http://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2008/04/the-art-of-misnarration/ A blog from the Poetry Foundation where contemporary poets debate classic and contemporary poetry from America and around the world. Sun, 08 Nov 2009 03:37:21 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 http://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2008/04/the-art-of-misnarration/#comment-3462 Tony Green Mon, 28 Apr 2008 20:31:29 +0000 http://pf/harriet/?p=802#comment-3462 An interesting practice, a kind of ekphrasis. Akin also to writing speech-bubble for sculptures and paintings, a cartoonist's game, can be a lot of fun, but also liable to get overrun with obvious kinds of silliness. An interesting practice, a kind of ekphrasis. Akin also to writing speech-bubble for sculptures and paintings, a cartoonist’s game, can be a lot of fun, but also liable to get overrun with obvious kinds of silliness.

]]> http://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2008/04/the-art-of-misnarration/#comment-3461 Jim K. Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:49:09 +0000 http://pf/harriet/?p=802#comment-3461 "Hercules Returns" is a voiceover comedy that was a huge hit in Australia. Aussie voices interpreting the pictures without being sure what the Italian dialog was. “Hercules Returns” is a voiceover comedy
that was a huge hit in Australia. Aussie
voices interpreting the pictures without
being sure what the Italian dialog was.

]]> http://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2008/04/the-art-of-misnarration/#comment-3460 Jeremy James Thompson Sun, 27 Apr 2008 17:54:08 +0000 http://pf/harriet/?p=802#comment-3460 Linh, I'm happy to see movietelling show up on Harriet Blog. "Misnarration" is a fine way to put it; an approach to poetics is often misunderstanding language. To add to your list of more recent movietelling antecedents, check out Guy Maddin's Brand Upon The Brain (2006). Related: YouTube is home to a huge variety of subversive film dubs. The scripts are usually pretty haphazard, if not improved (like the Gavrilov Translators of the Soviet). But I've enjoyed some of them. User "tntstudios1" has made a name for himself doing Harry Potter Dubs. You asked Larsen about it being a fad, and I keep wondering if it WAS. Walter's putting together a summer event (in NYC), once again focusing on movietelling, but incorporating other forms of cinepoetics as before. But I haven't found anything on The Neo-Benshi group since their Redcat Performance. LA's Da Benshi Code seems to be the most consistent, operating more as a place for artists to try out movietelling, rather than a venue where frequent practitioners of movietelling go to perform. Also, my favorite dubs are the GI JOE PSA Dubs. They've been reposted all over YouTube. Sometimes, I think the medium would be more effective (& sustainable) if it infiltrated more conventional poetry performance venues (i.e. regular reading series). Or as part of film festivals. Or at art gallery openings. Its isolation influences its too occasional status. Have you performed "A Smooth Life" at poetry readings? If not, is it something you would do? Also, although I can appreciate your disdain for the obvious/literal, I often find subversion in movietelling to be nearly as formulaic as a "straightforward" narration of a film. Some performers seem to rely on series of punch lines, always rapping up the same joke. It is as often as banal as "look, I'm saying something inconsistent with the direct action of the film your watching." In an instance such as this, the performer relies heavily on the popular knowledge of the film & personages (actors/celebrities) within. It can become like a tabloid full of tweaked captions subservient to paparazzi pictures. (Also posted at wwwwsonneteighteencom.blogspot.com) Linh,
I’m happy to see movietelling show up on Harriet Blog. “Misnarration” is a fine way to put it; an approach to poetics is often misunderstanding language.
To add to your list of more recent movietelling antecedents, check out Guy Maddin’s Brand Upon The Brain (2006). Related: YouTube is home to a huge variety of subversive film dubs. The scripts are usually pretty haphazard, if not improved (like the Gavrilov Translators of the Soviet). But I’ve enjoyed some of them. User “tntstudios1″ has made a name for himself doing Harry Potter Dubs.
You asked Larsen about it being a fad, and I keep wondering if it WAS. Walter’s putting together a summer event (in NYC), once again focusing on movietelling, but incorporating other forms of cinepoetics as before. But I haven’t found anything on The Neo-Benshi group since their Redcat Performance. LA’s Da Benshi Code seems to be the most consistent, operating more as a place for artists to try out movietelling, rather than a venue where frequent practitioners of movietelling go to perform. Also, my favorite dubs are the GI JOE PSA Dubs. They’ve been reposted all over YouTube.
Sometimes, I think the medium would be more effective (& sustainable) if it infiltrated more conventional poetry performance venues (i.e. regular reading series). Or as part of film festivals. Or at art gallery openings.
Its isolation influences its too occasional status.
Have you performed “A Smooth Life” at poetry readings? If not, is it something you would do?
Also, although I can appreciate your disdain for the obvious/literal, I often find subversion in movietelling to be nearly as formulaic as a “straightforward” narration of a film. Some performers seem to rely on series of punch lines, always rapping up the same joke. It is as often as banal as “look, I’m saying something inconsistent with the direct action of the film your watching.” In an instance such as this, the performer relies heavily on the popular knowledge of the film & personages (actors/celebrities) within. It can become like a tabloid full of tweaked captions subservient to paparazzi pictures.
(Also posted at wwwwsonneteighteencom.blogspot.com)

]]> http://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2008/04/the-art-of-misnarration/#comment-3459 Chris Sat, 26 Apr 2008 21:55:43 +0000 http://pf/harriet/?p=802#comment-3459 Larsen, Steiner, and others will be taking part in <a href="http://www.flim.com/spareroom/" rel="nofollow">a neo-benshi mini-festival in Portland (Ore.)</a> in the very near future. Larsen, Steiner, and others will be taking part in a neo-benshi mini-festival in Portland (Ore.) in the very near future.

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