4-19

Ray Privett & James Kreul, “A Cinema of Possibilities: Brian Frye Interview”

--How does Frye relate his work (including his film programming) to the following movements / concepts / genres:

Performance (and performance art)He, in a way, parodies the idea of performance art, by not really doing anything. Like in Brian Frye Fails to Masturbate.
Minimalism - He doesn't view his work as minimalism, because he puts a lot of effort into creating dense scenes.
Fluxus- He emphasizes performance for performance sake.

--How does Frye respond to the question about what he “adds” to films such as Anatomy of Melancholy? Letting the films do what they set out to do.


Scott MacDonald, “Maintenance”

--What are some of the reasons for rental income growth at Canyon Cinema between 1980 and 2003? How did Canyon distinguish itself from the Filmmakers Cooperative and the Museum of Modern Art? There was more interest from the increasing student sector of the avant garde community. Canyon did more to update their collection.

--What problems and controversies did video distribution cause for Canyon in the 1990s? To what degree were the sides of the debate related to the age of the filmmakers on each side? Based upon the interview with Dominic Angerame at the end of the chapter, what was his position on the video debate? Well, most older customers prefer the original format film. While the younger ones don't mind so much video. Angerame just wants Canyon to keep distributing videos.

--What were the advantages and disadvantages to funding from the National Endowment from the Arts? What controversies developed related to the publication of Canyon Cinema Catalog #5? You have a steady source of funding, but there is the possibility that you will have to curtail your selection to someone elses opinions of the films. This happened when the government objected to some of the films and removed the funding.