"My colleague is a doctor of medicine. I'm a doctor of many
things."
- Dr. Who, Revenge of The Cybermen (1975)
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| Ian Helliwell |
Brighton-based Ian Helliwell is working with several different disciplines simultaneously; he's making short super 8mm films and composing and recording soundtrack music for them, customising electronic instruments for those recordings, curating themed programmes for the Cinematheque in Brighton and the LUX, and scouring the weekend boot sales for obscure equipment and materials for future projects.
Ian has produced a mesmerising body of film work between 1994-2003. Altogether 33 short films completed, virtually all of which were originated on super 8 mm: the classic amateur film standard.
He works at a frenetic pace in his Ship Street HQ: often spontaneously, applying a direct hands-on approach to his materials. A major part of the work is done manually straight onto the film surface. Having total control in every step of creating his films, Ian's projects are marked by a refined sense of true craftsmanship and careful attention to detail.
His films have had very little exposure up until the last few years, though
now some of his recent films have been screened in international programmes
of new avant-garde cinema: Avanto Festival in Helsinki, Rotterdam Film Festival,
Hamburg Short Film Festival, Sonar in Barcelona, Impakt in Utrecht - amongst
others.
Mika Taanila: How did you encounter avant-garde/experimental films in the first place? Earliest memory of them? Where?
Ian Helliwell: Earliest memories would be seeing experimental animation on TV BBC2 or Channel 4 - probably in the late 1980s. Its hard to be specific, I can't say there was any memorable first encounter. In the early 1990s Channel 4 had a series showing classic avant-garde and that was quite an eye-opener. I had already started playing around with bits of super 8 film without seeing anything in that style it was an extension of experimenting with making abstract slides. Buying a projector from a jumble sale was the biggest inspiration, it made me want to make things to project with it. Also when I was playing in a group in the late 80s a couple of friends did light show projections as a backdrop, and that certainly fired my interest.
MT: Your favourite or most influential film-maker(s)?
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MT: Do you feel you have colleagues working in the same area of music/film at the moment?
IH: I'm sure there are many people around the world who share the same interests and preoccupations. Locally I would say that the material I've assembled for the Lux Open in spring 2003, 'Cinematechnique', drawing together Brighton based experimental film and music, is something with which I have a strong affinity. Its actually been a great opportunity to galvanise people and assemble such a variety of interesting work from the same small city which wouldn't get shown elsewhere. Essentially Brighton's various scenes are quite fragmented, people tend to stick with their own particular crowd, so its also been good to encourage work from both the film and music camps.
MT: Can you tell me a little about the techniques you use in manipulating super 8 material?
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IH: The techniques are essentially quite simple and primitive and therefore require patience and experimentation to make them convincing. I like to make use of things I have lying around my flat such as household bleach, masking tape, sandpaper and old pieces of film.
My budgets are spent on super 8 film, splicing tape and felt tip pens, so I'm able to work extremely cheaply. Colouring in frame by frame with felt tips crops up in a lot of my films. I sometimes use a black marker pen to coat the film strip and then apply bleach to cause a chemical reaction (as in Crosshatch). I like to set a process off and let it take its course and come back later to see if it has taken effect. A significant part of the manipulation of images occurs during the telecine stage (which I do in my bedroom) by using 2 projectors for superimposition, by changing speeds and using filters.
MT: Tell me a little about the process of composing soundtracks for your own short films. Do you have the tracks ready while shooting/manipulating the film?
IH: The soundtracks are only started when I have a rough cut of the film. Then I think about what the instrumentation will be to most effectively connect with the images. A lot depends on rhythm, pace, mood and feel. Some films suggest a constant flow of sound, while others require a cut-up and often quite complex collage of sound. I like to create the music with my own electronic generators as this provides a certain uniqueness and a great level of satisfaction. I also sometimes use a radio in a spontaneous way just tuning in and recording direct to the master.
MT: What kind of musical instruments do you use?
