Translated material
“There is no clear line between advertising, art and entertainment”
The duo of Peter Toll and Graham Daniels has been working since 1992 and is known simultaneously in the environment of modern pop music, the film industry and video art. From fragments of feature films and chronicles, they assemble rhythmic club compositions or leisurely ones intended for thoughtful perception of video shows. Addictive TV not only demonstrates its remixes at world dance festivals, but also sells them as trailers for films of major film companies. Graham DANIELS answered questions from Vremya Novostei.
—What is the fundamental difference between your remixes and music videos and trailers?
- The easiest way would be to suggest taking a look at our work. The difference is obvious. Regular movie clips are much less musical and feature a voice-over that we don’t use. Videos are often made to showcase the artist rather than the music. In our mixes, the musical part is formed from samples of the soundtrack to the film. We are interested in getting inside the composition, changing the musical structure (this is mixing), adding spice to it. We're reworking the video into something completely new. You hear what you see and vice versa.
-- New Line cinema uses your videos to promote its films. Is this a way to make money?
- Not at all. In our opinion, there is no clear line between advertising, art and entertainment. We consider Hollywood an important cultural center. Without the studio system, with all its shortcomings, there would be no film industry. Arguments against an artist working to order are laughable. Remember the story: Michelangelo and Leonardo were great artists, and all their amazing work was commercial. Their clients included the church and wealthy patrons, historical analogues of today's large companies.
— Are all the films you work with interesting to you?
- It’s good, of course, when you like the film. But this is not a prerequisite. Some films look much better in five-minute cuts. We made a successful video for the film Shoot 'Em All with Clive Owen. It's not my type, but that didn't stop us from making a great trailer. We don't panic every time a Hollywood company approaches us. It's work and it's better to enjoy it.
— Do you prefer to work with blockbusters?
— We also have documentary film projects, for example, The Eye of the Pilot, based on the personal video archive of a French pilot who filmed in the 50s. Even though we are good at action, we work with all genres. The video “Keep the Rhythm” is based on a film about a ballroom dancing teacher. It's the same with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, a Chinese historical drama. Yes, it has action scenes, but it's definitely not a blockbuster. In addition to explosions and shots, the rhythm of the video can organize many other sounds. Just recently we were asked to make a video for a historical drama with lots of dialogue, so keep an eye on our Myspace page.
— In the summer you took part in the coverage of the Olympics in Beijing...
-- It was a European interactive project, broadcast by the Austrian company ORF. We mixed music and archival footage provided by the International Olympic Committee with sports footage broadcast live from China. We used mixers, a DVD turntable and a laptop to combine the signals from all the sources. Terribly time-consuming work, but in the end everything turned out great. This broadcast technology is applicable to any large-scale live performance, allowing viewers to see the action from many different angles. We hope to repeat the performance for the London 2012 Olympics.
-- Tell us about your festival of audiovisual arts.
-- “Optronika” is something between a film and music festival. In addition to live shows taking place at London's IMAX cinema, the festival features screenings and installations by both famous and unknown artists. We strive to showcase UK and world premieres, so from time to time we commission new works from artists specifically for Optronics.
—You worked with Peter Greenaway. Do you share his theory about the death of cinema and the victory of synthetic art?
-- At Optronika, Greenway presented the British premiere of his VJ project “Tulse Luper's Suitcases.” It was a huge performance where he sampled and mixed his own films live. I don't fully agree with his theories. There are many beautiful works of art being created these days, and not all of them are made on a computer.
- Do you have any young imitators?
-- Like any art, mixing requires practice and diligence; the artist needs to find his own style and author's voice. Of course, the mix can be made at home. Its quality will depend on the talent and technical capabilities of the author. Young artists send us their works, they are interested in our opinion, they write that our work inspires them. But I still haven't seen anything amazing.
—What are you planning to show in Moscow?
- We will play a show of remixes and video clips and will be glad if directors are among the audience. I hope they appreciate the long hours of hard work that went into our performance.
-- Do your performances depend on the site where you work?
-- Indoor and outdoor programs may not be different, but it is impossible to show in a museum the same thing as in a club. The show I mentioned earlier, The Eye of the Pilot, is much more like a concert than a club performance where the audience is expected to dance. Actually, we don’t see much difference between the programs; in any case, you need to entertain the audience and work with them.