From: Jack Sargeant (email suppressed)
Date: Mon Jan 18 2010 - 16:53:23 PST
Cut Ups as a musical is spot on of course, there's a clear link between
WSBs sound experiments and bands like Throbbing Gristle etc and, by
extension, various other experimental musicians. Jack
> In 1968, the era of psychedelic light shows at concerts, the
> popularity of underground cinemas showing all kinds of unusual
> experimental films , concerts by John Cage et al, "happenings" etc ,
> given that context "Cut Ups" doesn't seem that far out to me in the
> "overload" sense, however, it is a very good film, perhaps even a
> pioneering film, and one that I certainly would have been excited
> about in 1968 (as I am now), since some us were clamoring for that
> kind of thing back then. So I take it, we are maybe searching for a
> "term" which might describe such a narratively "non linear" approach
> and this is what you (and others?) are designating "sensory
> overload"? Would there not be several other alternatives terms?
> "Overload" has this "I can't take it --too much man! my head will
> explode!" connotation which, I guess, Is what I am objecting to. Cut
> Ups, through an approach to montage (collage) breaks up (disjoints)
> otherwise "figurative/narrative/continuous" type recognizable shots
> and reassembles them with a type of "musicality" instead. Its a
> musical! An experimental film "musical". Is that the term we are
> looking for? ha ha ha. smiley face, etc.
>
> Myron Ort
>
>
> On Jan 18, 2010, at 1:11 PM, Jack Sargeant wrote:
>
>> I'm pretty sure Cut-Ups is on Ubuweb or Youtube.
>>
>> OK, by sensory overload in this instance I mean that the film uses
>> image and sound in such a way as to break any notion of coherence,
>> so that, watching it, the audience are compelled to experience the
>> film rather than just understand it or follow it. It resists the
>> normal sensory satisfactions associated with film, both the
>> experiences of hearing and watching are transformed, the
>> combination of linguistic permutations in the narration and the (on
>> first viewing) apparently random images means that the audience
>> have to 'go with the film' and experience something utterly
>> unfamiliar.
>>
>> As I said the notion of overload would be personal, I have no
>> problem with Cut-Ups but grew up in an MTV riddled world, however
>> for somebody watching the film in '68 the experience was probably
>> utterly different.
>>
>> Jack
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On 19 Jan 2010, at 07:17, Myron Ort wrote:
>>
>>> I was hoping for a "theoretical" definition of "sensory overload"
>>> rather than another example of a film or whatever that I cannot
>>> easily access. Even watching 77 minutes of Sistiaga's handpainted
>>> @ sound speed with overloud live punk music, I wasn't really
>>> thinking "sensory overload", just "unpleasant experience". Even
>>> multiple screen performances don't seem like "sensory overload" to
>>> me, but just what they are supposed to be. I was hoping for a
>>> definition of "sensory overload" that wouldn't need to include
>>> "handpainted" films almost by definition. In other words, once I
>>> accepted the hand painted film, or films where every frame is
>>> really (or really really) different it seems there can no longer
>>> be anything called "sensory overload". By "handpainted" I mean
>>> the one's where there is not so much figurative continuous action
>>> between frames like animation or clearly comprehensible
>>> anthropomorphic dancing blobs etc. As someone who digs
>>> "experimental filmmaking" and phenomena of nature, (pre and post
>>> psychedelic) I am not sure there is such a thing as "sensory
>>> overload".
>>>
>>> Myron Ort
>>>
>>>
>>> On Jan 17, 2010, at 4:14 PM, Jack Sargeant wrote:
>>>
>>>> Although outside the period of the original question perhaps
>>>> Balch & Burroughs' The Cut Ups could be considered an example of
>>>> sensory overload.
>>>> But, of course the very notion of overload would be a personal
>>>> experience.
>>>>
>>>> Jack
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On 5 Dec 2009, at 04:04, Myron Ort wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Now that I think of it, I don't think I have ever experienced
>>>>> anything I would call "sensory overload" as pertaining to a film
>>>>> experience. Could someone define this genre for me. What are
>>>>> the characteristics?
>>>>>
>>>>> Thanks.
>>>>>
>>>>> Myron Ort
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On Dec 3, 2009, at 4:05 PM, Mark Toscano wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Howdy all -
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I've been working out a possible program (or two) of films that
>>>>>> demonstrate the idea of "sensory overload", and although I have
>>>>>> a bunch of titles in mind already, I'd love to get more
>>>>>> suggestions, especially of work from the past 10-15 years or
>>>>>> so. Shorts are preferable, as it's meant to be a diverse,
>>>>>> mixed program of numerous artists from different eras.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> thanks much for any suggestions -
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Mark T
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> __________________________________________________________________
>>>>>> For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> __________________________________________________________________
>>>>> For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> __________________________________________________________________
>>>> For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> __________________________________________________________________
>>> For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.
>>
>>
>> __________________________________________________________________
>> For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.
>>
>
>
> __________________________________________________________________
> For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.
>
__________________________________________________________________
For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.