Digital technology allows for what is known as nonlinear editing and nonlinear playback. This means that because a digital film is no longer printed on an analog film strip, it does not have to progress in a linear manner. However, digital cinema still follows the same chronological and linear progression of analog cinema, because that’s what we’ve become used to. The Nonlinear Playback series attempts to explore what nonlinear cinema would look like. In each video, I use a variety of techniques to randomize a selected film.
Note: This series was inspired by the writings of Lev Manovich in his book Language of New Media (2001).
Nonlinear Playback #13 (2018). From the film Live Free or Die Hard (Len Wiseman, 2007) aka Die Hard 4. “Analog Hero in a Digital World” (quote from the promotional material). The video is compiled using a random number generator, to choose the starting point & length of each clip (from 1 to 30 frames; in DIE HARD 4 there are 30 frames per second). There is also encoded a 50% chance to repeat each clip already used, in which case a random one will be taken wholesale. Towards the end of the video, however (starting around 29 seconds in), all clips are taken from the randomized video itself, using the same method of choosing the starting point and this time a random duration of 1 to 10 (and then 1 to 8) frames.
Nonlinear Playback #12 (2018). From the film Gozu (Takashi Miike, 2003). The video is compiled using a random number generator, to choose the starting point and the length of the clip (from 1 to 5 seconds).
Nonlinear Playback #11 (2018). From the film Once Upon a Time in the West (Sergio Leone, 1968). The video is compiled using a random number generator, to choose the starting point and the length of the clip (from 1 to 5 seconds).
Nonlinear Playback #10 (2018). From the film Suicide Squad (David Ayer, 2016). The video is compiled using a random number generator, to choose the starting point and the length of the clip (from 1 to 5 seconds).
Nonlinear Playback #9 (2018). From the music video for “Oh!” (2010) by Girls’ Generation. The video is compiled using a random number generator, to choose the starting point and the length of the clip (from 1 to 3 seconds).
Nonlinear Playback #8 (2018). From the entirety of Seinfeld season 3 (1991-1992). The video is compiled using a random number generator, to choose the starting point and the length of the clip (from 1 to 5 seconds).
Nonlinear Playback #7 (2018). From the television series Mobile Fighter G Gundam – episode 30 (aired in Japan 1994, USA 2002). The video is compiled using a random number generator, to choose the starting point and the length of the clip (from 1 to 5 seconds).
Nonlinear Playback #6 (2018). From the television series Mobile Fighter G Gundam – episode 14 (aired in Japan 1994, aired in the US 2002). The video is compiled using a random number generator, to choose the starting point and the length of the clip (from 1 to 5 seconds). The audio was also out of synch; does that make it better or worse? No human judgement is involved in creating the video, so I didn’t fix it.
Nonlinear Playback #5 (2018). From the film The Thing (John Carpenter, 1982). The video is compiled using a random number generator, to choose the starting point and the length of the clip (from 1 to 5 seconds).
Nonlinear Playback #4 (2018). From Seinfeld season 2 episode 11 – “The Chinese Restaurant” (1991). The video is compiled using a random number generator, to choose the starting point and the length of the clip (from 1 to 5 seconds).
William Kohler 