Collage film

Collage film is a style of film created by juxtaposing found footage from disparate sources (archival footage, excerpts from other films, newsreels, home movies, etc.). The term has also been applied to the physical collaging of materials onto film stock.[1]

Surrealist roots

The surrealist movement played a critical role in the creation of the collage film form.[2][3] In 1936, the American artist Joseph Cornell produced one of the earliest collage films with his reassembly of East of Borneo (1931), combined with pieces of other films, into a new work he titled Rose Hobart after the leading actress.[4] When Salvador Dalí saw the film, he was famously enraged, believing Cornell had stolen the idea from his thoughts.[5] Predecessors include Adrian Brunel's Crossing the Great Sagrada (1924)[6] and Henri Storck's Story of the Unknown soldier (Histoire du soldat inconnu) (1932).[7]

The idea of combining film from various sources also appealed to another surrealist artist André Breton. In the town of Nantes, he and friend Jacques Vaché would travel from one movie theater to another, without ever staying for an entire film.[8]

Renaissance

A renaissance of found footage films emerged after Bruce Conner's A Movie (1958). The film mixes ephemeral film clips in a dialectical montage. A famous sequence made up of disparate clips shows "a submarine captain [who] seems to see a scantily dressed woman through his periscope and responds by firing a torpedo which produces a nuclear explosion followed by huge waves ridden by surfboard riders."[9] Conner continued to produce several other found footage films including Report and Crossroads among others.

Working at the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) in the 1960s, Arthur Lipsett created collage films such as Very Nice, Very Nice (1961) and 21-87 (1963), entirely composed of found footage discarded during the editing of other films (the former earning an Academy Award nomination).[10] French filmmaker Edouard de Laurot made politically charged collage documentaries such as Black Liberation (1967) and Listen, America (1968) during this period as well.[11]

In 1968, the young Joe Dante made The Movie Orgy, considered an analog precursor to online mashup videos and supercuts,[12] with producer Jon Davidson that featured outtakes, trailers and commercials from various shows and films.[13][14][15] (Similar to this cinematic mixtape both in content and humor are 2012's Trailer War[16] and 2020's The AGFA Horror Trailer Show[17] with the former under Dante's supervision.)

Examples since the 1970s

Other notable users of this technique are Chuck Workman[18] with his 1986 Oscar-winning Precious Images,[19] Rick Prelinger known for his use of home movies and ephemeral films on meditative projects like 2004's Panorama Ephemera,[20][21] Wheeler Winston Dixon known for his 1972 examination of TV advertising Serial Metaphysics,[22][23][24] Craig Baldwin in his films Spectres of the Spectrum, Tribulation 99 and O No Coronado and Bill Morrison who used found footage lost and neglected in film archives in his 2002 work Decasia[25][26][27] (which alongside Kevin Rafferty's 1982 Cold War satire The Atomic Cafe were inducted to the National Film Registry). A similar entry in the found footage canon is Peter Delpeut's Lyrical Nitrate (1991).

The technique was employed in the 2008 feature film The Memories of Angels, a visual ode to Montreal composed of stock footage from over 120 NFB films from the 1950s and 1960s.[28] Terence Davies used a similar technique to create Of Time and the City, recalling his life growing up in Liverpool in the 1950s and 1960s, using newsreel and documentary footage supplemented by his own commentary voiceover and contemporaneous and classical music soundtracks.[29] Penny Woolcock's 2012 lyrical portrait From the Sea to the Land Beyond uses footage from the BFI National Archive to create a romantically nostalgic mood piece of Britain's relationship to its coastline.[27]

