Frampton, Snow, and the VJ Theory

Hollis Frampton was an avaunt grade film maker. I watched Critical Mass, and Snowblind. There is a great deal of contrast between these two pieces. I saw Critical Mass as an disconnect between visual and audio. I seemed to me that the two were both overlapping each other. Such as the piece portrays in the couples argument. Snowblind had a creepy silent quality to it. It too is black and white, but is just different angles and zooms of this cage like place with the image of a man appearing and disappearing. The silence adds the overall power of the piece. It gives it an somber quality in a less than somber place. I also watched an interview with him. I was quite interesting. He talked about his initial interest in poetry and the arts. This lead to his radio show and later to film. Its good to hear someone speak for them self.

Micheal Snow is considered one of the most influential film makers. I viewed one of his most well know and considered infamous works, Wavelenght. I watch the abbreviated 10 minute version on YouTube. The 45 minute one is available to watch on google. It has no conventional plot and is a strange series of event with almost no action. A large room, Hellis Frampton enters and dies. The next part is like a very slow move forward with this person popping into the screen. The sound intensifies as the movie progresses. It felt like some kind of drug in a way, it built and built with sound and the image slowly getting into view. This is along with the strange small things happening. Then the brain explosion at the end with the picture coming into full and focused view with a sound which i cannot describe. It is a minimalist type of ride.
This all leads into the VJ theory. I find this world attractive. I am still trying to come to grips with the concept but I understand it is the connection between the visual and audio world in real time. It is not just a liner film, but a manipulation of the audio through the visuals. I have read that this can go both ways. This is achieved through pre-filmed material mixed in real time to achieve unity with the live action. I have seen this at festivals mainly. Not at the time being fully aware of this system, but thinking back and understand rock show lighting techniques it makes since to work in real time. A VJ is similar to a DJ in the real time perspective, but the major difference is that while DJ's operate with a library of prerecorded content and mix the material. VJ create mostly there own content and alter constantly through the course of its purpose.