VIDEO YEARS PIONEERS LATER Doug Michelsand anetwork counterpart; 1972. VIDEO 80 19 In frontof the houseon Pine Tree Drive: (L to R) Colonel Sanders, Allen Rucker, Anda Korsts, Tom Weinberg, Skip Blumberg, Mi- chaelCouzins (behind Blumberg), Judy Newman, Steve Christiansen, Chuck Kennedy, Ira Schneider (kneeling), Martha Miller, Mi- chaelShamberg, Chip Lord (kneeling), Andy Mann, Nancy Cain, Hudson Marquez, Jody Sibert (sitting), Curtis Schreier, Joan Lo- gue, Jim Newman . Ten years ago, Group W Television purchased two fused to talk to Skip Blumberg's camera. black and white Skip's "non- documentaries, transferred the 1/2-inch interview" subsequently appeared in the finished video material tape through a time base corrector to quad, anyway). Maureen Orth, a print journalist and broadcast the who had shows in five major markets .' The signed onto TVTV's crew, doggedly followed Henry tapes were TVTV's Four More Years and The World's Kissinger, who gave her a mini interview before step- Largest TV Studio and the Group W transmission be- ping into his limousine . Nixon's core of Young Repub- came widely accepted as the first time videotape origi- t12 'r licans provided high profile counterpoint to the well or- nated on portapaks was broadcast . I ganized Vietnam Veterans against the TVTV War, and their (Top Value Television) was an ad hoc group insistent chant, Four More Years, gave the of tape its title . independent video producers and artists who After the conventions, TVTV coalesced relocated in San around the political conventions of 1972 in Francisco and signed a "five program" Miami contract with Beach, organized by Raindance (New York) the TV Lab at WNET, the PBS affiliate in and Ant Farm New York. (San Francisco). They invited the par- In association with David Loxton and the TV ticipation of Lab, the other video makers through a loose net- group produced several more documentaries work of contacts including developed through Radical Software, Lord of the Universe, about the 15 year old perfect the periodical mas- of new video . More than 25 people ter's Millenium festival in the Astrodome; Gerald formed the TVTV Ford's crew at the Democratic convention America, a four part look at the interim in July, 1972 . Working president's out of a rented house, they Washington; a cajun music piece, The Good Times Are swarmed in and around the convention, shooting polit- Killing Me, and an interview with the then-under- ical stars and cultural events and compiling more than ground Abbie Hoffman. TVTV incorporated as a sixty hours oforiginal tape. The tape was logged in Mi- partnership but they continued to draw on a talent pool ami and then an editing crew flew to New York be- of independents for production help. In 1976 they dis- tween conventions to put together a 60 minute doc that solved the partnership . became The World's Largest TVStudio. Video 80s sent questionaires out to TVTV This first effort alumnae suffered a lack of organization and and a few other video pioneers. We asked what point of view, they possibly reflecting the McGovern con- were doing then and what they are doing today. vention's grass-roots The dis-jointedness. Nevertheless, it quotes that follow each entry are generally in response aired on Cable Channel D in Manhattan several weeks to the question : "How would you after characterize develop- the convention, providing an irrelevant, close-up ments in the video field over the past ten view years." Here of the Democrats, entirely unlike the TV net- then, in their own words, are the updated works thoughts and coverage! resumes of some of Video's Pioneers . -C .L. When the Nixon party rolled into Miami, TVTV was experienced and better organized. Contacts had 1 . Air date in San Francisco was October 29, 1972, on KPIX TV. been made with network news departments that led to 2 . Other 'fz" work was probably broadcast first through isolated interviews with Walter Cronkite and most of the floor scan conversion efforts. TVTV's tapes also aired on KQED, reporters (the San Francisco; Ch. 44, Chicago; WCVB, Boston ; KCRA, Sac- exception being Roger Mudd, who re- ramento. 