Frameform

“One in four people in the US have a disability that impacts a major part of their life….What if the dance world reflected that statistic? (via @stanceondance)” Whether intentionally or not, the dance world often privileges certain types of bodies and abilities, which can raise a barrier to potential ideas and creation. In this episode, we cover an array of films that make visible the unique physi...

In this season’s edition of Dancefilm Network, Jen connected with Larkin Poynton and Chris Martin to share about their collaboration Project Home @projecthomeart - a creative homegrown project building community and connectivity worldwide through movement, filmmaking, education and big ideas. We discuss the production of their dancefilm Home in Iceland, Homework educational program, Homescreen fes...

“The mediator between the head and the hands must be the heart” With its myriad manifestations of choreography through the body and filmic form as well as themes surrounding the mechanization of the human body that almost resonate more strongly today than they did almost a century ago, Fritz Lang’s seminal Metropolis easily has a place in the dance film canon. This week, the Frameform team takes a...

Yes, dance film is a pretty niche mode of filmmaking-- not everyone is familiar with its artistry. But that’s the point of Frameform; to spread the appreciation and practice of screendance for audiences beyond the classroom and film festival space. This week, Jen, Clare, and Hannah sit down with 3 friends outside the dance film community and find out what they know, like, and dislike about the for...

You voted for it, so we’re talking about it!  In today’s Location Scouting episode, we're focusing on dancefilms taking place in WATER locations. Just a water’s range is vast from vapor to ice, so are the variety of dancefilms that involve water. As we focus on three examples, we will discuss the meaning of water and how the location plays a key role in each of these dancefilms. Of course, we also...

We're back with another music video round table, taking a closer look at the band that is pushing the boundaries and possibilities of music videos, OK Go. Over 15 years ago, OK Go went viral with their backyard hit "A Million Ways," becoming the most downloaded video in 2005. A year later the infamous follow up, “Here It Goes Again,” ranks as one of the Top 30 Best Music Videos of All Time by TIME...

In the latest edition of Dancefilm Network, we connect with the Motion Dance Collective (the MDC) aka Omari “Motion” Carter, Anna Clifford, and James Williams. The MDC is an award winning screendance production company that not only creates screen work, but also presents education initiatives including its podcast, The MDC Talks . We touch on many topics including transitioning from a collective t...

When televisions became a staple in households, early television shows celebrated the potential of dance as a communal celebration while introducing it to new audiences. Come the 2000s, TV dance competitions began to inundate the airwaves and shape the dance world as a whole. This week, the Frameform team examines the influence of dance-theme television shows on the culture at large and how they s...

You’re either the type of person who watches commercials in full or the kind of person who would rather do without them. We, the Frameform team, love a good ad and are focusing on the best and worst examples of commercials featuring dance as the selling tool in today’s episode. Dance themed ads give the worldwide audience a taste of what screendance is. Tying movement with product opens the mind o...

Costumes transform a subject -- instantly creating a character, a personality, or a mood for the screen. The sheets of fabric, material, or in some cases sculpted masterpieces, take the shape to the character’s storyline, portraying a larger role to the picture. In today’s discussion, we will take a closer look at some exquisite examples of imaginative costumes, how they are structuring the dance...

Western cultural norms tend to define a certain age threshold for societal value, which the dance world tends to lower at all turns. In the dance field, it’s normal to see professional dance artists hanging up their shoes before the age of forty, leaving a dearth of voices, perspectives and experiences that could push the field forward. The Frameform team discusses how the inclusion of elder dance...

In this season’s edition of Rewind, we connect with Karen Pearlman and Richard James Allen, also known as The Physical TV Company: Australia’s premier company for the production and distribution of “stories told by the body.” We discuss their multi-decade collaboration and how, among other things, they derive inspiration from classic cinema and reframe cinema’s history in the process. -- FEATURED ...

Though we live in a time where sophisticated technologies are part of daily life, we have noticed a nostalgia and trend towards using Super 8, 16mm, and 35mm film. Even though these analog methods can be more tedious, expensive and limiting, artists are still drawn to these precursors of the digital camera. We are seeing more experimentation by going into the past and combining methods from across...

