Trees are Down

An experimental, visual meditation on U.S. national identity, consumerism, and the abstract, bizarre relationship of
man—machine—wilderness.

Synopsis: A feverish montage-meditation on the national identity of American Citizens, the culture and trends of American consumerism, the relationship of man to machine, and the abstract relation of machine + wilderness. Americans define their individuality and lifestyle through their consumerism; corporations create sub-cultures, niches, and they market and sell this lifestyle, sending the consumer concealed messages that we need to buy the best to be the best.

Background: Taking a bathroom break from chopping wood out at my cabin, I discovered a number of VHS tapes buried inside a chest.

Supplementary Notes: The catalyst of this project was during the Summer of 2008 when I visited the family cabin to help my father chop wood and haul brush. Later on, I was digging through a bin of antiquated VHS tapes — I soon stumbled upon a handful of snowmobile, ATV, and chain-saw instructional videos. I immediately knew that I wanted to cut up and mash these materials into a short, 4-6 minute film. I also wanted to experiment with faux branding (e.g. the Ginga, Dinca, Chooga, and Targis logos featured in the film).

However, as I reviewed the footage, I realised that the material was far more mundane than I initially had expected. I knew what I wanted to create: An ugly — and embellished — trash bag filled with American video trash-timber porn. After multiple screenings, I began cutting, and after multiple edits, the film was completed.

With heavy image manipulation, experiments in frame size, deconstruction, and juxtaposition, Trees seeks to explore trends in consumerism — e.g. the thought processes of the deliberating potential consumer, their weighing thoughts, how they come to make the big purchase.

2009
VIDEO
4 MIN

EDITOR: Andrew Rosinski
MUSIC BY: Royalty Free Music

EXHIBITION FORMATS: Additional screeners and subtitled versions of this film are available upon request. This film is available in the following formats:

» DVD (NTSC & PAL)
» DVCAM (NTSC & PAL)
» HDCAM (NTSC & PAL)
» DIGITAL FORMAT (H.260)

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