IH: My interest in electronic music started at the same time as my older brother introduced me to rock music and punk when I was 12 years old. I first taught myself to play the drums and rudimentary guitar and bass, and it was over 10 years later, around 1990 that I first got hold of a 4 track recorder and analogue synthesizer and started to experiment with tape loops. I started messing about with battery powered circuits in 1992 and have continued to the present day building, customising and experimenting with different types of circuitry. (I stopped playing the synth when I'd used all the interesting sounds and concentrated instead on the circuits which I find are far more flexible and useful for making electronic music.) I'm also still recording on a 4 track (minidisc) and still playing around with tape loops, guitar and percussion. If I like a particular technique or piece of equipment I will always keep it and come back to it. (in the case of the circuits I will re-solder the connections many times to try and find new sounds.) As with slide and super 8 projectors and before that my drum kit and guitar, the inspiration is being able to go away on my own and simply play around. One of the beauties of my technique with electronics is that I know next to nothing about the science, yet can still create something satisfying by using an intuitive approach. I basically touch wires onto a circuit board and when they make a good sound I solder them in place. Its so very simple but does require a great deal of patience and perseverance. I either build basic sound generator kits and then reconfigure them, or I take apart plastic toys and customise the circuitry by adding outputs, inputs, resistors, switches etc. I house all the circuits in old boxes that I also spend a lot of time customising, and which can all be connected together in different combinations.
MT: Why do you make so many films per year?
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• I work alone and do things at my own pace
• I live alone and work from home, so most days I can be working on something without too many distractions.
• I always have quite a few projects on the go at the same time at various stages of development, from initial experiments to virtually completed pieces.
• I don't apply for funding so not only do I not waste time filling in forms, I don't have to wait for the green light or the cheque before I can start.
MT: You make your films on extremely low funding. What kind of piece would make if you had a budget of, say 50.000 euros for one film?
IH: I make most of my work for next to nothing so I'm a bit wary that with a sudden greatly increased budget there would be a marked shift in expectations, working methods, control and freedom to do exactly what I want. If you were to give a painter a great big budget would he be able to do a better painting? The essence of my work is keeping it fairly small, simple, personal and hands-on. My work is much more that of composer and painter than a film director; I'm answerable to no one else so if an idea doesn't work out and has to be scrapped then that's not a major problem. I'm not saying I don't want to move forward and expand my ideas, I mean that my experience has been that things tend to evolve and I prefer to do things on my own terms. I have to confess that my progress over the years has been agonisingly slow, but during the struggle just to keep going, I never felt it was funding that I lacked; it has always been about lack of exposure, distribution and recognition.
Ian Helliwell's filmography (Super 8)
" Pathfinder (work in progress) Megatherm Leader (2000, 4m)
" Optical Action (work in progress) Red/Blue Electron Guns (1999, 2'50)
" Cycles Per Second (work in progress) Into The Light (1998, 4'55)
" Crosshatch (2003, 7'25) Disc Break (1998, 3'25)
" Origami (2003, 50sec) The Rise And Fall Of An Angel (1997, 4.5m)
" Particle Acceleration (2002, 4'45) Catalyst (1997, 1'25)
" Colour Stream (2002, 4'40) Crystallization (1997-2000, 3'45)
" Orbiting The Atom (2002, 4'50) Crossing The Equator (1997, 2'20)
" Headache (2002, 45sec) Our Honeymoon (1997, 1m, std.8)
" Coloured Light District (2002, 2'10) Holes (1997-present, 3'35, std.8)
" Chromaburst (2001, 4'55) The Geiger Salon (1997, 3'30)
" Linear Phases (2001, 1'55) Chromatic Leader (1996, 4m)
" Return To The Light (2001, 1'55) The Burning Of A Billion Words (1996,
5m)
" Filmosounds (2001-02, 4.5m, 16mm) Ta Baby (1996, 3m)
" Patterns Of Interference (2000, 3'05) Protection Leader (1995, 2'40)
" The Firing Line (2000, 5m) The Boffin (1995, 3m)
" Art Flies Free (2000, 3'05) Rubble Man (1995, 2.5m)
" Rectangular Motion (2000, 4'15) Danger Of Death (1994, 6m
Available recordings:
" Transitions 4 Ep - 4 track vinyl 7inch on Lefta Records. Electronic music
created with Helliwell's customised circuits, including the soundtrack to ‘'The
Post Office Tower'. LEFTA 012 (2001)
" New York NY –- film soundtrack on 'Sonic Postcards' compilation
cd. SANCD01 (2001)
" Electron Guns - Saturation'. 6 track cd by Helliwell's electro-acoustic
group featuring tape loops, electronics, violin, cornet and percussion. TRIODE
1 (2001)
" Into The Light –- electronic music soundtrack on Avanto 00' compilation
cd. (2000)
Mika Taanila is a film-maker and one of the organisers of Avanto –- Helsinki Media Art Festival. www.avantofestival.com
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