Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Space Camp Installation

CINEPLOSION Productions originated from one fateful night on July 20, 2009, following the 1st Arkansas Underground Film Festival in Hot Springs National Park.




Scorchingly hot, and after three inebriating, whirlwind days of avant-garde film and performances, festival organizer, Dan Anderson, and industrial soundsmith, Shane English, took to the loft above Low Key Arts where a hodgepodge pile of analog video gear lay melting in the thick Southern heat.

Armed with a tattered VHS of Space Camp (1986), along with English’s vast collection of experimental industrial, darkwave and underground German synth, the team blurred through an evening of analog mashups and projections, successfully capturing an hour-long performance on VHS tape.

The performance was re-created as an installation that premiered during the 2nd Arkansas Underground Film Festival in 2010, and two short clips are now available on the Internet for the first time.

The first clip documents a section of the installation in which a real-life BLACK HOLE formulated in the upper northwest corner of the performance space:


The second clip is taken from the tail end of the installation, at a point where the original Space Camp footage is almost entirely unrecognizable and mutates into a 1970s episode of Sid and Marty Krofft’s Land of the Lost.

This clip also appears to channel the supernatural vortex of Park/Whittington, a particularly haunting intersection in Hot Springs that is overlooked by the Low Key Arts building:



A full version of Space Camp is available for gallery installations (one TV/VCR, two screens, two projectors), while a VHS copy of the actual 60-minute source tape is also available upon request.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

New Video- Headache Relief

Mental Mission (Mission 10, Phase 1) - "Headache Relief"

"Guaranteed to cure headaches, migraines and intense cranial pressure. Watch repeatedly; daily."



Recorded early 2011 in Hot Springs National Park, AR, USA.

New Video - Hot White (2009)

Hot White. - Dec. 20th, 2009 @ Artmosphere in Lafayette, LA w/ Attractive & Popular. Live Visuals by CINEPLOSION

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Event challenges, terrifies San Francisco



Over the past several years, CINEPLOSION Productions, including its affiliated, Bearded Child Film Festival (2001-present), and predecessor, Montgomery Klinefelter Productions (1999-2004), has taken pride in challenging audiences to their limits of extremes.
On Friday, June 1, 2012, the Artists’ Television Access in San Francisco hosted “On Vacation: 3 Trilogies by Dan Anderson,” which consisted of a 90-minute program of approximately thirteen short films (trilogies plus bonus clips) spanning the years of 2001-2012.
We are pleased to announce that after hosting nearly one hundred various programs over the past ten-plus years, this event provided the highest ever recorded walk-out rate of a whopping 87.5 percent!
Challenging a heralded city such as San Francisco is indeed encouraging. CINEPLOSION and its affiliates will continue to serve that hardy 12.5 percent!

A belligerent, Hawaiian shirt-clad Anderson was heard garbling down Mission Street following the showing, paper-bag beverage in hand.  

---

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

June 1 in San Francisco!!


Friday, June 1 - 8PM
Artists' Television Access
992 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA

Artists' Television Access, San Francisco's legendary, long-time venue for experimental cinema showings and traveling artists, will screen 
"On Vacation: Three Trilogies by Dan Anderson," 
on Friday, June 1 @ 8pm. Admission: $6. 

SCREENING INCLUDES:

Leisure Series: Three “experimental travelogues” that explore leisure and the nature of being. All shot on film and hand-processed, both color and B/W..........

“Idle Hours” 9min, super 8mm, 2007 - Silent, super 8, b/w film shot in Uruguay and Argentina.
“The Joy of Leisure” 6min, super 8mm/16mm, 2004 -A psychedelic journey through Middle America, made in response to the 2004 Presidential elections. Hand-developed Ektachrome color film flutters with the American dream.
“On Vacation” 6min, super 8mm/16mm, 2005 - Two wealthy businessmen, one man and one dog, take a pleasure jaunt through roadside America. 
_______________________________________________________

Freudian Trilogy: Three psychoanalytic narratives exploring battles between the Id and Superego, sudden subconscious backflips and mind-melting self-realizations ..........

“Auto Domestication” 9min, super 8mm on video, 2003
“Tea Party” 10min, 16mm on video, 2003
“Cookies For Satan” 12min, super 8mm/miniDV, 2004
(Featuring RuPaul Drag Race’s Sharon Needles.)
_______________________________________________________
Analog Explosion: A sampling of analog videos from CINEPLOSION Productions, an Arkansas-based live projection, music video and VHS production studio founded in 2009 ..........
“Sports on Fire” 8min, VHS, 2009
“Bird Nest” 7min, VHS, 2010

"Cat Cadg" 4min, VHS, 2011

_______________________________________________________

Also available will be a collection of rare MENTAL MISSION videos, including full versions of Happy Birthday, Miss Arkansas and Headache Relief. Don't forget to pick up a special limited edition, Bearded Child Film Festival t-shirt for you friend or loved one!