Christian Marclay's The Clock, a 24-hour compilation of time-related scenes from movies,[27] debuted at London's White Cube gallery in 2010.[30] Marclay made several forays into video art that informed The Clock with his 1995 film Telephones, forming a narrative out of clips from Hollywood films where characters use a telephone,[31] and his 1998 film Up and Out combining video from Michelangelo Antonioni's Blowup with audio from Brian De Palma's Blow Out. The latter was an early experiment in the effect of synchronization, where viewers naturally attempted to find intersections between the two works, and it developed the editing style that Marclay employs for The Clock.[31][32] Paul Anton Smith, assistant editor on Marclay's The Clock, made a similar reconstruction with his 2016 piece about the movie-going experience Have You Seen My Movie?.[27] Other examples of reconstructing mainstream cinema are Guy Maddin's 2017 cine-eassy The Green Fog, a patchwork recreation of Alfred Hitchcock's 1958 thriller Vertigo using clips from other films and TV shows set in San Francisco,[27] and the installation works of Candice Breitz.[33][34]

A similar art installation by Scottish artist Douglas Gordon, 24 Hour Psycho (1993)[35] consists entirely of an appropriation of Hitchcock's 1960 psychological horror film Psycho, slowed down to approximately two frames per second from its original 24. As a result, the film lasts for precisely 24 hours, rather than the original running time of 109 minutes (1 hour, 49 minutes).[36] A century later, New York-based artist Chris Bors responded by tweaking the film as 24 Second Psycho while accommodating the short attention span of an information age society.[37][38] Other re-edits of classic movies includes Anne McGuire's Strain Andromeda The (1992) in which Robert Wise's 1971 sci-fi feature The Andromeda Strain is reconstructed shot-by-shot in reverse order of sequences, Matt Bucy's Of Oz the Wizard (2004) in which scenes from MGM's 1939 film adaptation of The Wizard of Oz are re-ordered and alphabetized to dizzying results and David Claerbout's The Pure Necessity (2016) taking Disney's 1967 animated adaptation of The Jungle Book by removing human characters such as Mowgli (alongside the narrative and musical numbers) and redrawing frames of Baloo, Bagheera and other notable animal characters to perform tranquil movements.[27]

The 2016 experimental documentary Fraud (by Dean Fleischer Camp, later known for the Oscar-nominated Marcel the Shell with Shoes On) was sourced from over a hundred hours of home video footage uploaded to YouTube by an unknown family in the United States.[27] The footage was combined with additional clips appropriated from other YouTube users and transformed into a 53-minute crime film about a family preoccupied with material consumption going to extreme lengths in order to get out from under unsustainable personal debt.[39]

Scottish poet Ross Sutherland made his 2015 feature film debut Stand By for Tape Back-Up, consisting of recordings from an old VHS tape left by his late grandfather.[40][41]

Canadian experimental filmmaker Stephen Broomer's first feature work was Potamkin (2017). The film is about the late pioneering film critic Harry Alan Potamkin (1900-1933), who was one of the first to proclaim cinema as an art form. Potamkin is composed of fragments from the many films he reviewed for newspapers and magazines during the 1920s and 1930s (e.g. Battleship Potemkin, The Passion of Joan of Arc and Metropolis).[42][43][44][45] Other Canadian collage filmmakers in a similar vein are Christina Battle,[46] David Rimmer[47] and Richard Kerr.[48]

Other acclaimed examples of 21st century collage cinema include Raoul Peck's I Am Not Your Negro (2016),[49] Brett Morgen's Grammy Award-winning Moonage Daydream (2022)[50] and the works of Hungarian filmmaker Péter Lichter.[51][52][53][54]

Notable collage documentaries

Comedies

Some of the earliest surrealist collage works were humorous. This tradition of using film collage for comedic effect can later be seen in commercial films such as Woody Allen's first film, What's Up, Tiger Lily? in which Allen took Key of Keys, a Japanese spy film by Senkichi Taniguchi, re-edited parts of it and wrote a new soundtrack made up of his own dialogue for comic effect, and Carl Reiner's 1982 comedy Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid which incorporated footage from approximately two dozen classic film noir films along with original sequences with Steve Martin.

