Described by creator Reynold Reynolds as "a three-part cycle exploring the imperceptible conditions that frame life" The Secrets Trilogy -- comprising the experimental (and in places NSFW) films, Secret Life, Secret Machine & Six Easy Pieces -- is a film triplet created between 2008 and 2010. Combined the films, or video installations as they were originally presented, explore the fundamentals of how best to capture and manipulate time, motion and space which, when you boiled it down are the fundamentals behind the processes of all filmmaking:
The Secrets Trilogy was shot on 16mm by cinematographer Carlos Vasquez who with Reynolds developed the films' motion control systems using printer motors to give the live action pieces their stop motion style. It's clear to see why the completed works are classed as experimental, but less evident is the exploratory approach that suffuses Reynolds' entire creative process and results in a working method that is in itself an ongoing experiment from conception to completion:
I take a scientific approach towards film making. I like to do tests and try things to see what works, rather than work like the stereotypical artist who has a vision in his mind and only tries to pursue this one vision. I tend to try things, see what I like and change my ideas as I go.
As is typical of experimental film whilst the striking visuals and on screen mechanics of the pieces are clear to see, the intended interpretations and initiating concepts are possibly less easy to unpack without a guide. So where better to hear an explanation than from the artist's mouth:
In his discussion with ART Interview magazine Reynolds discusses the precarious nature of life as a working artist building a career reliant on the whims of audience taste and how each project is a leap of financial faith for him. Here's hoping he continues to find an audience of true believers.
How do your working methods influence your films? Have you discovered new approaches on set which have fundamentally changed a project?
Links:
Reynold Reynolds
ART Interview
