| Breakaway | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Bruce Conner |
| Starring | Toni Basil |
| Cinematography | Bruce Conner |
| Edited by | Bruce Conner |
| Music by | Toni Basil |
Release date |
|
Running time | 5 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Breakaway is a 1966 American short film by Bruce Conner. [1] It shows Toni Basil dancing to her song "Breakaway". The film has a palindromic structure in which the second half of the film reverses the image and sound of the first half. Breakaway is often cited as a precursor to the development of the music video.
Description
Breakaway is a 5-minute black-and-white film showing Basil against a black backdrop, set to her song of the same name. As it begins she poses in a black leotard, with black frames which create a strobing effect. During the first verse, she is shown in a white slip, and fast zooms move back and forth between extreme close-ups and medium shots. The first chorus contains a longer unbroken shot of Basil blowing a kiss and caressing herself. In the second verse, the film cross-cuts between shots in which Basil appears in different outfits, moving in and out of focus. The second chorus uses a slow motion of her jumping. [2] The second half of the film is a reversed version of the sound and images in the first half, such that the two sections are mirror images of each other. [3]
Production
Conner and Basil met through a group of mutual friends including Conner's roommate Dean Stockwell and Basil's boyfriend Dennis Hopper. [4] Long before Basil had recorded her song, Conner approached her about putting her in a film. Basil provided her own wardrobe, making a flower garland and cutting out holes in her tights. [3] [5]
Shooting happened in October 1964, in an apartment on the Santa Monica Pier. Conner used a Bolex 16 mm camera. Stockwell was also there, filming the shoot. Footage from the first day of filming was largely unusable, so they continued for a second day with Hopper helping to light it. [3] [6] Basil improvised her choreography. [5]
In February 1966, Basil released her debut single "I'm 28", with "Breakaway" as the B-side. Conner edited his earlier footage of Basil to the song later that year. Because of the hundreds of splices used, the editing process was laborious and lasted several weeks. [3]
Release
When Conner took over performances of the North American Ibis Alchemical Light Company, he used Breakaway for some of the shows. [7] The film was not intended as a promotional device for the single, and Basil's frontal nudity in the film limited its commercial use. However, it became known as a precursor to the music video because of its fast editing, dancing, and soundtrack. [4]
Shortly after Breakaway, Basil directed A Dance Film Inspired by the Music of Jim Morrison in 1968, a similarly experimental work which makes use of superimpositions and flicker effects. Stockwell's footage from the Breakaway shoot has been screened as a separate work, often with the Rolling Stones' " Goin' Home" as accompaniment. In 2006, Conner turned this footage into the short film Pas de Trois. The title refers to the dance of the three people on the set—Conner, Basil, and Stockwell. [4]
References
- ^ Bruce Conner - BREAKAWAY - Art + Music - MOCAtv - The Museum of Contemporary Art on YouTube
- ^ Davis, Bob (April 2004). "Breakaway". Senses of Cinema. No. 31. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Crow, Thomas (2023). The Artist in the Counterculture: Bruce Conner to Mike Kelley and Other Tales from the Edge. Princeton University Press. pp. 71–77.
- ^ a b c Gosse, Johanna (2015). "Pop, Collaboration, Utopia: Bruce Conner's BREAKAWAY in 1960s Los Angeles". Camera Obscura. 30 (2): 1–19. doi: 10.1215/02705346-3078303.
- ^ a b Beta, Andy (June 30, 2016). "Bruce Conner's 'Time Bombs' Hit MoMA". Wall Street Journal. p. A17. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
- ^ Hoberman, J (November 10, 2010). "Not Just a Movie Maker". The Village Voice.
- ^ Reveaux, Tony (2010). "A Legacy of Light". In Anker, Steve; Geritz, Kathy; Seid, Steve (eds.). Radical Light: Alternative Film and Video in the San Francisco Bay Area, 1945–2000. University of California Press. p. 105. ISBN 978-0-520-24911-0.
