~ Poet: R.W. Perkins ~
Visions of Snow by R.W. Perkins
For those of us in the middle of a snowy winter, it can fun to recall how we think of winter the rest of the year. This is one of three “micro film-poems” released by Colorado-based poet and filmmaker R.W. Perkins last July in Atticus Review. It went on to be selected for the ZEBRA and Rabbit Heart poetry film festivals in the fall. The artist statement reads:
Much of life comes down to the simple things, small in nature but complicated in terms of the inner workings of the mind. Most of my work centers around the effortless red-letter moments of life, where the heart seems to linger. I create poetic snapshots of the past facing the present in a subtle attempt to draw attention to where we are culturally at this moment in our history. My poetry and films harken back to my Texas roots and friends and family in rural Colorado, bringing a touch of surrealism to my small town recollections, highlighting the occasions that seem to bind us emotionally and culturally.
American Bebop by R.W. Perkins
This is one of a series of three new “micro film-poems” by R.W. Perkins—his first poetry films in five years. Watch all three at the Atticus Review, which includes this artist statement:
Much of life comes down to the simple things, small in nature but complicated in terms of the inner workings of the mind. Most of my work centers around the effortless red-letter moments of life, where the heart seems to linger. I create poetic snapshots of the past facing the present in a subtle attempt to draw attention to where we are culturally at this moment in our history. My poetry and films harken back to my Texas roots and friends and family in rural Colorado, bringing a touch of surrealism to my small town recollections, highlighting the occasions that seem to bind us emotionally and culturally.
Perkins is also the organizer and curator of the Juteback Poetry Film Festival in Fort Collins, Colorado, which by the way is still open for submissions through August 19.
Smalltalk & Little Else by R.W. Perkins
http://vimeo.com/65023600
“Can we be gratified enough to be less gratified?” asks R.W. Perkins in this outgoing yet introspective new videopoem, made for The Body Electric Poetry Film Festival, which he organized this spring in Fort Collins, Colorado. I imagine it must’ve done a very good job in setting the tone for the festival.
Over drinks, at the end of a very long day, have you ever felt completely alone talking with a group of friends? Smalltalk & little Else explores the inner workings of the mind, while attempting to put on your best face for friends and family.
Shot in Fort Collins own Cafe Vino, a new but notable old town staple, with their stand alone atmosphere, cocktails and tapas. Camera work provided by Andy Carrasco of Studio Carrasco Films.
Morning Sex & Blueberry Pancakes by R.W. Perkins
http://vimeo.com/57708721
R.W. Perkins‘ latest videopoem was recently featured at Atticus Review:
A woman contemplates how her life’s ambitions have seemed to mature as she sits alone on her back porch.
Morning Sex & Blueberry Pancakes could easily be described as poetic leftovers. The poem crafted from scraps, nearly discarded verse edited from a longer wordier poem, while the film itself is a remix project taken from black and white public domain T.V. commercials, assumed to be produced in the 60s and early 70s.
On May 4th 2013 Morning Sex will make its big screen debut at The Body Electric Poetry Film Festival to take place at the Lyric Cinema Cafe in Fort Collins, Colorado. The event, hosted and directed by Perkins, will be Colorado’s first poetry film festival and will feature poets and filmmakers from all over the world.
You can read about all the selections for the film festival on their website.
The Laundry Room Supposition by R.W. Perkins
http://vimeo.com/45091833
Poet and filmmaker R.W. Perkins writes:
The Laundry Room Supposition is an artistic look at an average moment, inside the mind of a typical male toiling over his life, responsibilities, and what is to be.
This is Perkins’ 5th videopoem, a follow-up to “Profile” and “Over Breakfast.”
Over Breakfast by R.W. Perkins
http://vimeo.com/38961911
R. W. Perkins‘ latest videopoem. He says on his blog:
Artistically it is an attempt to stretch myself in the realm of videopoetry, by trying something that has proved to be difficult to do in this art form, “being literal”.
Visually I wanted something that looked a little more feminine, and gentle to the touch. Where as I spent much less time editing this piece, I spent more time on cinematography and atmosphere, I hope it comes through in this videopoem.
He also posted some detailed notes about his process that are well worth checking out.
Profile by R.W. Perkins
“Profile is a stream of consciousness combination of poetry and prose. The visuals of the film were intended to represent the chaos of thought.” This would be a mesmerizing piece even without R.W. Perkins’ very interesting and detailed process notes on Vimeo and at his website (q.v.). Last Friday at VidPoFilm, Brenda Clews captured the essence of the excitement that many of us in the online videopoetry community feel about this film:
R.W. Perkins has it all in this video. When I saw it I felt it was a marker of our era. That surely many films of this type will follow, but his was the first. Identity in the twenty-first century is shaped by social media sites. Your life is not contained in your private diaries and photo albums anymore; it’s all on-line now. The notion of who we are has never been more global or more revealing.
One’s Facebook profile updates and photo albums provide many snapshots of a life. R.W. Perkins has captured that sense of a collided life, a life of snapshots and home videos and snatches of writing. It is a fast-paced life. We describe ourselves to each other. There are millions of us. Facebook is approaching 1/7th of the world’s population. It is a social media site that is creating a twenty-first sense of self.
Put it all together and you get, PROFILE. On his website, R.W. Perkins offers his essay on his videopoem, Profiles, as his Profile.
Read the rest (and if you have any interest in the videopoem/filmpoem genre, don’t miss a post at VidPoFilm).
Under a Man Made Sun by R.W. Perkins
http://www.vimeo.com/28833244
In the video description at Vimeo, poet-filmmaker R.W. Perkins writes,
“Under A Man Made Sun” is the second video-poem installment of what I’m calling the “Vista Poems”, four poems examining how the the past and future collide and how in my opinion we are dealing with it. “Under A Man Made Sun” is a brief history of our digital past, honoring and criticizing our predecessors, while pointing out our own unwritten future is still very much up in the air.
I thought the use of text and old home-movie footage here were especially effective. (Tip to videopoets wanting to get work on Moving Poems: include banjo in the soundtrack! I do love me some banjo.)
Challenge Me Vista by R.W. Perkins
http://vimeo.com/13102380
This is the first in a projected series of poetry videos by R.W. Perkins, a Fort Collins, Colorado-based video producer. The YouTube version of the video has garnered an impressive 10,595 views since it was uploaded a little over a year ago. I especially enjoyed the light-hearted tone and the great soundtrack.
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