The Short Films of David Lynch
Encyclopedia
The Short Films of David Lynch (2002) is a DVD
collection of the early student and commissioned film work of American
filmmaker David Lynch
. As such, the collection does not include Lynch's later short work, which are listed in the filmography.
The films are listed in chronological order, with brief descriptions of each film. The DVD contains introductions by Lynch to each film, which can be viewed individually or in sequence.
Six Figures Getting Sick (Six Times) Originally untitled, "Six Men Getting Sick" is a one-minute color animated film that consists of a continuous loop shown on a sculptured screen of three human shaped figures (based on casts of Lynch's own head as done by Jack Fisk
) that intentionally distorted the film. Lynch's animation depicted six people getting sick: their stomachs grew and their heads would catch fire.
Lynch made this film during his second year at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art. The school held an experimental painting and sculpture exhibit every year and Lynch entered his work in the Spring of 1966. The animated film was shown on "an Erector-set rig on top of the projector so that it would take the finished film through the projector, way up to the ceiling and then back down, so the film would keep going continuously in a loop. And then I hung the sculptured screen and moved the projector back till just what I wanted was on the screen and the rest fell back far enough to disappear" (Chris Rodley, editor, Lynch on Lynch). Lynch showed the whole thing with the sound of a siren as accompaniment. The film cost $200 and was not intended to have any successors. It was merely an experiment on Lynch's part because he wanted to see his paintings move. (1 minute animation loop repeated 6 times)
The Alphabet Combines animation
and live action; A simple narrative
structure relating a symbolically rendered expression of childhood and aging. (4 minutes)
The idea for "The Alphabet" came from Lynch's wife, Peggy Reavey, http://www.peggyreavey.com, a painter whose niece, according to Lynch in Chris Rodley's Lynch on Lynch book, "was having a bad dream one night and was saying the alphabet in her sleep in a tormented way. So that's sort of what started 'The Alphabet' going." Based on the merits of this short film, Lynch was awarded an American Film Institute production grant and became a minor celebrity.
The Grandmother After the success of "The Alphabet", one of Lynch's friends, Bushnell Keeler recommended that he check out the American Film Institute
. Keeler's brother-in-law had been involved in setting up the AFI. Lynch submitted "The Alphabet" and wrote a script for a short film entitled, "The Grandmother." He sent the script and a print of "The Alphabet" to the AFI in Washington. Lynch got a call from George Stevens, Jr.
and Tony Vellani at the AFI who wanted to know if Lynch could make "The Grandmother" for $5,000 (it eventually cost $7,200).
The short film combines live action, and animation again. The story revolves around a boy who grows a Grandmother to escape neglect and abuse from his parents. Silent (no dialogue) with soundtrack [needs reference/credit] cues used to convey story.
The music in the film was provided by a local group known as Tractor and marked the first time Lynch would work with Alan Splet
who was recommended to the filmmaker by the soundman on "The Alphabet". Initially, Lynch and Splet intended to use a collection of sound effects records for the film but after going through them all they found that none of them were useful. So, Lynch and Splet took 63 days to make and record their own sound effects.
After finishing "The Grandmother", Lynch took the film to be shown at the AFI in Washington, D.C.
The head of the AFI at the time, George Stevens, Jr. found that after all the films had been categorized, only Lynch's defied easy categorization. Stevens and Vellani recommended that Lynch apply to the AFI's Center for Advanced Film Studies. This was a filmmaking conservatory that Vellani had recently started in Beverly Hills. Lynch and Splet both applied for scholarships and on the strength of "The Grandmother" (which won awards at film festivals in Atlanta, Belleview
, and San Francisco) they were accepted into the program. (34 minutes)
The Amputee Made for the American Film Institute
while Eraserhead
was in financial limbo. The AFI was testing two different stocks of black and white video and enlisted Frederick Elmes
to test each one. Lynch asked Elmes if he could shoot something with this stock and so he and Catherine Coulson stayed up all night writing script. The result was a one shot scene with Catherine Coulson about a woman attempting to write a letter while a female nurse (played by Lynch) tends to her leg stumps. (two versions 5 minutes/4 minutes)
The Cowboy and the Frenchman Slapstick
made for French
Television as part of the series The French as seen by...
by French magazine Figaro. With Harry Dean Stanton
, Frederic Golchan, and Jack Nance
. (26 minutes)
Lumière:Premonitions Following an Evil Deed Originally included in the 1995
film Lumière et compagnie. Forty acclaimed directors created works using the original Cinematographe
invented by the Lumière brothers (52 seconds)
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
collection of the early student and commissioned film work of American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
filmmaker David Lynch
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch is an American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound...
