Found Footage Films Showcased

Fringe ArtsKatie McGroarty — Published March 27, 2012

Instead of debating the advantages or merits of different schools and styles, as film students typically do, Concordia’s Advanced Montage class decided to do something a little different—they’re going to combine them.

The students in Richard Kerr’s FMPR 439 class this semester were all given the same archival footage by their professor and told to create a unique piece. The final result would be a mix between fiction and documentary films, while the footage is combined into an original work of montage.

“People chose different parts of the films,” said Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema student Ralitsa Doncheva. “[Our professor] gave us fiction films and documentary films as footage. Even though we were working with the same footage, the films were completely different. It’s kind of a comment on the nature of film and montage.”

An unorthodox take on typical class presentations, the filmmakers decided that their work should get the chance to be shown to a wider audience than their classroom peers.
The 12 films, varying in length from five to ten minutes, will be showcased at La Sala Rossa on March 29 in a presentation called Montage/Montage which screens found-footage films from the 2011-12 academic year.

“Even though we were working with the same footage, the films were completely different.” Doncheva said. “It’s kind of a comment on the nature of film
and montage.”

“Even though we were working with the same footage, the films were completely different. It’s kind of a comment on the nature of film
and montage.” -Ralitsa Doncheva

“We thought it would be interesting for people to see these kinds of films. We also wanted it to be less formal,” says Doncheva. “At La Sala Rossa people can talk, have a drink and ask questions. We wanted to be friendly and open.”

The archival footage used in the films was taken from the pre-digital era—a time that has interested Doncheva since first starting film school at Concordia.
“A lot of us went to film school with the idea that we would be working in film. We have been trained in 16mm. […] I guess there a nostalgia towards film and everyone who loves cinema as this romantic ideal that goes with film,” she says.

In this case, film’s gradual descent into obsolescence actually worked in the students’ favour, as they were able to acquire footage from places throwing away films produced in a bygone era, usually because they didn’t have the equipment to protect it.

Tackling the challenge of making a unique film from footage shared with 12 other students may seem daunting, but Doncheva said that that diversity in creative styles between the students made for an exciting final project.

“You work with limitation, but you interpret the footage differently […] I was focused more on aesthetics and making something different,” said Doncheva.

“There were other people that were more formal. Because it’s not your footage and you’re not attached to the content I think. You let yourself explore that form.”

with files from Elysha del Giusto-Enos

Montage/Montage / La Sala Rossa (4848 St. Laurent Blvd.) / March 29 / 9:00 p.m. & 11 p.m. / Free or by donation