Patrick O'Neill (born 1939 in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

) is an American independent experimental filmmaker and artist who has also worked in the special effects industry. Although his work embraces an extremely wide technical and aesthetic scope, he is perhaps best known for his startling, surrealistic, and humorous film compositions achieved through a mastery of the

optical printer An optical printer is a device consisting of one or more film projectors mechanically linked to a movie camera. It allows filmmakers to re-photograph one or more strips of film. The optical printer is used for making special effects for motion ...

. His films and other artworks often reveal a complex and mysterious interest in the connections and clashes between the natural world and human civilization. O'Neill has also produced a prodigious body of work in drawing, collage, sculpture, installation, and many other media. His early 16mm films include ''Runs Good'' (1970), ''Easyout'' (1971), and ''Down Wind'' (1973). His later 35mm films include ''

Water and Power ''Water and Power'' is a 1989 experimental documentary film by Pat O'Neill. Summary A reflection between nature and man in Los Angeles about the city's surroundings' desertification due to enormous water consumption. Reception It won the Docu ...

'' (1989), ''Trouble in the Image'' (1996), and '' The Decay of Fiction'' (2002). On December 30, 2008, ''Water and Power'' was added to the

National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB’s inception i ...

. Prints of O'Neill's films are held in numerous archives and museums around the world; his complete collection resides at the

Academy Film Archive The Academy Film Archive is part of the Academy Foundation, established in 1944 with the purpose of organizing and overseeing the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ educational and cultural activities, including the preservation of m ...

, where several of his short works—including ''By the Sea'', ''Bump City'', and ''7362''—have been preserved. Two of O'Neill's longer films have also been preserved by the Academy in collaboration with O'Neill: ''Water and Power'', in 2009, and ''Trouble in the Image'', in 2016. He has also taught at the

California Institute of the Arts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art university in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of both ...

. He influenced a generation of CalArts students, who include

Adam Beckett Adam Beckett (1950 in Los Angeles – 1979 in Val Verde) was an animator, special effects artist and teacher, most notable for his work on ''Star Wars''. Work Beckett developed a unique technique that involved creating a loop of images that contin ...

, Robert Blalack, Chris Casady, and

Larry Cuba Larry Cuba (born 1950) is a computer-animation artist who became active in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Born in 1950 in Atlanta, Georgia, he received A.B. from Washington University in St. Louis in 1972 and his Master's Degree from California In ...

, who all later went on to work on the special effects of the original

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...

Filmography

* ''By the Sea'' (with Robert Abel) (1963) * ''Bump City'' (1964) * ''7362'' (1965–67) * ''Coming Down'' (aka ''Heresy'') (1968) (promo film for

The United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

) * ''Screen'' (1969) * ''Runs Good'' (1970) * ''Easyout'' (1972) * ''The Last of the Persimmons'' (1972) * ''Down Wind'' (1973) * ''Saugus Series'' (1974) * ''Sidewinder's Delta'' (1976) * ''Foregrounds'' (1978) * ''Sleeping Dogs (Never Lie)'' (1978) * ''Two Sweeps'' (1979) * ''Let's Make a Sandwich'' (1978–82) * ''

'' (1989) * ''Trouble in the Image'' (1996) * ''Coreopsis'' (1998) * ''Squirtgun Step Print'' (1998) * '' The Decay of Fiction'' (2002) * ''Horizontal Boundaries'' (2008) * ''I Put Out my Hands'' (2009) * ''I Open the Window'' (2009) * ''Starting to go Bad'' (2009) * ''Painter & Ball 4-14'' (2010) * ''Ojo Caliente'' (2012) * ''Where the Chocolate Mountains'' (2015)REDCAT
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Notes

References

*''Pat O'Neill: Views From Lookout Mountain'' by Paul Arthur, Howard Singerman, Erika Suderburg, and Julie Lazar ed.Steidl/Santa Monica Museum of Art, 2004 *''Pat O'Neill: Another Kind of Record''. Los Angeles: The Ice Plant, 2008 *"An Interview with Pat O'Neill" David James. Millennium Film Journal'' No 30/31 Fall 1997.

External links

Official website
*
Canyon Cinema

Review of Decay of Fiction
1939 births American experimental filmmakers Artists from Los Angeles Living people {{US-film-bio-stub