Portrait of the Auteur as a Young Woman

I remember that day in 2001 when I first discovered the Trailer Park Boys series. It wasn't so much my obvious affinity to dope growing / gas siphoning Nova Scotians, so much as it was my love of the gritty amateur mockumentary.

There is something truly awe-inspiring about producing, directing and casting a popular show at rock-bottom budget. Now throw in a semi-rural Atlantic Canadian town, a wormish sidekick in coke bottle glasses, and an alpha-male with a rum and coke welded to his hand and you've got yourself a charming little program - one that lasts for more than 5 years.

THE MEDIUM
I was convinced I was going to be the next Tarantino. I set to work taking short 30 second clips on my digital camera and downloaded all of the editing programs I could. A month later I toyed with the idea of interning with a Vancouver-based video coalition just to get some time in on the Avid Express. I tweened, cut and hacked into my clips with enthusiasm and when the final product was finished, I found two things. The first was that sound is a very important factor in films, and the second was that I am an incredibly heavy-handed director. I am not a filmmaker and I respect anyone who is.

THE PROCESS

Grip, a project created as part of 'Nederclips' at the Stedelijk museum in Amsterdam chronicles the filmmaking process as a film. Created as one continuous shot in front of a live audience, trampoline acrobats flip, rotate and pulse while another artist / actor paints the progress bar into the lower half of the screen. Given that Citizen Kane was heralded for it's long, continuous shots, Grip's use of acrobatics, smoke and aerials is an amazing feat.

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Portrait of the Auteur as a Young Woman

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