*****

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Crossroad Film Festival, in review




3rd Annual Crossroads Film Festival was help at the old Victoria Theater in San Francisco from May 18-20, 2012. Not to be confused with Mississippi’s Crossroads Film Festival of the same name, this event is hosted by the San Francisco Cinematheque, the Bay Area’s long-running showcase of experimental cinema.
While San Francisco is home to many regular experimental film events, typically at least several per week in the Spring/Fall, most events showcase local filmmakers or are curated programs of older works. Crossroads fills a void by showcasing experimental work over multiple days, and attracting a wide range of regional and non-regional filmmakers to town over a single weekend.
The program was heavy on well-known contemporary filmmakers, such as Ken Jacobs, Jeanne Liotta, Deborah Stratman, Ben Russell and others, while mixing in lesser-known international films, retrospectives and live performances. Although digital video was shown, films on super 8mm, 16mm and even 35mm were all part of the event, complimenting the very “film-centric” vibe of San Francisco.
Several of my favorite works were by area filmmakers present at the event. Linda Scrobie’s “Craig’s Cutting Room Floor” is a brief, rhythmic assault of 16mm images literally collected off Craig Baldwin’s infamous basement floor. Scott Stark, who splits time between Austin/SF, presented “The Pool” on 35mm scope film, remixing a popular “cheesy” narrative film into something that was actually visually interesting, while the images themselves remained in crisp multiplex-worthy color.
In perhaps my favorite viewing of the festival, Kerry Laitala’s live performance “The Color Red Bleeds Blue” was a stunningly crisp 16mm kaleidoscope and hand-manipulated multiple projection. The work seemed almost as an “expanded” version of one of my other favorite films in the festival, the visual candy-land that is Anje Dorniden’s “Awe Shocks” (2011), with a whirlwind of Wonka colors that would rival Kodachrome proceeded in acid.
Both Scrobie, Stark and Laitala followed a common trend in the avant-garde film world by manipulating existing film into something completely new and original. In these works, the process or “conception” becomes almost as important as the film itself. Scrobie’s film certainly harks back to older “cut-up” films by Bruce Conner and Frank Mouris (Frank Film, 1973), but is perhaps most akin to more contemporary work such as Steve Cossman’s “Tusslemuscle” (2009). Stark also harks back to some of the work of Martin Arnold and recent Peter Kubela, who have both notably mixed narrative films. Laitala, meanwhile, merges a taste of Oskar Fischinger with the new wave of expanded cinema, luminated by 16mm experimental projection artists artists such as Projexorcism (North Carolina), Eric Stewart (Oakland), Roger Beebe (Florida) and even granddaddy, Ken Jacobs (Nervous Magic Lantern).
Adding to the local favor, certainly, was Paul Clipson, who over the past several years has perfected an eye for stunning super 8mm images. I’d seen some of his work at the Bearded Child Film Festival in 2006, but now he has moved above and beyond the pack, becoming a bit of an avant-garde film star in San Francisco. He screened a short, “Araneae (Compound Eyes No. 4),” which is a short insect-study commissioned by the San Francisco Exploratorium, and part of a larger body of films. www.withinmirrors.org 
Possibly the two most high-profile works in the program were Ken Jacobs’ “Seeking the Monkey King” (2011) and Ben Russell’s “River Rites” (2011). Jacobs has been pushing the boundaries of “mind control” cinema over the past several years, using flicker effects to create 3D images and viewer hypnosis. Given the rare opportunity to see his recent work, the viewer should sit close to the screen for full effect. This is also a rare viewing that can be enjoyed “glasses-off” for those with poor eyesight, as the dramatic, dynamic and overwhelming heavy-handed nature of the film makes it perhaps best enjoyed just a tad out-of-focus. 
Russell’s “River Rites” is another masterpiece by the Chicago filmmaker, incorporating essentially one long linear reel shot of acrobatic African bathers at a native river bed. The entire film is reversed, occasionally varying speed, with a spot-on, hip and energetic soundtrack. While generating avant-garde fame via his single-take “Trypps” series, this new film dazzles the screen and certainly ranks as one of the top films produced in this decade. On 35mm no less!
Perhaps curator Steve Polta’s biggest leap of faith during the festival was to grant a retrospective to somewhat obscure young filmmaker, Laida Lertxundi, which proved to be one of the highlights of the festival. Lertxundi, who has only been making films for about five years, showcased her own “experimental narrative” works alongside influential films by Hollis Frampton (Lemon, 1969), Bruce Baille (All My Life, 1966) and Morgan Fisher (Picture and Sound Rushes, 1973). Using non-actors to stage various poignant, stark scenes, Lertxundi’s films also seemed to parallel more mainstream independent filmmakers such as Vincent Gallo (Buffalo ‘66) or a much more subtle, laid-back version of Harmony Korine (Gummo).
Crossroads can be thought of as a mini-Ann Arbor Film Festival, in a similar vein as The International Experimental Cinema Exposition in Colorado, FLEX in Florida or Experiments in Cinema in New Mexico. It represents the “mainstream” in experimental cinema, meaning that featured films could likely go on the museum showings, society screenings and possibly literary publications in the years to come.
For more information on the San Francisco Cinematheque, visit:  www.sfcinematheque.org