20 Summer 83 Skip Blumberg, Douglas Kiker (NBC floor reporter) and Nancy Cain, 1972 . Stephen Beck WENDY APPLE "In 1972 the TVTV crews had the only area for video artists to circulate work." 1972 : Independent producer/artist, portable video on the floor of the Presi- living in New York, creating dential Conventions ; in 1980 the Con- vention floor looked like a video trade "personal fantasy mixed with re NANCY CAIN ality shows like Mary." CAPS show. grant, 1972 . Within our own video art community, 1972 : Member of Media Bus Inc, 1983 : Producer/Director living in To- the 60's and early 70's were much more Lanesville, N .Y. Producer, panga, California . Member of spontaneous and expansive . Many new Lanesville TV, the weekly low Directors Guild of America . Re ideas generated rapidly in the early power broadcast . cent credits include : Wired In years. Now artists and producers are 1983 : Director of Programming, (PBS); Lily For President (CBS) ; generally playing it safer. Tapes are Channel 6, Access TV, Wood- Up to Now (HBO) ; That's Holly- slicker and less political. stock, N .Y. Co-Director Media wood (Fox/ABC); Sitcom : The Ad- I'm doing pretty much the same work Bus Inc ., Video Arts and Pro- ventures ofGarry Marshall (PBS). although now I shoot in color with duction Center, Woodstock . "Regarding general TV programming: broadcast quality in mind and edit with Most recent tape-: Everything You Not all that much has changed, except faster cutting . It takes longer to make Ever Wanted To Know About Chan- in the across the boards acceptability of shows and they are seen by millions of nel 6 But Were Afraid To Ask. Reality/News/Documentary program- people . I'm still trying to approach the "A little more than a decade ago, the ming as entertainment . Technical direct naturalism that I was able to at- dust began to settle after the big `video irony: The latest video equipment is tain with 112" black and white." revolution . Many porta-packers were back to l/z", only now it is color and ex- surprised to find that, contrary to the pensive ." definition of revolution, no visable ex- STEPHEN BECK change of power had taken place, and that the only change seemed to be that 1972 : Resident electronic artist at the existing media now used electronic SKIP BLUMBERG National Center forExperiments news gathering instead of film . More in Television at KQED-TV. Re recently, it has become increasingly 1972 :' Member of Media Bus Inc ., the ceived first AFI grant given to a clear that video, which early on had collective evolution of Video- video artist . been used almost exclusively (not freex that produced a weekly 1983 : President, Bech-tech, a com- counting `video art') by protesters to broadcast in Lanesville, New pany producing energy manage- take pictures ofcops and by cops to take York, called LANESVILLE TV. merit computers, video game pictures of protesters, has been ab- 1983 : Independent producer/video art- cartridges, serial VTR control sorbed into the main stream . As a mat- ist living in New York City. computers, laser animation, and ter offact, many young video producers Blumberg's The Eskimo Olympics, videograms for home video soft- today have never even heard of the just completed, will air on PBS ware . `video revolution .' this spring. His 30 min . doc., "Slow but steady. in some ways there "What has developed in the video area Pick Up Your Feet : The Double was more visibility to video art then, by over the last ten years? Well, technol- Dutch Show (1981) won a blue rib- way of PBS and their national interest ogy, of course, has developed, and skills bon at the American Film Festi- in broadcasting video art . But now have developed, and even jobs (yikes!) val and two Emmy's . Recipient there is a tremendous potential in the have developed'. And I think that, sadly, of a J .S. Guggenheim Fellow- home video market. This didn't exist 10 a great distance has developed between ship, 1982 . years ago, and it is a very promising the video maker and his/her audience . VIDEO 80 21 "Our genera tzon failed television. Television didn't fail us. One rarely sees a porta-packer other time area of television, andjust a minis- ture length documentary pro- than the odd dentist from New Jersey, cule amount of their inventive ideas jects, and actively involved in the with a G.E. VTR slung over his shoul- have been gleaned for the general view- politics of cable access in der. Most early video people have ing audience . Even in the cable area Eugene, Oregon, where he lives. switched to larger and more expensive this does not seem about to change. It "Video has evolved from a cult item to a formats and gear their production for gives me less hope for the future. At household word and the medium is rap- major markets. least in television ." idly interfacing with almost every as- Of course, there are still producers and pect of American culture . Among pro- programmers struggling to maintain ducers, roles have become more open access to television by the public, LAURA CAVESTANI specialized, and much more attention is against growing difficulties from cable 1972 : Living in New York City with now focused on markets and the busi- companies who see each channel as an- Frank, producing an anti-war ness of video." other `pay tier,' and from many munici- movie called Operation Last Patrol.