From: Myron Ort (email suppressed)
Date: Mon Jan 18 2010 - 14:45:40 PST
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>.