. As such, the collection does not include Lynch's later short work, which are listed in the filmography.
The films are listed in chronological order, with brief descriptions of each film. The DVD contains introductions by Lynch to each film, which can be viewed individually or in sequence.
Six Figures Getting Sick (Six Times)
19661966 in film
The year 1966 in film involved some significant events.-Events:Animation legend Walter Disney, well known for his creation of Mickey Mouse, died in 15 December 1966 of acute circulatory collapse following a diagnosis of, and surgery for, lung cancer...
Six Figures Getting Sick (Six Times) Originally untitled, "Six Men Getting Sick" is a one-minute color animated film that consists of a continuous loop shown on a sculptured screen of three human shaped figures (based on casts of Lynch's own head as done by Jack Fisk
Jack Fisk
Jack Fisk is an American movie industry professional, frequently working as either a production designer or art director on Hollywood movies.Fisk met Sissy Spacek when working on Terrence Malick's 1973 movie Badlands...
) that intentionally distorted the film. Lynch's animation depicted six people getting sick: their stomachs grew and their heads would catch fire.
Lynch made this film during his second year at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art. The school held an experimental painting and sculpture exhibit every year and Lynch entered his work in the Spring of 1966. The animated film was shown on "an Erector-set rig on top of the projector so that it would take the finished film through the projector, way up to the ceiling and then back down, so the film would keep going continuously in a loop. And then I hung the sculptured screen and moved the projector back till just what I wanted was on the screen and the rest fell back far enough to disappear" (Chris Rodley, editor, Lynch on Lynch). Lynch showed the whole thing with the sound of a siren as accompaniment. The film cost $200 and was not intended to have any successors. It was merely an experiment on Lynch's part because he wanted to see his paintings move. (1 minute animation loop repeated 6 times)
The Alphabet
19681968 in film
The year 1968 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 30 - The film The Lion in Winter, starring Katharine Hepburn, debuts.* November 1 - The MPAA's film rating system is introduced.-Top grossing films :- Awards :...
The Alphabet Combines animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
and live action; A simple narrative
Narrative
A narrative is a constructive format that describes a sequence of non-fictional or fictional events. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to recount", and is related to the adjective gnarus, "knowing" or "skilled"...
structure relating a symbolically rendered expression of childhood and aging. (4 minutes)
The idea for "The Alphabet" came from Lynch's wife, Peggy Reavey, http://www.peggyreavey.com, a painter whose niece, according to Lynch in Chris Rodley's Lynch on Lynch book, "was having a bad dream one night and was saying the alphabet in her sleep in a tormented way. So that's sort of what started 'The Alphabet' going." Based on the merits of this short film, Lynch was awarded an American Film Institute production grant and became a minor celebrity.
The Grandmother
19701970 in film
The year 1970 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 9 - Larry Fine, the second member of The Three Stooges, suffers a massive stroke, therefore ending his career....
The Grandmother After the success of "The Alphabet", one of Lynch's friends, Bushnell Keeler recommended that he check out the American Film Institute
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...
. Keeler's brother-in-law had been involved in setting up the AFI. Lynch submitted "The Alphabet" and wrote a script for a short film entitled, "The Grandmother." He sent the script and a print of "The Alphabet" to the AFI in Washington. Lynch got a call from George Stevens, Jr.
George Stevens, Jr.
George Cooper Stevens, Jr. is an American award-winning film and television writer, director, producer, and founder of the American Film Institute...
and Tony Vellani at the AFI who wanted to know if Lynch could make "The Grandmother" for $5,000 (it eventually cost $7,200).
The short film combines live action, and animation again. The story revolves around a boy who grows a Grandmother to escape neglect and abuse from his parents. Silent (no dialogue) with soundtrack [needs reference/credit] cues used to convey story.
The music in the film was provided by a local group known as Tractor and marked the first time Lynch would work with Alan Splet
Alan Splet
Alan Splet was a sound designer and sound editor. He worked on numerous film projects throughout his career, including Eraserhead, Dune, Blue Velvet and The Black Stallion for which he won the Oscar. He had a long-lasting and fruitful working relationship with the director David Lynch, with whom...
who was recommended to the filmmaker by the soundman on "The Alphabet". Initially, Lynch and Splet intended to use a collection of sound effects records for the film but after going through them all they found that none of them were useful. So, Lynch and Splet took 63 days to make and record their own sound effects.
