Finding the Way: Films Found on a Scrap Head

Abstract

Some filmmakers restrict their manipulations of found footage to the minimal act of presenting a film they have discovered with almost no changes. But others have subjected found footage to extensive editing, chemical manipulation, rephotography, or new soundtracks (or all of these processes combined). In this brief essay I cannot hope to cover all the permutations of this rich genre of experimental film, nor to mention all of its numerous practitioners (and I will deal with the visual image more than sound). However, I do want to give a sense of the range of approaches that exist using found footage to mention a few of its masters.