External links
| Breakaway | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Bruce Conner |
| Starring | Toni Basil |
| Cinematography | Bruce Conner |
| Edited by | Bruce Conner |
| Music by | Toni Basil |
Release date |
|
Running time | 5 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Breakaway is a 1966 American short film by Bruce Conner. [1] It shows Toni Basil dancing to her song "Breakaway". The film has a palindromic structure in which the second half of the film reverses the image and sound of the first half. Breakaway is often cited as a precursor to the development of the music video.
Description
Breakaway is a 5-minute black-and-white film showing Basil against a black backdrop, set to her song of the same name. As it begins she poses in a black leotard, with black frames which create a strobing effect. During the first verse, she is shown in a white slip, and fast zooms move back and forth between extreme close-ups and medium shots. The first chorus contains a longer unbroken shot of Basil blowing a kiss and caressing herself. In the second verse, the film cross-cuts between shots in which Basil appears in different outfits, moving in and out of focus. The second chorus uses a slow motion of her jumping. [2] The second half of the film is a reversed version of the sound and images in the first half, such that the two sections are mirror images of each other. [3]
Production
Conner and Basil met through a group of mutual friends including Conner's roommate Dean Stockwell and Basil's boyfriend Dennis Hopper. [4] Long before Basil had recorded her song, Conner approached her about putting her in a film. Basil provided her own wardrobe, making a flower garland and cutting out holes in her tights. [3] [5]
Shooting happened in October 1964, in an apartment on the Santa Monica Pier. Conner used a Bolex 16 mm camera. Stockwell was also there, filming the shoot. Footage from the first day of filming was largely unusable, so they continued for a second day with Hopper helping to light it. [3] [6] Basil improvised her choreography. [5]
In February 1966, Basil released her debut single "I'm 28", with "Breakaway" as the B-side. Conner edited his earlier footage of Basil to the song later that year. Because of the hundreds of splices used, the editing process was laborious and lasted several weeks. [3]
Release
When Conner took over performances of the North American Ibis Alchemical Light Company, he used Breakaway for some of the shows. [7] The film was not intended as a promotional device for the single, and Basil's frontal nudity in the film limited its commercial use. However, it became known as a precursor to the music video because of its fast editing, dancing, and soundtrack. [4]
Shortly after Breakaway, Basil directed A Dance Film Inspired by the Music of Jim Morrison in 1968, a similarly experimental work which makes use of superimpositions and flicker effects. Stockwell's footage from the Breakaway shoot has been screened as a separate work, often with the Rolling Stones' " Goin' Home" as accompaniment. In 2006, Conner turned this footage into the short film Pas de Trois. The title refers to the dance of the three people on the set—Conner, Basil, and Stockwell. [4]
References
- ^ Bruce Conner - BREAKAWAY - Art + Music - MOCAtv - The Museum of Contemporary Art on YouTube
- ^ Davis, Bob (April 2004). "Breakaway". Senses of Cinema. No. 31. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Crow, Thomas (2023). The Artist in the Counterculture: Bruce Conner to Mike Kelley and Other Tales from the Edge. Princeton University Press. pp. 71–77.
- ^ a b c Gosse, Johanna (2015). "Pop, Collaboration, Utopia: Bruce Conner's BREAKAWAY in 1960s Los Angeles". Camera Obscura. 30 (2): 1–19. doi: 10.1215/02705346-3078303.
- ^ a b Beta, Andy (June 30, 2016). "Bruce Conner's 'Time Bombs' Hit MoMA". Wall Street Journal. p. A17. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
- ^ Hoberman, J (November 10, 2010). "Not Just a Movie Maker". The Village Voice.
- ^ Reveaux, Tony (2010). "A Legacy of Light". In Anker, Steve; Geritz, Kathy; Seid, Steve (eds.). Radical Light: Alternative Film and Video in the San Francisco Bay Area, 1945–2000. University of California Press. p. 105. ISBN 978-0-520-24911-0.