“Leader and Scratch are extensions of Huot’s early interest in minimalism. They are successful in reducing the number of filmic variables so completely that essential qualities and potentials of the materials of film can be felt. While Scratch is nothing more than eleven minutes of dark leader with a continuous handmade scratch, the resulting imagery varies a good deal, depending on how deeply Huot dug into the emulsion : when the scratch is shallow, for example, it seems to bead and move up through the image ; when the scratch is deep, it seems to remain within the frame, vibrating horizontally. Leader is a bit less extreme than Scratch. Framed within beginning and ending passages of academy leader, strips of black, green, and clear leader alternate, at first every thirty seconds, then more and more quickly, and finally much more slowly. These regular alternations intensify our awareness of some of the potential variations in the direction and mode of our attention during screening. When green leader is projected, continual shifts in color density tend to keep the eye attentive to the screen. During passages of black leader, on the other hand, the screen is so dark that it provides almost nothing to look at ; as a result, one’s attention tends to be drawn to other light sources, especially to the projector, if it is within the screening space. When clear leader is projected, we are aware both of the tiny events occurring on the screen and of the lighted screening space.”—Scott MacDonald, “The Films of Robert Huot: 1967 to 1972”, Quarterly Review of Film Studies, Summer 1980.
1 PRINT IN DISTRIBUTION
|
distribution format |
Digital file on server (NTSC) |
|
screen |
4/3 (single screen) |
|
speed |
29,976 fps |
|
sound |
silent |
|
rental fee |
37,00 € |
