Found footage

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Found footage is a filmmaking term which describes a method of compiling films partly or entirely of footage which has not been created by the filmmaker, and changing its meaning by placing it in a new context. It should not be mistaken for documentary or compilation films. It is also not to be mistaken with stock footage. The term refers to the "found object" (objet trouvé) of art history.

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[edit] Experimental film

The American collage artist Joseph Cornell produced one of the earliest found films with his reassembly of East of Borneo, combined with pieces of other films, into a new work he titled Rose Hobart after the leading actress. His film is notable for its Surrealist form and influence on later filmmakers.

In contrast to Cornell's use, structural film or "Materialfilm" (German) often demands that the artist only uses material of preferably unknown origin, not very defined content, and poor physical condition. This material might be treated in any way the artist chooses, even completely untreated, as long as he ignores any meaning or content of the source material. Other notable users of this technique are Craig Baldwin in his films "Spectors of the Spectrum," Tribulation 99" and "O No Coronado." Bill Morrisson uses found footage lost and neglected in film archives in his 2002 work "Decasia." Another remarkable entry in the found footage cannon is Peter Delpeut's "Lyrical Nitrate."

[edit] Commercial cinema

Another common use of found footage searches for material with recognisable content, which is edited into more or less narrative structures. Through means of editing, sound, voice-over, subtitles and/or inserts, the filmmaker tweaks the interpretation of the audience in a way that it accepts the new "truth" of the footage. Normally the source footage is of unknown origin, however, if footage with recognisable content (like historical or well-known commercial footage) is used the result can be made a parody or a political statement. A term which describes this genre is "mockumentary".

One of the first examples in mainstream cinema is Orson Welles' "F for Fake" (1974), which masterfully plays with truth and fiction and seems to be able to proof each of its statements. Another example of the use of found footage is in Woody Allen's first film, "What's Up Tiger Lily" in which Allen took a Japanese spy film by Senkichi Taniguchi, completely re-edited it and wrote a new soundtrack comprised of his own dialogue for comic effect.

A third meaning of found footage came up with the invention of TV formats which featured odd films and videos, mostly done by amateurs, combined with outtakes of film and video professionals, as well as stunts and accidents from sports shows.

[edit] Music video and VJing

A certain style of music video makes extensive use of found footage, mostly found on TV, like news, documentaries, old (and odd) films etc. Prominent examples are videos of bands like Public Enemy and Coldcut. The latter also project video material during their stage show, which includes live mixing of video footage. Many artists already work in this new field of "VJing"", but not all of them work with found footage. Those who do extensively mine the internet for new material, dig through archives like the famous Prelinger archive, or trade material among artists

[edit] Practitioners

[edit] See also

[edit] Further Reading

  • Cut: Film as Found Object in Contemporary Video, Stefano Basilico, Milwaukee Art Museum 2004.
  • Found Footage Film, Cecilia Hausheer, Christoph Settele, Luzern 1992, ISBN 3-909310-08-7
  • Films Beget Films, Jay Leyda, London, George Allen & Unwin 1964.
  • Recylced Images: The Art and Politics of Found Footage Films, William C. Wees, Anthology Film Archives, New York: 1993. ISBN 0-911689-19-2

[edit] External links

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