Film in Which There Appear Edge Lettering, Sprocket Holes, Dirt Particles, Etc.
- 1966
- 6m
IMDb RATING
3.6/10
230
YOUR RATING
An experimental short from Owen Land in which the degradation of film is shown over time.An experimental short from Owen Land in which the degradation of film is shown over time.An experimental short from Owen Land in which the degradation of film is shown over time.
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- ConnectionsReferenced in La última película (2013)
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Self-Reflective Film
It's no wonder that Owen Land's interesting "Film in Which There Appear Edge Lettering, Sprocket Holes, Dirt Particles, Etc." is given a 3.5 rating on this site. It's one of the hardest experimental films to understand, for the simple reason it is barely a film itself. Even for fans of avant-garde and experimental cinema, this one's an extreme puzzler. But all experimental works have some intent behind them, even if it is not overt: it could be analytical, philosophical, etc. Unfortunately, the one thing experimental films are accused of is exactly the opposite: that they have no idea or intent behind them and are passed off under creative vision to be great works of art. An unavoidable accusation, and one which has clearly made itself present in the user ratings on IMDb.
"Film in Which There Appear Edge Lettering, Sprocket Holes, Dirt Particles, Etc." has an interesting concept behind it. It is barely a film, one consisting entirely of some frames from a filmstrip of a china girl posing for a leader test - if you recall, something typically found at the beginning of 16mm filmstrips. The girl is centered away on the left, while the center of the screen consists of the sprocket holes on the filmstrip, with printed letters on them. To the right is the sound strip on the film with the leader girl again, only the other half of the frame. The only thing that changes the entire time is the appearance and disappearance of the edge lettering and scratches on the different frames, and there is some slight camera movement. Otherwise it is a still image, unmoving in action and to many of the common public, not worthy of being called a 'film'.
The point? Just this. In viewing this, we are aware of how the very film was created. We are seeing the parts of a film one does not normally see, such as the sprocket holes and sound strip: the pieces of a motion picture that make it work. We have become aware that watching a film is not the reality we want to think it is, confronted fully that it is no more than a piece of celluloid or paper with printed images. Hence, instead of watching the film like a movie, with action and movement, we are focusing our attention away from the image we would normally be more interested in seeing (off-center, notice) and looking more at the dirt particles and scratches on the medium itself. The sound, that of a projector running, adds to the concept. A self-reflective idea obviously, which is what makes it so interesting. It is also not as boring as it sounds either: for me the six minutes flew by.
"Film in Which There Appear Edge Lettering, Sprocket Holes, Dirt Particles, Etc." has an interesting concept behind it. It is barely a film, one consisting entirely of some frames from a filmstrip of a china girl posing for a leader test - if you recall, something typically found at the beginning of 16mm filmstrips. The girl is centered away on the left, while the center of the screen consists of the sprocket holes on the filmstrip, with printed letters on them. To the right is the sound strip on the film with the leader girl again, only the other half of the frame. The only thing that changes the entire time is the appearance and disappearance of the edge lettering and scratches on the different frames, and there is some slight camera movement. Otherwise it is a still image, unmoving in action and to many of the common public, not worthy of being called a 'film'.
The point? Just this. In viewing this, we are aware of how the very film was created. We are seeing the parts of a film one does not normally see, such as the sprocket holes and sound strip: the pieces of a motion picture that make it work. We have become aware that watching a film is not the reality we want to think it is, confronted fully that it is no more than a piece of celluloid or paper with printed images. Hence, instead of watching the film like a movie, with action and movement, we are focusing our attention away from the image we would normally be more interested in seeing (off-center, notice) and looking more at the dirt particles and scratches on the medium itself. The sound, that of a projector running, adds to the concept. A self-reflective idea obviously, which is what makes it so interesting. It is also not as boring as it sounds either: for me the six minutes flew by.
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- Tornado_Sam
- Apr 11, 2020
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