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"I think that the only option is to come up with alternative distribution networks, alternative ways of getting the films seen." So says Brian Standing of Electric Eye Cinema. Electric Eye started last March to show independent documentaries along with an Open Reel Hour, which consists of various shorts made by aspiring filmmakers in the Madison area: "The whole festival/Hollywood/ media system just kills creativity, and it is such a monopoly, that I don't see much of a point in trying to work through that system. It's much better and more rewarding to distribute films more independently." |
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Which is exactly what Standing had in mind when he started Electric Eye. Now he is working to extend this community of filmmakers even further. He has contacted other independent venues across the country to create a network outside of the usual film distribution sources. He compares what he is trying to do for independent film to what was done during the punk rock movement of the 80's. By using the do-it-yourself ethic he hopes to gain attention for films that would normally be marginalized, if shown at all. |
| Electric Eye functions as new kind of cinema
that works outside the usual theater systems. In fact, Electric Eye
is not actually a cinema. It is the Electric Earth Cafe, which once a month
functions as an improvised theater large screen, speakers extra chairs
are set up in back room, where 50 audience members gather to see the newest
documentaries and shorts.
The improvised feeling of the venue only enhances the Mm seen there. The films themselves are unusual and made more intimate by filmmakers who have no connection to Hollywood. A place like Electric Eye, with its bright blue walls and aggregate of chairs collected from different sources, is the perfect complement to the independent films shown. "In the format and the subject matter [the films] are unusual, and the usual distributors don't know what to do with them. They don't know who is going to be interested in films like these because they are used to thinking in a particular form and style, and anything else is very hard for them," said Standing. The films range from absurd claymation to serious political documentary. Some of the films are obviously home video endeavors, while others achieve a verisimilitude to larger budget works. "This is the kind of thing where you have no idea what it's about unless you go," said audience member Alex Depfllis. Standing works to make sure that all the films shown entertain and engage simultaneously. "Lately there have been two extremes [in documentary]. You have the very academic, nostalgic looks at a subject, mostly about people who have been long dead and don't have a lot of relevance to people today, and then there's the other extreme which is reality television and pseudo-documentary like Survivor or Cops that have absolutely no lasting value or intelligence," said Standing. As Standing declares in Electric Eye's mission statement, "When it comes to documentary film, the adjectives 'intelligent,' 'entertaining,' and 'relevant' are not mutually exclusive." He is also a fan of satire and humor, which he feels are underused and underappreciated, and avers that objectivity is a sham and that a film should "wear its heart on its sleeve. " None of which goes along with the traditional ways of making documentaries
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.Standing isn't interested in how the mass
media does things and feels that there is another mass that is tired of
polarized entertainment sources. "[Documentary] doesn't have to be
dumb or boring. It can be something that is entertaining and yet
still raise some points. I think there are a lot of people who are
tired of the usual media fair and want something different," said Standing.
Apparently he is right. Since Electric Eye's opening all the shows save one have been sold out. For $5 admission -- less than most movie tickets -- people get to see something completely novel. "I like to be moved and I like a provocative film that is going to make me think and challenge me," says David Holtan, a regular at the Electric Eye Cinema. "I think people are into the fact that people are creating something and doing it on their own. Hollywood gets very dull." Cynthia Kao, a contributor to Open Reel Hour, agrees that the films shown at Electric Eye are more interesting than most and the audience is more receptive to a broader range, of topics and ideas. "It's a very comfortable atmosphere and everyone is willing to accept different points of view." Electric Eye is particularly encouraging to many tyro filmmakers. It gives them a chance to show works they have had around for a while and didn't know what to do with and encourages them to create works for the Open Reel Hour. As Steve Perlman, an audience member and occasional collaborator stated, "the artists are really the center of Electric Eye Cinema." Open Reel Hour is particularly accessible to aspiring filmmakers. Many Open Reel Hour participants echo Gregg Willard's sentiment when he said, "Making a film was something I had been thinking about for a long time, but without a venue I thought why bother, or at least why do it now, but when I realized that I could have it shown here it was a real motivation." Dan Cashin, a frequent contributor to Open Reel Hour, comes to Electric Eye for inspiration, "If nothing else I come for the energy. I can whip out my notebook and write down ideas that I've had floating around in my head for a couple of weeks and get inspiration from what other filmmakers are doing." He is also helped by the constructive criticism he receives from the audience. Added Kao, "I think it is a good place to connect with others in the film community." |
"We can continue to play by the rules," said
Standing, "and hope that someday we'll make it big. Or we can say
the hell with it; it's not worth the time, effort, or money. We can
spend those things much more productively and interestingly in getting
it out to people independently."
Electric Eye Cinema resumes on September 2O with I Get Around.- Two Tales of Alternative Transportation. For additional information visit www.prolefeedstudios.com.
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