Sound Shapes

One of my first 16mm films made without a camera as an experiment in how to visualize rhythm It equates four simple shapes with four simple sounds made by punching shapes into black film and scratching into the films optical sound track The film uses a bar structure similar to a music score Each bar lasts one second 24 frames of film and is divided into 2 3 4 or 6 aural and visual beats per second bps These are used in alternating patterns such as 23 34 346 236 In each section of the film an arbitrary relationship is established between image sound and beats per second for example circle 12 scratches per frame high pitch sound at 6 bps rhombus 6 scratches per frame mid pitch sound at 4 bps triangle 3 scratches per frame low pitch sound at 3 bps rectangle 1 scratch per frame percussive sound at 6 bps A print of the film was handpainted in 2006 GS