Filmmaker: Brendan Bonsack

Snow Memory by Brendan Bonsack

28 July, 2019 by Marie Craven - 1 Comment - Posted in Author-made videopoems
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Fellow Australian film-maker Brendan Bonsack is one of the finest of the lyrical video poets I have encountered. Multi-talented, skilled and prolific in film, poetry, photography, performance, and music, he is also a generous supporter of poets and their culture in this country, especially in Melbourne, where he is co-producer of a community radio show devoted to the spoken word.

Snow Memory is a wordless video poem, alluding to its themes in beautifully composed images and music. There are suggestions of fragmented narrative to be found in the precisely rhythmic editing between images, some shot by Brendan, others drawn from archival and alternative sources.

Whether finding expression in videos, poems, or any of his other chosen forms, Brendan’s work is inspiring to say the least, its effect on audiences well described here:

“Bonsack has one of those voices that fills a room with golden light…”
Nkechi Anele, Triple J Radio, Australia

In the case of this film, it’s a snowy silver.

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White Flowers by Brendan Bonsack

18 July, 2018 by Dave Bonta - Leave a comment - Posted in Author-made videopoems
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A new videopoem from Australian poet Brendan Bonsack, who calls it “a short and snappy musing on love, death and white flowers.”

The Old Shopping Trolley Told Me by Brendan Bonsack

25 January, 2018 by Dave Bonta - Leave a comment - Posted in Author-made videopoems
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A minimalist, author-made videopoem by Brendan Bonsack, “Filmed on location at The Merri Merri, Melbourne/Narrm, Australia.” Here’s the text. I thought this would make an interesting contrast to yesterday’s video by Ian Gibbins: also an author-made videopoem from Australia, but there the resemblance pretty much ends… except, I think, for the crucial role of the soundtrack in both.

TWIN by Brendan Bonsack

17 March, 2017 by Dave Bonta - 1 Comment - Posted in Author-made videopoems
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A new videopoem from Brendan Bonsack, who explained via email that

This one grew, organically if you like, from a short piece of discarded footage from another project.
Different from adapting a “page poem” to film, with this the music and poetry was written to follow the visuals.

If you still want the “page poem” experience, click through to Vimeo to read the text.

Talk About the Apocalypse by Brendan Bonsack

22 February, 2017 by Dave Bonta - 1 Comment - Posted in Author-made videopoems
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This new videopoem from Melbourne-based poet and songwriter Brendan Bonsack deploys an expert remix of footage from the Prelinger Archive, with a surprising ending that makes one want to watch it all over again.