''Spectres of the Spectrum'' is a 1999

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

collage film Collage film is a style of film created by juxtaposing found footage from disparate sources. The term has also been applied to the physical collaging of materials onto film stock. Surrealist roots The surrealist movement played a critical role i ...

by American filmmaker

Craig Baldwin Craig Baldwin (born 1952) is an American experimental filmmaker. He uses found footage from the fringes of popular consciousness as well as images from the mass media to undermine and transform the traditional documentary, infusing it with the ...

. The story follows a father and daughter living in post-apocalyptic wasteland as they fight against corporate control of the

electromagnetic spectrum The electromagnetic spectrum is the range of frequencies (the spectrum) of electromagnetic radiation and their respective wavelengths and photon energies. The electromagnetic spectrum covers electromagnetic waves with frequencies ranging fro ...

. The film mixes found footage with live-action scenes.

Plot

In the year 2007, a telepathic woman Boo Boo and her father Yogi live in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. The New Electromagnetic Order rules the world, opposed by the TV Tesla resistance movement. Boo Boo, able to withstand the radioactive atmosphere, must go back in time 50 years and trace TV broadcasts of '' Science in Action'' to find an encoded secret from her grandmother. Meanwhile, Yogi scans the history of the electromagnetic conflict. After decoding the secret message, Boo Boo flies into the Sun to unleash a chain reaction that weaponizes the Sun's energy.

Cast

* Sean Kilcoyne as Yogi * Caroline Koebel as Boo Boo * Beth Lisick as Boo Boo (voice)

Production

Baldwin worked on ''Spectres of the Spectrum'' over three years. The film primarily draws from archival material that Baldwin kept in the basement of his studio space in San Francisco. His collection included hundreds of educational '' Science in Action'' episodes, discarded by the Exploratorium. Baldwin was motivated to use these because the show regularly had military figures as guest stars, which he thought perfectly captured "the reality of science being coopted by the military". Additional live-action scenes were shot on 16 mm film. Caroline Koebel's scenes did not have sync sound, and voiceover was added instead.

Release

''Spectres of the Spectrum'' premiered October 5, 1999 at the

Vancouver International Film Festival The Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, for two weeks in late September and early October. The festival is operated by the Greater Vancouver International Film Fest ...

. It was selected to screen at the 1999

New York Film Festival The New York Film Festival (NYFF) is a film festival held every fall in New York City, presented by Film at Lincoln Center (FLC). Founded in 1963 by Richard Roud and Amos Vogel with the support of Lincoln Center president William Schuman, i ...

, the 2000

Whitney Biennial The Whitney Biennial is a biennial exhibition of contemporary American art, typically by young and lesser known artists, on display at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, United States. The event began as an annual exhibition ...

, and the 2000

London Film Festival The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival founded in 1957 and held in the United Kingdom, running for two weeks in October with co-operation from the British Film Institute. It screens more than 300 films, documentaries and sho ...

. When the Church of Scientology found out about a mention of

L. Ron Hubbard Lafayette Ronald Hubbard (March 13, 1911 – January 24, 1986) was an American author, primarily of science fiction and fantasy stories, who is best known for having founded the Church of Scientology. In 1950, Hubbard authored '' Dianeti ...

's time working as an intelligence agent, they sent Baldwin a letter documenting their account of Hubbard's life.

Critical reception

A. O. Scott wrote that the ''Spectres of the Spectrum'' was "exhausting and ultimately bewildering… utnot without a certain visual and conceptual brilliance, or, thankfully, a sense of humor." Jonathan Romney of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' called it "radical pop art, and head-spinningly entertaining storytelling, if you manage to keep up with it." In his review for ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' magazine, Ken Eisner described it as a "concentrated lightning bolt of fascinating weirdness" but noted that it was relatively inaccessible for mainstream audiences and could become "a coveted item among youthful cognoscenti."

References

External links

''Spectres of the Spectrum''
at Other Cinema * * {{AllMovie title, 184400 1999 science fiction films 1999 films American science fiction films Collage film Films directed by Craig Baldwin Films about time travel 1990s avant-garde and experimental films 1990s English-language films 1990s American films