revision Steve Harris
Steve Harris Steve Harris was born in Brooklyn, New York and has lived in the NYC metropolitan area all his life. He has a Masters degree in Cinema Studies. Steve worked at New Line Cinema for over 20 years and currently works at The New Museum of Contemporary Art on the Bowery in downtown Manhattan. † He has created an extensive body of short,
Still from "L Hist
narrative video works. As a bit of an academic, he brings an understanding of the history and language of cinema to his projects. Drawing on the conventions of silent film is one example. “Sight Gags” are sometimes employed, often being turned on their heads to jar audience expectations.† Composition, montage, the use of sound and text are tools serving the telling of a story.
engage his viewers in an entertaining, possibly surreal, short story. His goal is to draw his viewers into a unique personal, fun world. Steve’s current project entitled, “The Unexpected”, is a digital animation partly inspired by a recent trip to Scandinavia. “ L Historie Vraie de Joseph Bonaparte et je Diable de Jersey” is a stop motion animated video employing beautiful 18th and 19th century paintings that explore the improbable, but true story of Joseph Bonaparte in America. It can be seen as both a historical document and a parable for the treatment of “outsiders”, and the role of group dynamics.† It is also a personal and quirky take on a weird chapter in the history of New Jersey. The dialogue is in French with English subtitles.† The use of the French language serves to place the tale in its proper historical milieu, and more importantly explores a psychological concept that Steve calls “Self Narration”.† By reading the subtitles to oneself the viewer is hearing their own, trusted, voice telling the story, or at least part of it. That is a method of abbreviating the time needed for the audience to suspend disbelief, and accept the paper “characters” as “real”.† Audience time must be wisely used in an era of shortened attention spans.† oire Vrai de Josehp Bonapart et je Diable de Jersey"
Humor plays a role in many of Steve’s films and he cites the comedic French director Jacques Tati as perhaps his greatest influence. Steve has been quoted (in one of his films) that he strives “to be funny, but not laugh out loud funny”. By that he means to share a joke, or a knowing wink with his audience. He embraces the choice of a handmade aesthetic and is not concerned with slick production values, preferring to
Stylistically, the video is influenced by the ever-evolving form of television’s “dramatized” historical documentaries.† This documentary style and the title calls into question the truthfulness of the story and yet major facts are part of the historical record. As Steve has challenged, “You can look it up”! The film morphs from a documentary and takes on elements of a classic horror film. The suspense builds to a crescendo through the use of fast paced editing and appropriated audio material. The video ends on a playful, and selfreferential note.
Roger Sorrenson
Still from "L Histoire Vrai de Josehp Bonapart et je Diable de Jersey"
An interview with
Steve Harris Since the first time we have watched "L' Histoire Vraie de Joseph Bonaparte et je Diable de Jersey", we have appreciated the elegant way you use the stop motion technique, as well as your stunning imagery reminding us of early Raoul Ruiz's film. How did you come up with the idea for this project? SH- Thank you for the kind words and this question. I had just completed a short film about gnomes using cut paper and I had so much fun rediscovering stop motion animation that I knew that I wanted to do another. I stumbled on a biography of Joseph Bonaparte and was astounded by the facts of his time living in America. †I live in New Jersey and it seemed incomprehensible that the former King of Spain lived here and was actually a significant presence among the powerful elite of this young country. †When I read that he reported encountering the Jersey Devil, I knew I had an interesting tale to tell. There are quite a few wonderful portraits of Joseph Bonaparte from the 1820’s that I could choose from, as well as some truly masterful landscape paintings of his New Jersey estate. I became quite taken with the work of the painter Thomas Birch who then became my set director! I have been following a stylistic trend on American television in dramatized documentaries. They have evolved from the Rick Burns style of panning across a photograph to a digital faux 3d effect. †I knew that I wanted to play with that in a fun way. I am flattered at your reference to Raul Ruiz, but a Facebook comment I received compared the style of my film to Terry Gilliam’s animated work on the Monty Python TV programs. That thrills me too. We have found really interesting the way you combine elements of documentary and horror film storytelling. How did you develop your style? SH -The story dictated that the beginning
Steve Harris
needed to be documentary in style. I found the expository needs well served in that way. I made the transition to the horror film as natural as I could. I used other, historically factual elements but began twisting them a bit. I thought a lot about "Frankenstein", and who really is the "monster". At that point the movie transitions and goes a bit over the top, in a fun way, I hope. You have expressed your admiration for Tati's films. Your background in history of cinema is remarkable: we daresay that L' Histoire Vraie de Joseph Bonaparte et je Diable de Jersey could be seen as sort of kino-painting-kaleidoscope. What's the influence of the French director on your artistic vision? And, besides Tati, who among international artists influenced your work? SH- In this project the influence of Jacques Tati is less apparent, except that he was essentially a silent film comedian in the modern sound era. I embraced the lack of dialogue due to my own technical limitations. In my series of Mr. Tricky movies, I was able to explore working in a live action, semi - silent way, like Monsieur Hulot, in Tati's films. The main character of those 9 short films I made makes a brief cameo appearance as "Admiral Tricky" in LHVJBDJ. In this project I felt a great deal of freedom to show artifice. I realized that at a puppet show you forget about the marionette's strings. Sometimes the "limitation" elements enhance the dreamlike nature, and that is okay.
Still from "L Histoire Vrai de Josehp Bonapart et je Diable de Jersey"
I have been influenced by animated film work of William Kentridge. In particular, the pieces that plainly operate on the erasure of the previously drawn frame. That couldn't illustrate the artistic process of animation better. And by the way, stop motion animation is so empowering, it combines child like play with god-like creation. I encourage your readers to try it; there are fantastic apps for it on the Iphone. Could you introduce our readers to the psychological concept of Self Narration? SH- One of the central themes of this film is Truth. As I mentioned earlier, I try to limit dialogue, in this case I used subtitles as a shorthand storytelling device. What I noticed when screening with audiences, was the powerful way reading subtitles to one self seems to draw viewers in. †I came to understand that when you hear your own voice reading a part, you believe and accept what you hear more readily. It is a device that compresses the suspension of
disbelief, in the same way that persistence of vision tricks the mind into perceiving motion. Or perhaps it is just me rationalizing the happy upside of a shortcut taken. Could you take us through your creative process when starting a new project? SH- Each project's genesis is unique, and for some reason I rarely have more than one going on at a time. I might get a germ of an idea and if it feels like it is something that is new or is an approach to a story I've not seen, I get super inspired. I write an outline, I do story boards. My drawing skills are not great, but they help solidify what I think I want to show, and that goes for live action or animation. I begin to think of the look I am trying to achieve. This is the time where I set the broad parameters of the style, set design, etc. I think a lot about economy and working within my production abilities. Making the commitment to a project is a
Still from "My Tricky Twin"
rewarding, important and exciting phase. Having the challenge of a project to puzzle out is one of my favorite times. Working out details, trying to be clever and humorous, to bring an audience some fun, it is a great joy. Thanks for sharing your time and thoughts
with us, Steve. What are your next projects on the horizon? SH- Thank you! †The next project was inspired by a recent trip to Scandinavia. I was really taken with the storytelling tradition, between H.C. Anderson, Norse mythology, and the spare
filmic style of Ingmar Bergman. This film, which I am calling "The Unexpected", is mashing up that tradition with the landscape paintings of Edward Hopper. I believe the solitude, and in some cases, a sense of foreboding, will be a great backdrop for a parable about death and the transcendent power of a good deed. I am
hoping it will turn out as a cross between a collage, a poem and a dream. Please check out my vimeo channel: https://vimeo.com/steve499/videossteve499. Thank you!