Comments on: Copy Shop: short film with unorthodox photocopy technique

Copy Shop: short film with unorthodox photocopy technique

planetkyoto — Mon, 21 Mar 2005 21:36:38 -0800

Copy Shop is a 12-minute dialogue-free film by director Virgil Widrich about a guy inadvertently duplicating himself over and over (320 x 240 streaming Real format download link). The most interesting aspect of the short, however, is that it was made frame-by-frame of photocopies, manipulated for jarring visual effects and then shot with a camera to put together the final cut. (Mentioned previously by film aficionado pxe2000.) Also see Widrich's photocopied short Fast Film with even more calamitous, unraveling effects. Get this guy toner refills for his birthday.

By: CharlesV42

CharlesV42 — Mon, 21 Mar 2005 22:21:31 -0800

Maybe on film the effect is nicer, but this looks like an after effects plugin could do most of the same work that copying 18,000 frames did. I'd love to see a print on an 11inch wide reel, though. Imax, eat your heart out.

By: pelletierm

pelletierm — Mon, 21 Mar 2005 22:27:20 -0800

Yeah, I'd wager most of the 'wow' factor of it being done with actual photocopies is lost on a 320x240 stream. I thought that was Philip Glass... in fact I don't know how it couldn't be... yet I didn't see his name in the credits; but some (presumabely) Austrian guy. I've heard most Glass out there, and though I didn't recognize the particular composition, the style is unequivocably his. The recording was a new one (the quartet/quintet is listed at the end). If it's not Glass it's a worthy homage.

By: painquale

painquale — Mon, 21 Mar 2005 22:36:16 -0800

That was amazing. I have a friend who works part-time at Kinko's. I'm gonna pass this along to him.

By: juv3nal

juv3nal — Mon, 21 Mar 2005 23:43:10 -0800

"fast film" was awesome.

By: Balisong

Balisong — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 00:04:11 -0800

Thanks for the cool links... Still on topic, is this White Ninja comic.

By: kliuless

kliuless — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 04:56:08 -0800

wow, eggcellent! i really liked the fast film too :D

By: furtive

furtive — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 08:17:41 -0800

A Quicktime version is available on the fantastic Zed TV.

By: BoringPostcards

BoringPostcards — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 08:27:43 -0800

You can get this on DVD, if you're in the UK or have a friend who is, on the "European Short Films" available from Cinema 16. I have both of these DVDs, the Euro and the British one, and they're great. The European one is worth having just for "Copy Shop" and an old favorite of mine, "Giselle Kerozene." (Note that these are region 2 discs)

By: bobo123

bobo123 — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 09:26:41 -0800

Virgil Widrich... the Widricher... making copies...

By: ScottUltra

ScottUltra — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 10:24:19 -0800

BoringPostcards - Giselle Kerozene ranks in the top 5 of my all time favorite shorts. For all who haven't seen it, seek it not now.

By: ScottUltra

ScottUltra — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 10:25:29 -0800

or, alternately, seek it out now.

By: BoringPostcards

BoringPostcards — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 10:38:32 -0800

ScottUltra, did you first see it on "Night Flight" back in the early 90s? That's where I saw it. I kept a ratty VHS tape of that broadcast for YEARS until this DVD came out.

By: klik99

klik99 — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 12:27:31 -0800

this music uses some techniques from steve reich, like having two ostenatios and displacing them slightly more and more each bar. listen to something like piano phase or violin phase for that kind of thing. i mean the score is minimalst but not really phillip glass. maybe i just associate the phillip glass minimalism to something much more boring.

By: NickDouglas

NickDouglas — Wed, 23 Mar 2005 12:07:50 -0800

The score sounds much like a Kronos Quartet performance, and they've done Glass and John Cage (this stuff reminds me of him too). Amazing noir here, and a fine balance of mystical content and clever style. I love the bit at 9 min where the clones wave to each other with copied hands. The film reminds me, thematically, of Being John Malkovitch and Neil Gaiman's story "We Can Deliver it Wholesale" (or some similar title). [this is damn good]