Spitting Out Teeth

THE SOLAH TAPES

I graduated from film school in 2001 and immediately returned home to Vermont. My specialization in school was experimental/avant-garde film, and seeing as Burlington barely has a community for narrative & documentary filmmakers, I found very few people who wanted to work on experimental shorts.

However, I did find a few courageous souls (such as Burlington ex-patriate Jereme Mongeon) and was able to do a few local screenings of my work (an installation piece at "The Space" above the old Battery St. Jeans; a show at the former Waiting Room, etc.). But it was sporadic and always disappointing--there were always limitations at the venues. And most importantly, my work was always meant for solitary viewing, the cinematic equivalent of putting on a pair of headphones & listening to an avant-garde recording.

So, in a last act of desperation, I contacted a few old college film buddies & local friends and started the Solah collective in 2004. Every month we would collaborate on a short film: shooting, editing, compositing, composing soundtracks, etc. And when they were finished, my merry little band of film elves and myself would distribute VHS copies of the films (with just a simple label and wrapped in a Ziplock baggie for protection from the elements) to strategic locations around town.

Those of you working at Pure Pop, Seven Days, Waterfront Video, etc. at that time may have seen some of these films. For those of you who have not, here are the first four installments of the Solah series:

SOLAH #1



SOLAH #2



SOLAH #3



SOLAH #4