As the years roll on and modern technology whizzes past at the speed of too many mega bites a second, many of our favourite media storage devices are falling by the wayside – just look how much dust is on that CD collection (if you even have one anymore?!); is that a mini disc you’re using as a coaster? Yes, new technologies become old almost instantly nowadays – take the VHS tape for instance. Many a good time have I enjoyed a film or two on the beloved tape, complete with snow effect and terrible – yet endearing – sound quality. But alas, it has ended up on the scrapheap as well.
Thankfully, Nick and Joe from the Found Footage Festival have been big VHS fans since 1991. That year they started scouring garage sales and thrift stores over the vast landscape of the US to pick up those rare and telling VHS tapes others had spent so long creating. In 2004 they decided it was time to make some use out of these magical moments the VHS had so loyally remembered (but others had absentmindedly forgotten). Cue some side splitting homemade films, exercise tapes and public broadcasting videos.
The Festival is a barrel of laughs – think You’ve been Framed but actually funny. It has been touring the world for some time now, and comes to London on March 27-30th. Expect classic tapes with titles such as How to Seduce a Women Through Hypnosis (I’m pretty sure there’s a criminal conviction in there somewhere), Dancing with Frank Pacholski (bottom slapping dance to an OAP crowd!) Being Berry Safe with Blueberry the Clown (yeah right, about as safe as with that hypnosis guy) and Carnival in Rio with Arnold Schwarzenegger (no words).
There are all sorts of weird and wonderful characters and this event makes for a comical look at what your average Joe can do with a camera, so FFF is a great celebration of times and ideas gone by. Who says VHS is redundant!? (Words: Laura Thornley)
For more info visit: www.foundfootagefest.com