Father, Mother, what should I film today?

HD video, 52 min., Isabell Spengler, 2012

"The idea for FATHER, MOTHER, WHAT SHOULD I FILM TODAY? came to me one summer when I was visiting my parents at their vacation house in France. While they were working in the garden, my father and mother would call out to me at least five times a day: 'Isabell, quick, there's a praying mantis/a snail/a flower, etc., you have to film it!'
The fact that my parents exposed such excitement and impulsiveness with regard to images fascinated me. I got the idea of videotaping interviews with them in which they would describe their wishes for films as precisely as possible.
FATHER, MOTHER, WHAT SHOULD I FILM TODAY? juxtaposes my parents' descriptions of films with my own translations into film scenes: Wishes for films in words are followed by the wished-for films in images." (Isabell Spengler)

FATHER, MOTHER, WHAT SHOULD I FILM TODAY? is part of a series of experiments with visual description, carried out between friends, relatives, and the public; between filmmakers, interpreters, and the audience. The experiments mark out clear positions for those involved–behind, in front of, and in the film image.
Some earlier works of Spengler’s series were THE PITCH (2008) and TELEPATHY EXPERIMENT I (2007). While these videos were streaming verbal descriptions and their visualization in film images simultaneously, FATHER, MOTHER, WHAT SHOULD I FILM TODAY? presents descriptions and visualizations in succession, thereby influencing the viewer’s perception of the film scenes in a particular way.



with:
Arnulf Spengler
Christiane Spengler
Isabell Spengler
Antonia Baehr

concept, camera + editing: Isabell Spengler
sound postproduction: Christian Obermaier
color correction: Alexander Houtkruijer

funded by: Künstlerinnenprogramm Senat Berlin
English subtitles: Jörg von Stein / Alias


Selected Press:
Bert Rebhandl, Tip Magazin, Feb. 2012
Forum Expanded catalogue (excerpt), Berlinale, Feb. 2012