Canadian video artist Todd Graham is known for his 1987 cult fan film Apocalypse Pooh, a bizarrely comedic mash-up of Disney's Winnie the Pooh and Francis Ford Coppola's 1979 Vietnam War epic Apocalypse Now.[68][69][70]

The 1976 postcard collage Black Forest Trading Post, made by experimental Canadian filmmakers Andrew Lugg and Stuart Klein, sandwiched a postcard image of a Pennsylvania souvenir shop with different improbable and ludicrous backgrounds.[71]

Physical film collaging

Some filmmakers have taken a more literal approach to collage film. Stan Brakhage created films by collaging found objects between clear film stock, then passing the results through an optical printer, such as in Mothlight and The Garden of Earthly Delights.

Another notable collage film that also used this technique is Fruit Flies (2010) by Canadian artist Christine Lucy Latimer similar to Mothlight.[72]

Animation

Examples of animated collage film (which uses clippings from newspapers, comics and magazines alongside other inanimate objects):

References

  1. ↑ Beaver, Frank Eugene (January 2006). "Collage film". Dictionary of Film Terms: The Aesthetic Companion to Film Art. Peter Lang Publishing. p. 46. ISBN 978-0-8204-7298-0.
  2. ↑ "Borrowed Dreams: Joseph Cornell and the Archive as Psychic Imprint by Stephen Broomer" – via vimeo.com.
  3. ↑ "Cut : film as found object in contemporary video". Milwaukee, WI : Milwaukee Art Museum. December 29, 2004 – via Internet Archive.
  4. ↑ Rony, Fatimah Tobing. The Quick and the Dead: Surrealism and the Found Ethnographic Footage Films of Bontoc Eulogy and Mother Dao: The Turtlelike. Camera Obscura. January 2003, Vol. 18 Issue 52
  5. ↑ Olivia Laing (July 25, 2015). "Joseph Cornell: how the reclusive artist conquered the art world – from his mum's basement". the Guardian.
  6. ↑ "Crossing the Great Sagrada (1924)". BFI Screenonline.
  7. ↑ "CINEMATEK - Koninklijk Belgisch Filmarchief". www.cinematek.be.
  8. ↑ André Breton, Nadja (Paris: Gallimard, 1964), and Breton, “As in a Wood.” L'age du cinema (1951) as reprinted in The Shadow and Its Shadows, ed. Paul Hammond (London: The British Film Institute, 1991). As cited by Rony, Fatimah Tobing. The Quick and the Dead: Surrealism and the Found Ethnographic Footage Films of Bontoc Eulogy and Mother Dao: The Turtlelike. Camera Obscura. Jan2003, Vol. 18 Issue 52
  9. ↑ Wees, William. Recycled Images: The Art and Politics of Found Footage Films Anthology Film Archives, New York: 1993: P.14 ISBN 0-911689-19-2
  10. ↑ Wees, William C. (Fall 2007). "From Compilation to Collage: The Found-Footage Films of Arthur Lipsett" (PDF). Martin Walsh Memorial Lecture, 2007. Canadian Journal of Film Studies. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
  11. ↑ Sklar, Robert (2007), "Cineaste's Early Years: The Quest for a Radical, Readable Film Criticism", Cineaste, 32 (4), archived from the original on 2011-09-28, retrieved 2011-02-05
  12. ↑ The Movie Orgy (1968-197?) – Midnight Only
  13. ↑ TFH Exclusive: A Clip from THE MOVIE ORGY. Trailers from Hell on YouTube.
  14. ↑ StMinneapolis, The Trylon Cinema2820 E. 33rd; Cinema, MN 55406United States612-424-5468View LocationMap The Trylon. "The Movie Orgy".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  15. ↑ CAPSULE: THE MOVIE ORGY (1968)|366 Weird Movies