These days, it is very common for most people to own some kind of smart device. Whether that be an iPhone, Android, iPad, or tablet, these handheld gadgets have become a reliant tool in our everyday life. And in this day and age, these pocket devices are one of the most utilitarian devices in a filmmaker’s arsenal. From 4K camera quality, smartphone supported accessories, to the countless number o...

Frameform is back and diving back into talking movies, moving and everything in between. Of all locations seen in screendance films, none may be more ubiquitous than the warehouse . Search for the term “ dance film ” online, and you will reliably get quite a few films set in warehouse spaces . The qualities and histories of these spaces - old factory equipment, peeling walls and dusty air- can eit...

Frameform is back with another season of jam-packed discussions around the intersecting topics of dance and film! And this year, we are going even deeper. Exploring topics such as landscapes, animation, advertising, and so much more. We’ll have special guests join us on various conversations, as well as sitting one on one with artists and major contributors in the dance film community. Mark your c...

While the events of 2020 appeared to initially stop the world in its tracks, the year also proved to be a catalyst for creativity and connection and sowed the seeds for unique ventures, like this podcast. In this episode, the Frameform team reflects on this unique year and discusses how it laid the groundwork for a screendance renaissance and reinforced connections amongst dance film nerds around...

As we look back on a very strange year, the Frameform team takes a moment to review and gush over some dance films favorites that have been keeping us company. Email us: frameformpodcast@gmail.com -- Hannah’s Picks HAIM - I Know Alone Directed by Jake Schreier https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfZSgr_si4I The Man Who Traveled Nowhere in Time Directed by Vincent René-Lortie https://vimeo.com/32289947...

If we really crunch the numbers, there is a surprising amount of dance in movies. Musicals would be the quintessential medium of all dance, song, and acting, but today we decided to focus on the films that inject a single dance scene. In some films, it is almost hard to forget the iconic dance scene, and in other cases, the scene is the main event or a major turning point of the film. In today’s e...

Quiet on set!! Sound is a key part of shaping our relationship to space, even with your eyes closed, you can still orient yourself by the way sounds are emanating from it. It goes without saying that sound is a key component of dance performance. -- Momentum (2013) Dir. Boris Seewald Feat. PATRICK HANNA and SHOKO ITO Music: Ralf Hildenbeutel Sound Mix: Magdalena Lepp  Warehouse Samba (2015) Direct...

Every few years on the screendance festival circuit, there are films that find repeated play and sweep up festival awards. Between 2018-2019, that film was the Dutch screendance Sisters . With sophisticated choreography and a meticulously thought-out structure, this dark yet affecting film left impressions on audiences worldwide and has won over 50 awards (and counting).  We had the privilege to s...

Last summer, we had the opportunity to sit down and chat with the Vancouver-based filmmaker duo, Kent Donguines and Maxime Beauchamp at Dancinema ’s Cascadia Dance and Cinema Festival .  In this interview, we learn about Kent and Maxime’s career, their collection of films, and upcoming projects that inspire them to think outside the box with their filmmaking. KENT DONGUINES is a Filipino-Canadian...

Creating dance film can sometimes be a solitary endeavor. The advantages of remote creation and distribution can be neutralized with the solitary feeling of producing and curating in a silo. How do we connect with others who are interested in creating, presenting and discussing the form? Are there formalized structures to facilitate these connections? GITTA WIGRO has almost twenty years of experie...

In August 2019, Dancinema ’s Cascadia Dance and Cinema Festival collaborated with Vancouver International Tap Dance Festival on a screening of American Tap and a panel discussion at Vancouver Tap Dance Society .  Facilitated by Frameform’s Jen Ray, this discussion with Andrew Nemr, Max Pollak, Demi Remick and Danny Nielson offers perspectives on their experiences with Tap Dance and Media. Listen h...

In the 1980’s “ video killed the radio star ” in the 2000’s, the internet is creating video stars and radically altering how we train, teach and watch dance. Today’s episode focuses on YouTube as a platform and the wave of class videos that has been definitive of dance culture in the 2000’s. Social dances used to be shared and developed in person, but now social dance and social media are symbioti...