The Pimp continues with his theories on projectionists and offers some solutions to their tyrannical control over presenting an artists work.
Part 2: PierreHébertandtheWorkofAnimation intheAge ofDigitalReproduction
WHEN I FIRSTTHOUGHTOFTHISMODESTPROPOSALTOELIMINATEFILMPROJE
CTIONISTSAFEWYEARSBACK, ITWASFORTHEMOSTPART,AJOKE.I WASTAKING AMILDPOKEATTHOSEANIMATORSWHO-HAVINGFAILED TOREAD
WALTERBENJAMINWHILESTANDINGINLINETOBUYANASIFAMEMBERSHIP -WERECAUGHT UPINTHATSTALEBELIEF OFTHEARTIST ASGODANDART
ASSOMEPRECIOUSTHING. WELLSORRY TODISAPPOINTYOUFOLKS,BUTYOUAIN'TASPRECIOUSASYOUTHINK,ESPECIALLYWITHOUTTHETECHNOLO
GYNEEDED TOMAKEYOUSACREDCARTOONIES.ANDIFYOUWEREAGODDAMNEDGODYOU'DHAVENOPROBLEMBEINGEVERWHERE ATONCE.AS
SUCH,PROJECTINGYOUROWNGODDAMNEDWORKWOULDNTPOSEMUCH OFAPROBLEM.
THISBRINGSMEBACKTOPIERREHÉBERT,THEMAN
WHOINDIRECTLYMOTIVATED MYPROPOSAL.SINCE THEEARLY1980S,HÉBERTHASBEENDOINGSCRA TCHANIMATIONPERFORMANCES.SOMETIMES,
HÉBERTPERFORMEDSOLO,BUTOFTEN HEWORKEDWITHMUSCIANS.BYTHEMID1980S,PERFORMANCE ELEMENTSBEGAN TOAPPEAR INHISFILMS(LA METRO, O
PICASSO) ANDIN1988HÉBERTMADELETTREDAMOUR, AFILMVERSION OFAMULTI-MEDIAPERFORMANCE.
IN1999,HÉBERT LEFTTHENATI
ONALFILMBOARD OFCANADAAFTERBEINGTHERE FOROVERTHREEDECADESAS ANANIMATORAND PRODUCER.SINCETHATTIMEHE'SCONCENTRATEDALMOST
EXCLUSIVELYONTHEPERFORMANCEASPECT OFHIS WORK.THROUGHOUTTHELASTTWOYEARS,HÉBERT HASTOUREDHISSCRATCHANIMATION
PERFORMANCESAROUNDTHEWORLD.THEPERFORMANCE GENERALLYINVOLVEDLIVESCRATCHANIMATION WITHAMUSICALCOLLABORATOR.EACH
PERFORMANCEWASUNIQUEANDCONTAINEDALEVEL OFENERGYNOTOFTENFOUND ATAFILMSCREENING.THE RESULTSWEREMIXED (INSERT
MILDGRUNTANDCASUALSHRUG OFTHESHOULDERHERE).
NOGRUNTSHOWEVER FORHÉBERT'SLASTPERFORMANCEPIECE(WITH AVANTGARDE
MUSICIANBOBOSTERTAG)BETWEENGARBAGEAND SCIENCE.FORTHISHOURLONGPERFORMANCEABOUT THEDISPOSABILITYOFCULTURE,OSTERTAGISEQUIP
PEDWITHAMACPOWERBOOK. ONITARE AWIDEARRAY OFSOUNDSCAPE SAMPLESTHATOSTERTAGCANMANIPULATETHROUGH APROGRAMCALLEDMAX.
HISLAPTOP ISCONNECTED TOHÉBERT'SPOWERBOOKWHICH HASABOUT FIFTYIMAGESSTOREDALONGWITHAFEW QUICKTIMEMOVIES(PRIMARIL
YNEWSFOOTAGE).LIKEOSTERTAG,HÉBERTCAN MANIPULATETHEPACE,TEXTUREANDSEQUENCING OFHISMATERIAL.THISMEANS,FOREXAMPLE,THAT HE IS
NOTREQUIREDTOPRESENTIMAGES AT24FRAMES PERSECOND.BESIDE THECOMPUTERHÉBERT HAS ADIGITALVIDEOCAMERAAFFIXED TOTHETOP OF A
PORTABLEHOMEMADEANIMATIONSTANDWITHA DIGITALVIDEOCAMERAAFFIXED TOTHETOP.THE CAMERA ISCONNECTED TOHÉBERT'SCOMPUTERSO
THATHECANMAKEANDINCORPORATELIVEANIMATION WITHTHEARCHIVEDMATERIAL.
THEMOSTASTONISHINGASPECT OFTHEPERFORMANCE,FOROUR
PURPOSES,ISTHATNOPROJECTIONISTISREQUIRED. INFACTTHEARTISTCREATESANDPROJECTSTHE IMAGESSIMULTANEOUSLY.WHILE NOTALLFILMS
WILLBEIMPROVISED ITISCERTAINTHATWITHIN ADECADEWECOULD BESEEINGFESTIVAL COMPETITIONSPRESENTED INTHESAMEMANNER. FUTURE
COMPETITORSCANTAKEASEAT,OPENUPTHEIRLAPTOPS ANDPERFORM.
HURRAY!HURRAY, ISAY.THEDAYSOFLUMBERINGTECHNOLOGICAL PROC
ESSESAREOVER.NOMOREPROJECTIONISTS(IWILL MISSTHEM)! NOMOREAPESHOWS (IWON'TMISS THEM).NOMORE24FRAMESPERSECOND!
HÉBERT'S
PERFORMANCEASKSUS TORECONSIDER THEWAYWE CREATE,PRESENTANDEXPERIENCEANIMATION. THERE ISNOTHINGREVOLUTIONARYINTHIS.MUSIC HAS
BEENDOING ITFORYEARS.HOLLYWOODHASALREADYMADEA DIGITALFEATUREFILM.BUTINTERMS OF INDEPENDENTANIMATION,WHATHÉBERT IS
DOING ISUNFORTUNATELYQUITERADICAL.ISAY 'UNFORTUNATELY'BECAUSETHESETECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTSCOULDHAVEBEENEMBRACED
EARLIER.
ASIFAISPARTLY TOBLAME.THEYWEREFOUNDEDTOPROTECTAND PROMOTEARTISTICANIMATION,BUTINSTEAD CREATED AMONSTER.ASIFA
QUICKLYBECAMEANINSULARGROUP OFINDIVIDUALSWHO,NAMELESSANDNEGLECTED, FORMEDTHEIROWNOLYMPUSWHERETHEYCOULD BEGODS.IN
THEMEANTIMETHEWORLDMOVED ON:THEPOLITICAL,SOCIALANDCULTURALLANDSCAPES SHIFTED ASTECHNOLOGICALDEVELOPMENTS EMERGED.BYTHE
1990S,ASIFAHADGONE,LARGELYUNAWARES,FROM OLYMPIANGODSTOCASTAWAYS ONGILLIGAN'SISLAND.
IT'STIMETOGETOFFTHEISLAND.
HottieAnimator oftheMonth
JanieGeiserhasbeenmakingsome beautifulcontemplative,nourishingcut-out/stop-motion filmsthathavebeenstrangelyabsentfrom animation
festivals.
Chris Robinson is a writer, festival director, programmer, junky and has been call ed the John Woo of diplomacy. His hobbies include horseback
riding, pudpulling, canoeingand goat thumping.
A well-known figure in the world of independent animation, writer, author & curator Chris Robinson is the Artistic Director of the Ottawa International Animation Festival.
