Space Thing is a collage of black and white imagery employing photographs, 16mm film, super 8 home movies and stop-motion animation to recall the fragmented nature of dreams and old memories; it was inspired by, and features, the electronic music of Manherringbone. There was never any intended symbolism in the use of the images, my only concern was to construct something that was interesting to look at.
Space Thing – TRT 3:30 mins.
Tim studied filmmaking at Pittsburgh Filmmakers and is currently employed working in a dusty ware- house. His first film, an experimental short called Space Thing, premiered in 2004 at the Three Rivers Film Festival and went on to play at the 2006 Slamdance Film Festival; he recently completed his second film, a feature length documentary called Half A Bee. Tim lives in central Pennsylvania with his wife, a new baby, a three-legged chicken and a stuffed chin- chilla.
Manherringbone is one man, Bob Saunders, and has been recording and performing experimental music for over 10 years. Using all analog equipment in unintended ways has always been the inspiration for the project. The sound itself is flowing and unpredictable, ranging from echoing resonant pulses to extreme bursts of harsh noise. Bob’s whereabouts are currently unknown.
Tim Busko – Huntingdon PA
17 Days Video Series 
Loved it. The dream like state of mind was captured quite well. This is much like a piece myself would create. Not sure if I agree with the traditional scroll type credits at the end tho…just a thought
You’re right, the scrolling credits are a bit on the long side. Doing it now, I’d probably opt for a couple of hand drawn title cards.
Tim Busko
I like that you described this as recalling the fragmented nature of dreams and old memories. That is exactly what it seemed like. I think that they fact that this video is only viewed in black and white also adds an element of imagination. Since memories can be blurred and somewhat fuzzy, it is almost as if the viewer adds the color with their own mind.
It almost makes you feel eager to know what actually happened or why did you use the pictures you used or shoot the things you did. I liked that you used black and white as well. The audio goes well with the video too!
I think this was a really beautiful use of black and white imagery, especially in a world bursting with color. It definitely mimics memories and dreams, in that they are not always easy to recall or remember vividly. The mixture of stop motion and video was really smooth, and done in a way that it wasn’t obvious where each was used. That’s working really well for me, personally. I get distracted when there is too much of a separation between the two; here they are absolutely working together and leaning on each other.
The title confuses me a little bit because Space Thing feels extra-terrestrial. But I can connect it to your artists statement because I feel like space is intangible just like memory. Overall it was a very visual and auditory experience which I enjoyed.
“Space Thing” is the nickname I gave to the rotating sculpture; after I made the thing, I didn’t know what else to call it, and that eventually became the film title.
Tim Busko
It sort of reminds me of how I feel when I sit in a public place and watch people who are completely unaware of the moment they are in – they’re either talking about something that already happened or gossiping. It makes me feel like a camera myself, recording events unwillingly.
This completely captures the candid theme. I enjoy the shot because it feels personable. The statements helps. I did know what was going on until after I read it.
Even though the imagery wasn’t intended, it still conveys a surreal, dreamlike quality. The flashes of people remind me of memories and they give me an eerie feeling.
If the imagery was not meant to be symbolic of anything, and only meant to visually interesting, the odd collection of imagery is interesting. However, if the video is about memories and dreams, it is difficult to ascertain that on just the video itself without any type of statement. THe audio ma
I wasn’t consciously constructing the film about memories and dreams, it was something that only occurred to me after it was edited. Films like this are best not summed up in a directors statement; but when you are asked to, what do you do?
Tim Busko
The images are almost abstracted enough that I felt like I was viewing images from my past. The audio, mixed with grainy images give a someone unsettling feel to the video. The transitions/flashes of pictures/images feels almost urgent.
I really enjoyed this! The stop motion really seemed to mimic memory where we have these jerky segmented thoughts that add up to a whole. The music was fit well with the mood and the visual grain-iness of the video.
With the abrasive, creepy music and the imagery, I feel like this is a look back to a troubled past. There are flashes of seemingly happy imagery presented in an ominous and abrasive manner.
Defiantly caught the dream like aspect of the film. really enjoyed the combination of stop motion and film I feel like that really added to the emotion you have created. Well done!
stunning video. the progression through the stop motion and traditional video is flawless. it mixes both grained imagery and crisp clear stop motion well, balancing them as separate identities. the breaks and lead ins between each frame are great. this movie you can tell that the person creating it really loved this work and nailed it.
I liked how the imagery flashed and transitioned into one another. I got the sense of dreams just with all the image choices collaged together and how they were random and flashed quickly.
Very interesting video, although the artist didn’t intend for the imagery to mean anything, I believe his past had a lot to do with the images that were chosen. The memories he showed seemed happy, but put into this context i felt like they were sad memories. Maybe some kind of regret. He put in a quote, “…and visit the people and places every child knows…and loves.” I think that was a very conscious choice, again, without knowing anything about the artist, I think this video shows regret.
I think most memories are, by their very nature, inherently sad. There is almost always a sense of loss with the passing of time. No regret, though.
Tim Busko
I feel there is a narrative that is subtly being played out in this video with all of the images and objects that flash through the screen.
This video makes me want to know what dreams or old memories this is about. It makes me feel a little uncomfortable but in a good way. I really liked that you added in stop motion it fits very well
Definitely interesting to look at, i like the stop motion of the flower. Also all the little clips of the people give the video nostalgic vibe that made it feel like I was looking at someone’s memory.
This imagery is really cool! I like the old 8mm film and the black n white combination. The video works together very well and I think the end result turned out to be abstract and inspiring.