Michele Grant, Experimental Film

Screenings, events, and news! Drop me a line if you want updates by e-mail. The best deal in town is Fancypants Cinema: FREE open screenings every Tuesday night at the N. 3rd bar and restaurant, 801 North Third Street, Philadelphia, (215)413-3666. Bring your short film (VHS or DVD), show it for absolutely free, and meet other local filmmakers for just the cost of your beer!

Driving Man - Music video for a piece by the talented singer-songwriter Jill Knapp. Currently filming, without tap dancers. Wild Blue - In post-production. Broad Street Line - 2004; 3 min., 25 sec. Direct animation and a haunting score follow the viewer on a ride on Philadelphia's Broad Street subway. - Official selection, 13th Philadelphia Film Festival's Festival of Independents. Featured in the 2004 Festival of Independents advertising trailer. - Selection (silent version), Emerald Reels Super-8 Lounge, part of the 2004 Satellites Film & Video Festival, Seattle. - Squeaky Wheel media arts center exhibition of Philadelphia experimental film, 2005. - DJ Sapphirecut events, various locations in Philadelphia. - A frequent selection at Flix / Fancypants Cinema open screenings. The Blessed Mother Is at 8th and Fitzwater - 2003; 5 min., 0 sec. Flix / Fancypants Cinema open screenings, Philadephia. DJ Sapphirecut events, various locations in Philadelphia. Our Nature Lies in Movement - 2002; 6 min., 45 sec. Hypnotic performance of a tai chi routine interspersed with images from nature. Featured at Wigglyworld Super-8 Open Screenings in Seattle and Vashon Island, Wash. Flix / Fancypants Cinema open screening, Philadelphia. DJ Sapphirecut events, various locations in Philadelphia. Pole Top - 2002; 2 min., 35 sec. A spiritual and literal journey to understand the meaning of a mysterious road sign. Selection, Emerald Reels Super-8 Lounge, part of the 2002 Satellites Film & Video Festival, Seattle. Textural - 2001. Black-and-white montage of images juxtaposing man-made materials against organic forms. Beep-Beep, Honk! - 2001 Eleanor, August and September 2001 - 2001 All files Copyright 2003, 2004 by M. L. Grant. Redistribution not permitted.

Why super-8? I think super-8 combines uniquely the qualities of documentary, verité style with a persistent dreamlike feel. Other film formats do not lend themselves to this kind of result. Why not analog or digital video? I like to see and handle the little pictures, not flip open a cassette to find black tape. I also prefer the "old-school" technology -- no microchips, data cables, digital effects, data loss, bit-rot. And I prefer to watch images projected on a screen rather than having the images projected into my eyes from a CRT. Finally, direct animation is impossible on video.

You mean, you actually use a splicer and film cement, and draw pictures on eight-millimeter frames of film? Are you insane? Yes, I do, and it's very likely that I am. Gimme a break, at least I don't use spring-powered cameras.

Tell me more about yourself and your artistic vision. Sure, just read my formal artist's statement and brief bio.

Got links? But of course: Cybergecko, home of the Oil Slick Gang, Puppet Karaoke®, and Mr. Buckethead; Felmark Entertainment, creators of Superhero Excelsior! the best rock-and-roll superhero comedy film ever; the Greater Philadelphia Film Office, helping both big and small productions get their movies made in Philly; Knappuccino's Coffeehouse, a hip, quiet venue for songwriters to play their music to attentive audiences monthly; Melodyvision, a full-service music, sound, and recording facility; N. 3rd bar and restaurant, in the Northern Liberties section of Philadelphia; and the Scribe Video Center.

I got my start making movies at Wigglyworld Studios, the production arm of the non-profit Northwest Film Forum, Seattle.