Reviewed by 
d.anderson 2012

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Ghostbusters Remix Recap



Hey Hey! It's been a while, but here is finally a recap of the Ghostbusters Remix Party, hosted by CINEPLOSION at the Black Hole Cinematheque in Oakland, CA, on Wednesday, May 2, 2012.

The 90+ minute performance featured both Ghostbusters I & II mixed in real-time, side-by-side, with an improvised musical score by Mr. Douglas Hawkinson. A hardy crowd of approx. 35 showed up for the FREE event, with at least half remaining for the final role of the credits. Estimated walk-out rate: 45%.

The performance consisted of two projectors running off a main feed, and a second projector overlapping with mainly feedback, live camera and other supporting materials. A fourth projector was planned, but disabled due to technical failure.

All in all, the event was noted as an endurance test, as there were few narrative elements that related the audience to the original, enjoyable film. Due to the extreme nature of the viewing, there were some comparisons to classic endurance films by Warhol (Sleep, Eat, Blow Job, etc)  mixed with grandfather analog video junkies such as Nam June Paik or Ant Farm.

Below is a sort clip, recorded from the main feed source:


Approx. 80% of viewers who attended the entire showing reported headaches or minor cranial hemorrhage during or immediately following the presentation, lasting approx. 12-26 hours in duration.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

GHOSTBUSTERS Remix Party!




Wednesday, May 2, 2012 - 8pm
Black Hole Cinematheque
1038 24th St. (at Linden)
Oakland, CA
On Wednesday, May 2, 2012, CINEPLOSION will expose and implode the popular 1986 film, GHOSTBUSTERS, staring Rick Moranis as “Louis Tully,” among others. The remix is unscripted and unrehearsed. Due to the unstable nature of analog video and presence of live transmissions in the room, attendees are warned that CINEPLOSION events often produce sub-dimensional irregularities and the potential for vortexual occurrence.  Attend at your own risk.
-----

Monday, April 16, 2012

SF Bay Microcinema Guide


Guide to Underground Cinemas:
A “microcinema” is a small, alternative screening space, typically with seating for under 50 people, which screens material that is generally not commercially available or mainstream. The venues are non-traditional, and advertising is typically through fliers, word-of-mouth and specific websites or blogs.

These venues are places you only want to tell your coolest friends about, as seating is limited and relies on smart audiences, quality-over-quantity. Best to attend either alone or with one or two friends max, large groups will have difficulty finding seating and can definitely ruin the vibe. Typically you can BYOB (bring-your-own-booze), but best to be somewhat discrete and use your best judgement. Marijuana use is not uncommon in these circles, but never openly or within general public view. It is always in poor form to drink, smoke or loiter directly outside the establishment.



Bay Area summary:
The San Francisco area remains one of the world’s premiere destinations for avant-garde and underground film, stemming from a vibrant era of art films made during the 1960s. George Kuchar, Bruce Conner , Robert Nelson and Bruce Baillie were all long-time residents and considered leaders of the movement.

Today, the “scene” is lead by longtime-but-still-thriving programers such as Craig Baldwin (Other Cinema), Steve Polta (San Francisco Cinematheque), Stephen Parr (Oddball Cinema) and Dominic Angerame (Canyon Cinema), while home to many noted filmmakers such as Larry Jordan, Nathaniel Dorsky and Sam Green.

