Abstract Photo Moto Series - 37

Fine art filmmaking in the early 1980’s was done using 8mm, Super8, and 16mm film. Many of the films that I saw were made with 8mm or Super8 film stock.They were usually referred to as small gauge films. Many were silent. They utilized light and shadow, the rhythm of the splices, camera movement, focus variations, and tricks from experimental photography to create a short visual experience in motion. It was very enticing to visual artists because paintings couldn’t move. Lithographs couldn’t shift in or out of focus. Drawings would never be able to pan or zoom. Static art forms are great; but, what if they could move and change? So, in spite of the drawbacks, it became popular and screenings of small gauge, hand held films were common.

And drawbacks did exist throughout the process. It was quite expensive for a young artist to make a three minute film. They deteriorated each time they were projected so multiple copies had to made from a work print that ideally was never run through a projector. Access to a projector was also an issue. There were Kodachrome and Ektachrome days meaning you might have the wrong film stock when the weather changed. For the indoors there was Tri-X which was a very grainy film stock rarely mentioned in polite company. Cameras could be purchased at pawnshops for around ten dollars so having multiple cameras solved the issue of changing film to suit conditions. Compared to today it was a pain in the butt.

I decided to replicate the methods of the analog films using modern everyday equipment. I called the films Abstract Photography in Motion at first. They became the Abstract Photo Moto Series. This is one of the early ones that is still a favorite. An homage to the analog small gauge films in Hi-Def. And, made for next to nothing. Well, I chewed into a lot of SD Cards and batteries.

Analog methods in Hi-Def –o– Please enjoy this purely visual experience

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