RobbieXBallPlayerz
Chris Matule - 2011, 6:49, DV, San Francisco
RobbieXballPlayerz is an "after-school special" about a boy trying to find happiness in an environment he perceives as hostile. After a run-in with a talking mirror, Robbie discovers the root of his problem, makes some adjustments, and is back on the path of a normal childhood.
Chris Matule is an artist currently living in San Francisco with a strong interest in re-appropriation and experimentation.
Questions & Answers
ATA: I'd like to hear about your sources. Where did you come across these clips (the talent show video... the educational film with kids in hobo-face makeup... industrial safety... etc.)? How did you decide to put these together?
CM: i got them from internet archives. i was searching for some copyright free old footage to mess around with. My intentions were to mangle the footage as an experiment but as I got further into it I could start imagining a world where this "tv show" exists. I suppose it's meant to be found footage from no particular era. Then again it's a little bit retro and influenced by the kind of videos I'd see in school, or after school. The low tech nature of public access shows also shaped how the overall aesthetic would be.
ATA: Do you actively distort the video to render it somewhat unintelligible? How?
CM: As I mentioned in the last question my original intention was to experiment with mangling footage. more specifically I was interested in blindly altering compressed videos (in this case mostly mp4s) through a hex editing program. Something like searching for all the "A2DA"'s and replacing them with "1234"'s , saving, and seeing the results. After compiling lots of different versions I would then cut out the parts I want so I could assemble them back into some kind of story. It just starts to come alive at the point I guess, so the storyline just kinda emerges. Chapter One definitely establishes that Robbie is a bit disturbed by his school experience, particularly recess. Chapter Two he's starting to get a little violent with his thoughts. Chapter Three is where he has the encounter with the mirror and "see's the light". The combo of green screen techniques, hex editing, and stock transitions is probably way too intense for such a young kid to have to go through but hey, it does the trick. The abrupt ending is my hat tipping to kung fu movies. I always thought they ended in this gracelessly charming way.
ATA: Does your video-making process relate to your music-making activities in any way?
CM: I suppose with editing it's quite similar to dealing with music sequencer programs. Lots of cut, paste and rendering. As far as creation goes I think I'm more experienced with music and therefore have more of a structure or mood in mind. I can make my ideas come to life more easily with music. However like all arts, at least in my experience, there's that "one thing leads to another" aspect. Despite having an intention when I start a song it always ends up being this adventure where the end product is rarely the same as the starting idea. So in that sense the video stuff is just like the music making. You mess about with something and then you say "ohh that's interesting. what happens if I do this with it?". Repeat all night.
Q&A by Liz Wing
