"Minute by minute, we make our own world. We make our own world."
Philip Marlow, The Singing Detective

Throughout the months of February and March 2002, leading UK art group, desperate optimists, and 8 Newham based artists and film-makers worked within the unique aesthetic and technical parameters of the web to create a series of short films for the internet.

There is no doubt that film making techniques and film distribution have, over the years, developed and expanded. With the advent of affordable digital technologies and the internet this is more true than ever. Paradoxically, due to current technical limitations, the kind of films that work best online have much in common with the very first films made by the Lumiere Brothers over 100 years ago. With this is mind, the films shot for minute by minute pay hommage to the early days of cinema and were made to an agreed set of rules: the films had to be no longer than 60 seconds; they had to be shot using only the available light; the camera had to be on a static tripod; and there there had to be no synchronous sound.

The resulting web site uses Newham - with its rich and diverse urban georgraphy - as the inspiration and backdrop for 24 new films shot specifically for the web.

desperate optimists would like to extend a huge thanks to Rebecca Maguire of the London Film and Video Development Agency and Carole Thomas of the London Borough of Newham, Regeneration and Partnerships Division.

Throughout the seven week project, artists and producers made invaluable contributions to the process. desperate optimists would like to warmly thank: Ben Slater, Laura Hastings-Smith, Chris Dorley-Brown and Nina Pope.

desperate optimists would like to extend a special thanks to all the Artists and Arti Dillon for their work in the making of minute by minute.

desperate optimists would like to acknowledge the support of the Live Art Development Agency in the making of minute by minute.

desperate optimists would also like to say thank you to: all at Team Pictures from whose space the project was run (TeamPictures@compuserve.com); MR Systems, who provided the hired computers, for their help and technical support (www.mrsystems.co.uk); and Dennis Rudd of Kavita Graphics for the design of the publicity material (dennis@kavitagraphics.co.uk).

 

For further information about any of the above please go to:
www.desperateoptimists.com
www.lfvda.demon.co.uk
www.newham.gov.uk