San Francisco Venues----------------------

Artist’s Television Access- 992 Valencia Street, SF
(Occasional Cash Bar- BYOB questionable, $6-15 Admission)
One of the longest-standing microcinemas in the nation, ATA is a non-profit that opens its doors to a variety of traveling filmmakers and various alternative film programs. It is also a rare underground venue that runs publicly and openly, meaning no RSVP, crazy codes, secret handshakes, etc etc to attend. Their programing can also appear in newsprint or other popular media outlets. www.atasite.org



Other Cinema- held seasonally at ATA
(Cash Bar- BYOB questionable, $6-9 Admission)
One of the area’s most well-known programs is Other Cinema, programed by the tireless Craig Baldwin, who has been a key member of the SF film scene for over three decades. Part of the show is Baldwin’s ultra-enthusiastic presentation, which comes across as a bizarre cinephilic blend between Walt Whitman and Beakman’s World. Long-time attendees call themselves “Other Cinema Students,” and privileged out-of-town filmmakers or special attendees may be rewarded by visiting Baldwin’s secret film lair below the cinema, or partake in the occasional after-hours bonus screening. All shows are relatively cheap, generally around $6. www.othercinema.com



Oddball Cinema- 275 Capp Street, SF
(Mystery Bar, BYOB accepted, $10 Admission)
Definitely a must-see for cinema junkies, Oddball is a 16mm film archive that provides stock footage for documentaries, television programs and feature films (such as Milk.) However on most Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, Oddball opens up to a revolving door of curators that program eclectic shows out of the archive’s vast collection of forgotten films. Expect a hodgepodge array of industrial, educational and other found films, perhaps not originally made for artistic purposes.

Attendees enter on an unassuming Mission side-street and venture up a long flight of stairs in an industrial building, eventually leading to a large metal door that requires a buzz-in. Due to limited seating, Oddball requests an RSVP, although if you come on a whim they’ll likely be easy on you. oddballfilms.blogspot.com

New Nothing Cinema
(Free Bar- donations and BYOB accepted, Free Admission)
This is the reincarnation of the long-running “No Nothing Cinema,” founded by the late Dean Snider and others. Currently, the series is irregular, always free, and mainly curated by filmmaker Douglas Katelus. Entrance is on a quiet sidestreet, with a small sign on the door instructing visitors to enter the unlocked door and proceed up the stairs. Attendees are mainly long-time regulars, many of whom provide drinks and snacks to share. Mailing list only, email: eastshorefilms@hotmail.com



The Vortex Room- 1082 Howard Street, SF
(Cash Bar- BYOB not encouraged, $7-10 Admission)
A purely San Franciscan experience, entrance to the cinema is unmarked and on the edge of the notorious Tenderloin district. The neighborhood can be a bit of an adventure, so definitely proceed with some caution and common sense. (My car window got smashed out my first time here!) Typically there will be a tattoo-clad hipster ruffian milling around the front door to take your admission, and a long hallway will lead to a psychedelic back-room theater space, with a bar and mostly lounge seating. This venue mainly screens bizarre Sci-Fi and forgotten Acid-trip films on 16mm, and attracts a very unusual crowd. Find The Vortex Room on Facebook for updates and schedules.

The Lab- 2948 16th Street, SF
(Cash Bar- BYOB not encouraged, $8-12 Admission)
The Lab is an experimental music venue, conveniently located within a couple blocks of the 16th/Mission BART stop. While this is not a microcinema or regular screening venue, it is a large white performance space that occasionally projects video art and other imagery during shows. www.thelab.org

San Francisco Cinematheque
(Varied Locations, Bar/BYOB questionable, $10 Admission)
The Cinematheque is a long-running SF experimental film series, currently curated by Steve Polta. The programing is nomadic, screening at a variety of venues throughout the SF Bay area. Much of the programing is derived from the archives of Canyon Cinema, an experimental distribution outlet that is known for it’s vast collection of 16mm art films. In addition to other venues on this list, the Cinematheque regularly screens at more well-known venues such as the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (SF) and Pacific Film Archives (Berkeley). www.sfcinematheque.org

Oakland/East Bay----------------------

Black Hole Cinematheque- 1038 24th Street, Oakland
(No bar- BYOB acceptable, Free Admission/Donations accepted)
The Black Hole epitomizes DIY culture, hosting free or low-cost showings at a converted church in a low-income section of Oakland. Black Hole hosts a variety of mainly experimental and documentary programs from traveling filmmakers and local programers, and is also organizing a “Free Film School” as a means for communal teaching, critique and collaboration. blackholecinema.wordpress.com

Liminal Space- 950 54th Street, Oakland
(Occasional bar, BYOB questionable, $7-12 Admission)
Liminal Space is a collective of experimental music lovers, who also realize the importance of avant-garde film and performance. It is a large white industrial space, ideal for multi-projection or other visual mayhem. Often times they will collaborate with other film organizations such as Black Hole or the SF Cinematheque to present classic avant-garde films. This is a relatively new space that attracts very large crowds by avant-garde film standards. www.liminal-space.org