After finishing "The Grandmother", Lynch took the film to be shown at the AFI in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
The head of the AFI at the time, George Stevens, Jr. found that after all the films had been categorized, only Lynch's defied easy categorization. Stevens and Vellani recommended that Lynch apply to the AFI's Center for Advanced Film Studies. This was a filmmaking conservatory that Vellani had recently started in Beverly Hills. Lynch and Splet both applied for scholarships and on the strength of "The Grandmother" (which won awards at film festivals in Atlanta, Belleview
Belleview
Belleview can refer to:* Belleview, California **Belleview, Humboldt County, California, unincorporated community**Belleview, Tuolumne County, California, unincorporated community* Belleview, Florida, city...
, and San Francisco) they were accepted into the program. (34 minutes)
The Amputee
19741974 in film
The year 1974 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*February 7 - Blazing Saddles is released in the USA.*August 7 - Peter Wolf, lead singer of The J...
The Amputee Made for the American Film Institute
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...
while Eraserhead
Eraserhead
Eraserhead is a 1977 American surrealist film and the first feature film of David Lynch, who wrote, produced and directed. Lynch began working on the film at the AFI Conservatory, which gave him a $10,000 grant to make the film after he had begun working there following his 1971 move to Los Angeles...
was in financial limbo. The AFI was testing two different stocks of black and white video and enlisted Frederick Elmes
Frederick Elmes
Frederick Elmes, A.S.C. is an American cinematographer who has won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography twice, for Wild at Heart and Night on Earth....
to test each one. Lynch asked Elmes if he could shoot something with this stock and so he and Catherine Coulson stayed up all night writing script. The result was a one shot scene with Catherine Coulson about a woman attempting to write a letter while a female nurse (played by Lynch) tends to her leg stumps. (two versions 5 minutes/4 minutes)
The Cowboy and the Frenchman
19881988 in film
-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:* Act of Piracy* Action Jackson, starring Carl Weathers, Craig T. Nelson, Vanity, Sharon Stone* The Adventures of Baron Munchausen* Akira* Alice...
The Cowboy and the Frenchman Slapstick
Slapstick
Slapstick is a type of comedy involving exaggerated violence and activities which may exceed the boundaries of common sense.- Origins :The phrase comes from the batacchio or bataccio — called the 'slap stick' in English — a club-like object composed of two wooden slats used in Commedia dell'arte...
made for French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Television as part of the series The French as seen by...
The French as seen by...
The French as seen by... was the title and subject of a series of five short films by notable directors. It was initiated and sponsored by the newspaper Le Figaro, as part of the 1988 celebration of the tenth anniversary of its magazine section...
by French magazine Figaro. With Harry Dean Stanton
Harry Dean Stanton
Harry Dean Stanton is an American actor, musician, and singer. Stanton's career has spanned over fifty years, which has seen him star in such films as Paris, Texas, Kelly's Heroes, Dillinger, Alien, Repo Man, The Last Temptation of Christ, Wild at Heart, The Green Mile and The Pledge...
, Frederic Golchan, and Jack Nance
Jack Nance
Marvin John Nance , known professionally as Jack Nance and occasionally credited as John Nance, was an American actor of stage and screen, primarily starring in offbeat or avant-garde productions...
. (26 minutes)
Premonitions Following an Evil Deed
19961996 in film
Major releases this year included Scream, Independence Day, Fargo, Trainspotting, The English Patient, Twister, Mars Attacks!, Jerry Maguire and a version of Evita starring Madonna.-Events:...
Lumière:Premonitions Following an Evil Deed Originally included in the 1995
1995 in film
-Top grossing films:-Events:* March 22 - The Dogme 95 movement is officially announced in Paris by Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg.* March 28 - Actress Julia Roberts and singer Lyle Lovett announce their plans for separation....
film Lumière et compagnie. Forty acclaimed directors created works using the original Cinematographe
Cinematographe
A cinematograph is a film camera, which also serves as a film projector and developer. It was invented in the 1890s.Note that this was not the first 'moving picture' device. Louis Le Prince had built early devices in 1886. His 1888 film Roundhay Garden Scene still survives.There is much dispute as...
invented by the Lumière brothers (52 seconds)
External links
- http://leedsfilm.com/default.aspx - Showing Short Films of David Lynch on Tue 10.11.2009 in Leeds, UK
- DVD Verdict review
- David Lynch Homepage
- The Cowboy and the Frenchman on lynchnet
- The Cowboy and the Frenchman at Allmovie