John & James Whitney - "Five Film Exercises" Film 1 (1943)

The brothers John & James Whitney created their remarkable series of Film Exercises between 1943 and 1944. These films are visually based on modernist composition theory, the carefully varied permutations of form are manipulated with cut-out masks so that the image photographed is pure direct light shaped, rather than the light reflected from drawings as in traditional animation. The eerie, sensuous neon glow of these forms is paralleled by pioneer electronic music sound scores composed by the brothers using a pendulum device to write sounds directly on the film's soundtrack area, with precisely controlled calibrations. At that time, before the perfection of recording tape, these sounds - with exotic "pure" tone qualities, mathematically even chromatic glissandos and reverberating pulsations - were truly revolutionary and shocking. The brothers won a Grand Prize at the 1949 Brussels Experimental Film Competition for the Film Exercises.

[@VTSGsRock]

I can't believe that this is 80 years old!

[@darknightz2062]

Here I got one for you to decrypt:
Miles Davis PHARAOH'S DANCE
th-cam.com/video/2ZIqcq-OBeM/w-d-xo.html

[@adric137]

very a head of their time!

[@spiralmoment]

Great. Im off to find out more about how the sounds were produced.

[@INADRM]

This is too cool

[@monkeytennis7477]

Love the scratchy soundtrack 🎉 ASMR!

[@rittytoonz2022]

these computer where serious drugs when they where invented in the 1940s

[@dpbuff]

30 years ahead of Kraftwerk

[@DeathHags]

this is sensational

[@tectorgorch8698]

The new Harry Smith biography is great.

[@allegrahangen267]

Does anyone know what this was filmed with? Looks like video tape but even the precursors to tape started later in the 50s....

[@allegrahangen267]

or maybe this is just a tape recording of the original...?

[@thevirgohifi]

see above: "These films are visually based on modernist composition theory, the carefully varied permutations of form are manipulated with cut-out masks so that the image photographed is pure direct light shaped, rather than the light reflected from drawings as in traditional animation. "

[@2idiot2animate28]

It was shot on film....
But WE are watching a vhs print

[@iLL.b]

Interesting

[@Chicken_Soy]

wow

[@atomlightstone]

Reminds me of earthbound

[@BananaPhoPhilly]

It's just slightly irritating that the sound isn't synced in this recording :(

[@jessphipps5143]

Is this public domain?

[@Carl17H]

nope

[@mattsebastianjavierto7092]

I would name this Music For The Internet

[@TomChabassiere]

3:25 : LOL the backward music.

[@AaronDarden]

the audio is off by about 2 seconds

[@TomChabassiere]

4:08 : Weird music EVER.

[@kennethbartholow2732]

Im on L watching this, feels like my heads in a microwave

[@portogalgirl]

coollllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

[@sclogse1]

I don't think Disney animators were very impressed.

[@norik9910]

May be because Disney thinks only about money first and not real Art ?

[@idkkidkk2445]

@@norik9910 and tell me how tf is this art? i love avant-garde but this has no sense at all.
the music is cool tho

[@portogalgirl]

z7