Krowswork Gallery- 480 23rd Street. Oakland
(No Bar, BYOB questionable, Donations accepted.)
Krowswork is a video art gallery that hosts video installation exhibitions. It is right in the heart of the Oakland MurMur district, and a must-hit stop during 1st Friday Art Walks. www.krowswork.com

Berkeley Underground Film Society
(Bar/BYOB questionable, Free Admission)
BUFS is a film club for collectors and enthusiasts that shows forgotten or rediscovered 8mm and 16mm films. Lots of silent films and feature films once released on small-gauge formats. Currently, screenings are held most Sundays at the Tannery, 708 Gilman Street, Berkeley. berkeleyundergroundfilms.blogspot.com

South Bay---------------------

Psychotronix Film Society- San Jose/Los Altos
(No Bar, No BYOB, Kid-friendly, $5 Admission)
Radio station KFJC 89.7FM hosts occasional screenings of bizarre 16mm films from a collective of serious collectors. Wonder who buys up all those old 16mm films on eBay? These are the guys. Showings take place on a community college campus, and there are always very generous and peculiar door prizes and typically a very large crowd (100+). www.kfjc.org

**Information presented on this page is for personal use only, and not to be printed or publicized without the consent of the venue. Many DIY venues have been closed or forced to move due to high visibility or newsprint articles.**


..
d.anderson 2012

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Tea Party - Easter Rabbit Carnage

In honor of Easter 2012, here is a short clip from the 11-minute short film, "Tea Party" 2003.



"Tea Party" was part of the Freudian Trilogy, a three-part series of surrealist-influenced short films that dealt with issues of Id vs. Superego. Within the film, an Aristocratic older woman and her bearded butler find their subconscious selves submerged within the static of a television set. Each character must endure a horrific escapade portraying their inner most desires gone rancid.

The butler delights at primal carnage from behind the guise of his coat and tray, before the tides turns and a Sasquatch completes the circle, presumably devouring the butler as part of another bloody, gruesome rampage. In the full version of the film, the woman sees herself Trick-or-treating with glee, only to have her hopes and dreams crushed in front of the doorstep of a sickly, venomous zombie-child.

Color effects are created by hand-processing Ektachrome 16mm color film. The original film footage is thought to be lost.

"Tea Party" was the last film produced under Montgomery Klinefelter Productions, whose archives are maintained by the Bearded Child Film Festival. Full version of the film is available on the Dan Anderson, 2002-2007, 6-film DVD compilation.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

!!!!! SUNSHINE !!!!!

Whoa looky here..

Minneapolis mongrel and man-about-town, Mr JC Berns, has once again slipped another one under the mighty nose of the Internet. This young lad has a plethora of miscellanea hiding out in most obscure electronic corners, perhaps for the aliens to see in another lifetime.



In the future, one wonders if Internet and digital archives are able to exist long-term, and what bizarre trinkets from the past may surface in time.


Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Items Found in Drawers

Hey kids, guess what?

CINEPLOSION's very own sound man, Bobby Missile, has just unveiled a set of solo optical audio arrangements for the viewing public.

Normally we would balk at non-VHS based work around here at the CINE Lab, but jeepers creepers, how 'bout a good ol dose of object-induced hysteria to water down the brainbox:



Something about part two has a real film-like quality, even though its off an iPhone. Maybe its just the oldtime shade of the chair?? Or does the cat add some sort of organic quality??



The classic 1952 flick, "Neighbors" from Norman McLaren comes to mind. Known for Pixelation, or the moving and stopping of objects/camera to create movement, and also for very intricate sound techniques that may include piercing dots onto the optical track of the film strip. Most older film actually uses a light-based optical system, so its literally possible to "draw" sounds onto the film strip! Neato!!




Jiminy Crickets, Len Lye also comes to mind too if we're talking classic animation. "Free Radicals" is perhaps his most famous, although I'm in more of a Tiki lounge frame of mind so lets take a peek at "Colour Flight" from 1938 :: yep 1938 ::

Friday, January 13, 2012

New Release "Cat Cadg"

Following a Premiere Showing at the Arkansas Shorts on January 7, 2012, CINEPLOSION Production's "Cat Cadg" is officially released to the Internet.

A live, single take, audio/visual collaboration using analog security camera technology and improvised audio. Two young cats, Leo and Vern, must escape entrapment in this thrilling battle against the odds.

"Cat Cadg" may be considered the third part of a trilogy of videos, following "Sports on Fire" and "Bird Nest."