| The Videos |
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These were shot on ¾' tape, which represented cutting-edge technology at the time, the first portable video cameras to offer near-broadcast quality outside of the studio. Pre-dating the internet, they were distributed though the few video stores that carried artists’ and independent videos. They ended up being considered art videos, possibly only because outlets for cult humor like Comedy Central did not exist. Art or comedy – see what you think. They have won awards from the Chicago, Toronto, and Hiroshima festivals as well as from the American Film Institute and have been exhibited at art spaces including the Arnolfini Gallery in the UK, the Aarhus Kunst Museum in Stockholm, Infermental 8, and The Kitchen in New York. They’ve also been shown on television in New York, Los Angeles, Holland, Japan and Nicaragua.
Debate of the Dead (Broadband link - 5.8Mb Dialup link - 2.3Mb)
The late Susan Hayward and the late John Wayne discuss whether they got cancer from natural causes or from filming down the road from a nuclear test site. While the aftermath of a nuclear blast is not an obvious subject for satire, it has the advantage of remaining topical for 25,000 years.
Technical director Roger Christiansen went on to perform the same function for Friends, while Charlotte Colavin, who plays Dead Susan, recently turned up in a rather more animated (though still stationary) role as a judge on Law & Order. Written and produced by ES, directed by Betsy Newman.
Nancy With An “N” (Broadband link - 2.4Mb Dialup Link - 0.7Mb) Originally created as a tribute to the then-First Lady, this is a timeless anthem to the Republican Way of Life. Ellin will entertain any reasonable offer for use at the next convention. Lyrics by ES, sprightly music by Jill Rose. Directed by Betsy Newman. Katherine Parks is Nancy Reagan! |