewing Gum. Smith's films are renowned for their sense of humour, often used to illustrate a more serious underlying point. His works are shown all over the world including, at the time of recording, on Mubi.  Popular with audiences everywhere, John's films are heavily informed by the notions of structural film, though they do not comfortably fit this, or any other description. With a deep focus on the power of language to suggest and mislead the viewer, "he has attracted admirers from way beyond the narrow confines of the Avant Garde."- Michael O'Pray, Art Monthly.  "In John Smith’s films, the spectator is a producer as well as a consumer of meaning, bound in to the process but simultaneously distanced from the ‘naturalness’ of the film dream. This feature alone marks off John Smith’s films from the lure of cinema (to which his richly visual images nonetheless allude) and locates him firmly as an artist-filmmaker, who turns the codes of the film medium into a continual questioning of film truth." - A.L. Rees (Full essay here: http://johnsmithfilms.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Associations.-A-L-Rees.pdf) A number of John's recent films can be found on YouTube including Dad's Stick: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rx2hPQ2S08k&t=25s Several more films and excerpts are available on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/johnsmithfilms/videos And there is a DVD box set available from Lux Online, for which 50% of all sales go directly to the artist: https://luxmovingimage.square.site/product/john-smith-3-dvd-boxset/70?cp=true&sa=false&sbp=false&q=false&category_id=10 Filmmakers discussed in this episode include: Peter Gidal Guy Sherwin Anne Rees Mogg Malcolm LeGrice

Shifting focus from our earlier discussion, this episode focuses on Myron Ort's found footage films and film portraits. The epic 5 hour film cycle Eikono-Klastes is made up of found footage as well as hand painted film to create an enormous exploration of history and the moving image. It also includes re-contextualising of often very non-PC footage in order to create a new framework through which to view more difficult aspects of human history.  The whole cycle is viewable on Youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUEvOLwEmGMdHLIky44ttSnKhYTLvrl-Z And you can view/purchase Myron's films and paintings on his website: https://www.myronort.com Filmmakers mentioned in this episode include: Bruce Conner Joseph Cornell Ken Jacobs

Myron Ort, filmmaker, painter, musician, composer, repairer of antique cuban drums, restorer of vintage cars and expert on Latin-American music, talks to H2EEF about his unique film works. Spanning most forms of experimental practice and heavily influenced by the 60s psychedelic scene and Gestalt psychology, using hand painted film, multi-exposure films, film portrait, found footage and more, Myron's work is really deserving of a wider audience. In this first part of our discussion, we discuss the influences of the 60s Bay Area scene on the filmmaker's work and in particular his psychedelic films and the film that Stan Brakhage referred to as "the most worked on hand painted film I've ever seen!" OMMO. You can find his wondrous array of work on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/myronort On Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ZenOkeanos and on his own website, where you can buy his collected films on DVD along with his paintings!:  Filmmakers & artists discussed in this episode include Barbara Hammer Steven Zailian Stan Brakhage Jordan Belson James Broughton Bruce Baillie  Ben Van Meter Chick Strand Sidney Peterson Wassily Kandinsky Len Lye Man Ray Jean Cocteau Standish Lawder Fernand Leger Harold Gregor Donna Germain Peter Kubelka Writers discussed include: Aldous Huxley Hoyt Sherman Rudolf Arnheim Wolfgang Köhler Siegfried Kracauer

Filmmaker Toby Tatum joins H2EEF to discuss his extraordinary body of work. Tatum's work is a landscape of the mind, with pieces often set in gardens and grottos and featuring mind-bending visual effects, particularly involving composite imagery. Meditative, dreamlike and sometimes dark, these are unashamedly romantic film works that invite the viewer to participate in a completely unique view of the world.  View Toby's films at: https://vimeo.com/tobytatum Figures discussed in this episode include: Alex Cox Borja Calvo Erik Davis

Simon Payne produces works almost exclusively with video, often without using a camera. In these video pieces, patterns work themselves out quite systematically, through colour and well-defined shapes to create unique cinematic experiences, which compel the viewer to reflect upon what they are seeing as well as their relation to it. Sometimes, these are frenetic and colourful, and other times, subdued and meditative, these pieces are shot through with a true spirit of experimentation, exploring what unexpected results might be produced by using shape, light and colour in various ways. In short, they are driven by a quest to see what happens! Some of Simon's works can be found at his Vimeo page: https://vimeo.com/simonpayne And two DVDs of his works (Colour Field Videos & Systems Cinema) can be purchased in the Lux Store: https://luxmovingimage.square.site/shop/dvds/10 Simon has also edited a number of books, most recently Fields of View, a posthumous collection of writings by A.L. Rees and the first English Language study of the work of Kurt Kren called Kurt Kren: Structural Films.