Reading Response Eight

1. Name at least three similarities between the punk music scene and
the punk/no-wave filmmaking scene, in terms of technology, style and
community.

The no wave film scene used Super 8 cameras, which were generally
considered by pros to be amateur/only fit for home videos. Super 8 was
cheap (combining audio & video recording which eliminated need for
sound recording equipment and post-production), and contributed to the
grainy aesthetic of the films produced in the scene. The filmmakers
didn't have training, going about it in a quick/loose/inventive way,
with no rules imposed. Influenced by the Nouvelle Vague movement in
France, these filmmakers captured their environment on their own terms
in their films. All those involved (the majority also working in the no
wave music scene at the same time) contributed in various roles in each
other's work, creating the films together in a tight-knit community.

2. In what ways was punk/no wave filmmaking a reaction to the
avant-garde film institutionalisation of the 1970s?

The no wave filmmakers avoided structure and intentional artiness in
their work, instead aiming for a visceral, raw scene informed by the
music they were also involved in.

3. Which filmmakers are cited as influences on Amos Poe, Eric Mitchell,
and Vivienne Dick (to the point that they "re-worked" earlier films)?

Jean-Luc Godard (especially Breathless, which Unmade Beds is a loose
remake of); Andy Warhol was a big influence (Vinyl is the source of
Kidnapped, which is also a minimal film taking place in a convined
area; Dick's film Gueriliere Talks has a similar structure to his
Screen Tests).

4. What were the exhibition venues for punk/no wave films such as those
by Beth B. and Scott B., and how did the venues affect film content and
style?

Max's Kansas City, a rock club in NYC, was the major venue to show the
no wave films. The B's took advantage of the setting, making The
Offenders a serial film to be shown in instalments at the club,
creating each piece the week it was to be shown (using the money
garnered from the previous showing to finance it). Black Box used the
club's acoustics and sound system to create a closed-in wall-of-sound
environment, adding poignancy to the political message of their film.

5. What does Zryd mean by "double voicing" and what does Baldwin mean
by "Fake right, go left"?

"Double voicing" is implied as the ironic technique Baldwin uses with
the voice-over in Tribulation 99; the paranoid voice which espouts one
obvious meaning actually veils the implicit, ironic meaning underneath.
Baldwin's quote "fake right, go left" means the idea behind the work:
he uses this rabidly right-wing voice-over which is so overt in its
portrayal as to be ironic, actually voicing the leftist ideas which are
critiquing the right-wing policies in this film. A modern, easily
understandable pop example would be Stephen Colbert's Colbert Report.