~ Video Library ~

Die Farben dieser Welt (Colours of the World) by Rainer Schippers

Rainer Schippers is responsible for the music as well as the poem. George P. Schnyder “Filmed with the GH1 and a Sony HC1 (for the 8mm Stuff).”

Prodigal by Kona Macphee

Alastair Cook‘s 11th filmpoem. His description at Vimeo is worth quoting in full:

Prodigal is a film of Kona Macphee‘s poem, which was born from Andrew Philip’s project for the second Hidden Door festival, held in Edinburgh in October 2010: I was asked to record a reading of the poem. As I read it, I felt its power and resolved to make a filmpoem. I commissioned a cello piece from Rebecca Rowe and we performed this live at the Poetry Association of Scotland‘s meeting on 9th March 2011, at the Scottish poetry Library. A new direction for these perhaps, the addition of live performance… but the work is as dark and mercurial as ever.

My Love for You is So Embarrassingly by Todd Boss

Deb Kirkeeide designed and animated this motionpoem for a poem by Todd Boss.

Cet Amour (This Love) by Jacques Prévert

I didn’t expect to like this, but I did. Noah Oros directs. English subtitles are included.

Walking & Falling by Laurie Anderson

The video is titled “Step,” filmed by Pascal Rekoert and released as a podcast by NYC’s Flexicurve Dance Company in 2008. Anderson recorded the spoken-word piece for her 1982 album Big Science, and that’s the recording featured here.

Condition of Fire: seven poems by JL Williams

Condition of Fire is the debut collection from JL Williams, published by Shearsman. The author’s reading of seven poems from the book is combined with a commissioned sound work by Luca Nasciuti in this new filmpoem by Alastair Cook.

Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti

Ten minutes of campy goodness: a silent-film-style adaptation of the classic poem directed by Adam Gollner, and starring Liane Balaban, Dave Lawrence, Tamar Amir, Miska Gollner, Jonathan Shatzky and Tracy Martin. You will probably either love it or hate it.

The complete poem, together with a free audiobook, is here.

What do animals dream? by Yahia Lababidi

http://vimeo.com/27277431

Another collaboration between the Belgian artist Swoon (videotreats, editing, music and production) and Egyptian writer Yahia Lababidi (poem and reading). Arlekeno Anselmo provided additional whispering and speaking voice in Dutch.

(Updated version of the video. Selected for and screened at Bideodromo, Bilbao (Spain), 2011; selected for and screened at Visible Verse, Vancouver, 2011; and screened at the Neustadt Festival, Oklahoma, 2011.)

Orphans by Raymond Luczak

The description at YouTube:

Why do so many Deaf people seem so clannish? In this clip, Raymond Luczak explains why in a poem from his book MUTE (A Midsummer Night’s Press). Naturally, it’s subtitled for those who don’t know American Sign Language (ASL).

I’m putting this in the Spoken Word category even though it’s clearly unspoken word. For more on the poet, check out his website. Luczak is also a filmmaker, with two documentaries and two ASL storytelling collections under his belt. Thanks to Nic at Voice Alpha, a blog devoted to the art and science of reading poetry, for this great find.

We’ll Go No More A-Roving, by Lord Byron

An amusing interpretation of Lord Byron’s ballad, directed by Kevin Jackson. (See Vimeo for the rest of the credits.) I was expecting some melodramatic ending, but thankfully that didn’t happen, and I ended up admiring this remix of a classic.

the lake by Karyn Eisler

A great example of how to create anticipation in a videopoem and make reading a more urgent act. This was featured at Referential Magazine. Karyn Eisler blogs at Living ?s.

Abachan by Alastair Cook

I’ve featured a number of Alastair Cook‘s filmpoems for other poets’ work, but this is the first one he’s made for a poem of his own. It’s due to premiere at a Geopoetics conference on March 27th at John Ruskin’s house, Brentwood, in the Lake District.

Today also we bring you the full text of Alastair’s think-piece on the poetry-film genre, “The Filming of Poetry.” Please go read and add your own thoughts. This first appeared in paper form at Anon Seven last summer. Thanks to Alastair for letting me repost it.