Video Calibration – TRT 25:09
VIDEO CALIBRATION: a movie is an experimental narrative fiction work consisting of (re)contextualized appropriated footage from a carefully selected group of Hollywood films. Several actors play the same character throughout the story. A mortally wounded android detective relives his life through disjointed omniscient flashbacks. His mind tumbles through memories of lost love and unsolved cases as his life forces dissipate.
The films that were combined include: 8 Mile (2002), Angel Heart (1987) Blackmail (1929), Blade Runner (1982), Fargo (1996), Fletch Lives (1989), Ruckus (1981), Secret Agent (1936), The Man with the Golden Arm (1955).
Each shot was (re)filmed with a MiniDV camera off the screen of a CRT (tube) television. These were then linearly edited onto a single VHS cassette. This tape was played and paused through a projector (set incorrectly to SECAM video format) onto a 1950’s era silver reflective projection screen. This live mixing of the film was (re)recorded with a digital SLR camera at 1080p. This footage was further edited within Adobe Premier and After Effects. I created the soundtrack as a live performance on a simplified digital instrument synchronized with the action on screen. This version of the film is intended for screening.
VAV VAVREK — was born in wilkes barre, pennsylvania and grew up in the the shadows of the rusting smokestacks of pittsburgh. a slight brain malfunction caused him to ride screaming into the wind on a faded steel horse until he lost his voice in phoenix, arizona. in 2011 vav violently dug up his roots and tried to cultivate a new existence in the smog belt of the increasingly misnamed city of angels. the decade long drought in california caused him to cross the continent again in 2016. vav is now sharing his artistic ailment at alfred state college as an adjunct professor and technician for the digital media department.
vav vavrek is a creator of things as well as an instigator of events. he tends to delve deeply into the refuse piles of the fortunate to aid in the expression of his deep seated agitations and anxieties. his works and his writing evoke some of the helplessness and anger of the new lost generation. his most recent works crawl through the grimy recesses of life through explorations of addiction, mental illness, poverty, gender roles, and politics. vav utilizes any and all materials that he can get to adhere to his greasy fingers, including: oil, acrylic, enamel, marker, spray paint, alternative photographic processes, scrap metal, broken electronics, low quality video, splinters of wood, and anonymous detritus.
17 Days Video Series 
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