tribulation 99 and punk cinema

First, respond to Tribulation 99 in relation to Zryd's description of student responses in his own classes.

Tribulation 99
Although the images are rapidly cut and the film extremely complex, the ironic and political overtones were evident. Similar to Zryds' student responses at times the film is overwhelming and it is easy to zone out and lose touch with what is fiction and what is reality. Overall I believe that is part of the success of the film, it parodies our multi-media consumer driven culture. Our lives have become an onslaught of sound bites, misinformation and excess media driven consumerism in which the lines are constantly blurred and misconstrued.


Michael Zryd, “Found Footage Film as Discursive Metahistory: Craig Baldwin’s Tribulation 99”

1. Explain Paul Arthur's distinction between the "realist" use of found footage and the "figurative" use of found footage. Which becomes important in Tribulation 99 and why?

The "realist" use of found footage is essentially using the footage to back up or provide evidence for what the narrator is saying. The images follow the sound track. "Figurative" use is more common and is essentially the re-contextualization of footage by montage to create a new meaning. In Tribulation 99, this figurative use of footage creates an ideological discourse on US history pertaining to our handling of SA.


Marc Masters, “The Offenders: No Wave Cinema”

2. Name at least three similarities between the punk music scene and the punk/no-wave filmmaking scene, in terms of technology, style, and community.
The punk scene in both music and film, was a rejection to the convention and confines of the structural artist or formal artist. They used people that were friends to form a band or make a film, not based on talent but desire. The instruments and film equip. all low budget. The style was raw, the music was angry and aggressive most of the time they couldn't sing or play but the energy and anarchy made up for lack of talent. The films also had an aversion to conventional, just make the damn film...f*$#@r!

William Wees, “Peggy’s Playhouse: Contesting the Modernist Paradigm”

3. According to Wees, what are the 5 characteristics of the modernist paradigm dominating North American avant-garde filmmaking before the 1980s?

Characteristics include the concept of autonomy of art, meduim specificity, “high art” over popular culture, and the imperative to simultaneously reflect universality and individual sensibility through innovative and unique works

4. Given the 5 characteristics above, how does Awhesh reject or question each of them (give examples from throughout the article).

She rejects the conventions of narrative structure by using non-professionals in everyday living conditions with Super 8.

5. What does Ahwesh mean by rejecting the “aesthetics of mastery” and how is this related to punk filmmaking


6. Why does Wees argue that The Color of Love subverts conventional wisdom about mainstream pornography?

mainstream pornography the penis rules, In the Color of Love, the male is not important, the penis is flacid, male satisfaction is irrelevant

7. In what ways does Awhesh transform images from Tomb Raider in She Puppet?

In She Puppet, the Lara Croft character is not on an action adventure. Instead variations and repetitions of the character’s movements, along with dream-like environments and ambiguous happenings where the avatar would normally be interacting familiarly with the surroundings.