  16. ↑ Trumbore, Dave (2012-10-03). "TRAILER WAR Shows Off Vintage 35mm Trailers Cut to a Feature-Length Film". Collider. Retrieved 2025-08-12.
  17. ↑ 'The AGFA Horror Trailer Show' Will Bring Rare Trailers, Commercials & More To Alamo Drafthouse Theaters|/Film
  18. ↑ "The Source". The A.V. Club. 29 March 2002.
  19. ↑ "Visionaries | 2010 Tribeca Festival". Tribeca.
  20. ↑ "DIMINISHED HORIZONS: TWO FOR THE ROAD – Spectacle Theater". August 13, 2016.
  21. ↑ Sterling, Bruce. "Dead Media Beat: Rick Prelinger and his ephemera film collection". Wired – via www.wired.com.
  22. ↑ Dixon, Wheeler W. (1997-01-01). The Exploding Eye: A Re-Visionary History of 1960s American Experimental Cinema. SUNY Press. ISBN 978-0-7914-3565-6.
  23. ↑ "First Fruits of Inspiration: The Films of Wheeler Winston Dixon". FilmInt.nu. 2014-05-21. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  24. ↑ "Wheeler Winston Dixon: From Ancient History to A Hundred Years from Today - LA Filmforum". www.lafilmforum.org. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  25. ↑ BILL MORRISON’S LIGHT IS CALLING (2004) AND JUST ANCIENT LOOPS (2012)|366 Weird Movies
  26. ↑ BILL MORRISON’S DECASIA (2002)|366 Weird Movies
  27. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 10 great remix films|BFI
  28. ↑ Hays, Matthew (October 8, 2008). "Montreal, mon amour". CBC News. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
  29. ↑ "Liverpool film portrait takes Cannes film festival by storm". Liverpool Daily Post. Retrieved 21 May 2008.
  30. ↑ "'It's impossible!' – Christian Marclay and the 24-hour clock made of movie clips | Art and design". The Guardian. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
  31. 1 2 González, Jennifer; Gordon, Kim; Higgs, Matthew (June 2005). Christian Marclay. Phaidon Press. p. 61. ISBN 978-0-7148-4374-2.
  32. ↑ Pollack, Barbara (10 July 2012). "It's About Time". ARTnews. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  33. ↑ Candice Breitz. Installations|Goodman Gallery
  34. ↑ Candice Breitz: How Mainstream Culture Shapes Us – Louisiana Channel
  35. ↑ "Designing Video Installations with Douglas Gordon". January 15, 2013 – via YouTube.
  36. ↑ Lee, Nathan (11 June 2006). "THE WEEK AHEAD: June 11–June 17; FILM". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 29 May 2023. Retrieved 16 November 2009.
  37. ↑ Gallagher, Paul (January 15, 2011). "24 Second 'Psycho'". dangerousminds.net.
  38. ↑ "Chris Bors | 24 Second Psycho (2012) | Artsy". www.artsy.net.
  39. ↑ Bray, Catherine (9 May 2016). "Hot Docs Film Review: 'Fraud'". Variety. Michelle Sobrino. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  40. ↑ "British Council UK Films Database: Stand By For Tape Back-Up". filmsandfestivals.britishcouncil.org.
  41. ↑ "Stand By For Tape Back-Up (2015) Ross Sutherland". www.visionaryfilm.net.
  42. ↑ "Potamkin by Stephen Broomer | Arts + Literature Laboratory | Madison Contemporary Arts Center". artlitlab.org. 29 July 2022. Retrieved 2024-08-02.
  43. ↑ "The Carriage Set Upright: Stephen Broomer on Potamkin". December 20, 2017.
  44. ↑ "Canyon Cinema : Canyon Cinema 50 — February & March Events".
  45. ↑ "Canyon Cinema : Now Available: New Digital Files from Stephen Broomer".
  46. ↑ Christina Battle: Acts of Resistance – Art & Trash on Vimeo
