MEDIATHEK

"Rhythm is a matter of proportion not of accent" (Arthur Schnabel)

A film that records a complete dance piece. It records 44 mins of dance movement without overlap. The duration of the shots, and the speed of the dolly movement (always from right to left starting at the same place), is laid out according to a pre-determined pattern, a pettern unrelated to the choreography. Some passages are replaced by black, with the soundtrack continuing over. These (visual) silences are also organised according to a scaled version of the pattern, providing punctuation.

The camera movement is always slow, such that it becomes (most) apparent during the pauses in the dance piece (the stops of the title). Awareness of dance and its filming will slip back and forth. When the dancers pause, the camera movement is most apparent, when they move again, it drops from awareness.

In addition, the footstep sounds move in and out of sync, according to a scaled version of the same pattern. This provides another mesh, whose movement will at times be apparent, at other times not.

The camera frames the stage, not the dancers. This allows the filmic rhythmic elements to prevail.

The meshing of the various rhythmic elements interacting with the clear structures of the dance performance to produce a new pattern, inherent only in the interaction, apprehended by the viewer but not tangible, ebbing and flowing. The effect might be compared to the phenomenon of interference fringes observed when light sources interact in the laboratory - the reinforcing and diminution the result of wave interactions. Phase is all.

The question is whether tension and attention are possible without conventional montage. If it is, then in this film the forward momentum is achieved by rhythmic devices depending on proportion, not on accent.

CHOREOGRAPHY: Jonathan Burrows

DANCERS: Jonathan Burrows, Henry Montes, Fin Walker & Kate Gower

MUSIC COMPOSED & PERFORMED BY Kevin Volans & Matteo Fargion

FILM LIGHTING: Jack Hazan

ORIGINAL STAGE LIGHTING DESIGN: Mike Hulls

CAMERA ASSISTANT: Noël Balbirnie

DOLLY GRIP: Steve Morgan

GAFFER: Tony Buckthorpe

DIRECTOR/CAMERA/EDITING: Adam Roberts

RE-RECORDING MIXER: Hugh Strain

ORIGINAL MUSIC RECORDING: Mike Hatch

MUSIC POST-PRODUCTION ENGINEER: Dave Hunt

LOCATION SOUND RECORDING: James Godard

LIGHTING ASSISTANT: Lee Curran

THEATRE TECHNICIAN (Jackson's Lane): Alan Jackson

PRODUCED BY Julia Carruthers & Adam Roberts

FUNDED BY The Arts Council of England, with support from a Prudential Award for the Arts.

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