Christina's Presentation - Shirley Clarke & Jen Proctor

I was able to watch this presentation twice and thought Christina did a great job! That fact Shirley Clarke had a a phrase coined after her for grabbing the camera from Cinematographers is all I need to know to love her. Her Academy Award win for Best Feature Film Documentary in 1963 for Robert Frost is an inspiration. 1963 makes it all the more significant. Although dance films are not my cup of tea, I enjoyed watching Clarke's pristine cutting on action to transition to the next location. Her ability to cut the film at the most specific moments was very impressive. Her film on the bridge was as equally as interesting as what she did with the sound. She was not permitted to use certain songs so she took snippets from too and looked them! That worked out anyway! Jen Proctor also utilized sound in unique ways. "Am I Pretty?" was a powerful and painful thing to " watch". Using just the audio was quite relevant to all girls insecurities due to what they've been told to believe. I don't think I could have watched it while seeing the girls faces. The ending where the girl said she thought she was beautiful was a helpful way to close out the film on a higher note. Her split screen film alongside Bruce Conner's made many years before was a great juxtaposition of means of transportation then to now. Comparing images of horses as the main means of transportation back in the day to now is quite a sight. From horses to horsepower. Proctor's film, Portrait of Jason, is one I've heard is one of the most profound LBGTQ films. I would love to see it and would even moreso love to see her "Nothing a Little Soap and Water Can't Fix."

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