  47. ↑ The Cinematheque / National Canadian Film Day: David Rimmer (1942 – 2003)
  48. ↑ Richard Kerr: Field Trips – Art & Trash on Vimeo
  49. ↑ I Am Not Your Negro|Berlinale
  50. ↑ "Brett Morgen | Artist | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com.
  51. ↑ COLLAGE NOIR – Spectacle Theater
  52. ↑ THE RUB: PÉTER LICHTER AND BORI MÁTÉ – Spectacle Theater
  53. ↑ AN EXERCISE IN REMEMBERING: Péter Lichter and the Contemporary Hungarian Experimental Cinema – Spectacle Theater
  54. ↑ COLLAGE HORREUR – Spectacle Theater
  55. ↑ Mironescu, Andreea (2017). "In-Between Histories: Intermedial Configurations in Radu Jude's Collage Film "The Dead Nation"". Jazyk a kultúra. 31–32: 103–111 – via ResearchGate.
  56. ↑ Film Review: 'The Dead Nation' – Variety
  57. ↑ In-Between Histories: Intermedial Configurations in Radu Jude's Collage Film “The Dead Nation”
  58. ↑ Morgen, Brett. "June 17th, 1994". ESPN. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
  59. 1 2 3 4 Five 'Found Footage' Docs to Watch After The Perfect Neighbor – Esquire
  60. ↑ Alfredo Jaar. The Politics of Images|Vie des arts
  61. ↑ 25 Years Later, London|Goodman Gallery
  62. ↑ Alfredo Jaar|Frieze
  63. ↑ Calhoun, Dave. "LA 92". Time Out Worldwide.
  64. ↑ "La película infinita | IFFR". iffr.com.
  65. ↑ ""Incident" Shows How Officers React When a Police Killing Is Caught on Tape". The New Yorker. 2024-08-28. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 2025-01-24.
  66. ↑ Fein, Seth (2023-11-10). "Incident in the Old Ale House: Director Bill Morrison Discusses His Latest Documentary". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on November 12, 2023. Retrieved 2025-02-07.
  67. ↑ "The Best of Me". Sp-ectacle Theater. January 10, 2025.
  68. ↑ "The Accidental Father of Mashup Culture: Jim Knipfel on Todd Graham and Apocalypse Pooh".
  69. ↑ "Apocalypse Pooh & 7 Other All-Time Great Fan-Made Movie Mashups". ScreenRant. September 17, 2022.
  70. ↑ "Todd Graham's Apocalypse Pooh in CBC Toronto 1991 Entertainment News Segment". February 7, 2011 – via YouTube.
  71. ↑ Andrew Lugg: The Authority of the Image – Black Zero
  72. ↑ Trash, Art & (December 26, 2023). "Fragile Systems: The Media Hybrids of Christine Lucy Latimer" – via Vimeo.
  73. 1 2 "Oddball Films: Cine-Collage - Remixing the Moving Image - Thur. Sep 25 - 8PM".
  74. ↑ CAPSULE: "MASTERWORKS OF AMERICAN AVANT–GARDE EXPERIMENTL FILM 1920–1970"|366 Weird Movies
  75. ↑ "Keep it in Motion - Classic Animation Revisited: 'Fast Film'". Animation World Network.
  76. 1 2 3 4 "Earmarked for Collision: A Highly Biased Tour of Collage Animation". Routledge & CRC Press.
  77. ↑ McCormack, Tom (October 3, 2011). "Eye Washes: ROBERT BREER, 1926–2011". The Brooklyn Rail.
  78. ↑ Robinson, Chris (February 10, 2023). "Know Your Indie Filmmaker: Winston Hacking".
  79. ↑ "Binocular Briefs - Spotlight on Collage". Animation World Network.
  80. ↑ Jorgensen, Cameron (June 23, 2018). "SATURDAY SHORT: ERODIUM THUNK (2018)".
  81. ↑ Broomer, Stephen (October 10, 2023). "Paperback: Prisoners of the Printed Page and the Frayed Aesthetics of 'The Timekeepers of Eternity' (2021)".
  82. ↑ Navarro, Meagan (June 25, 2022). "'The Timekeepers of Eternity' CFF Review – 'The Langoliers' Gets an Innovative, Experimental Reworking".
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