“Equally skilled as a musician, lyricist, and image-maker, he is a master of using simple, clearly constructed assemblages of words, music and images to reveal the hidden underpinnings of American life.” - David Finkelstein (Film International)
“strangely whimsical.. leave behind all your own theories and presumptions about what the art of filmmaking is..” - Kirk Fernwood (One Film Fan)
Emotions in Metal • 21 min • DV & 16mm • 2019 • soundtrack
“Emotions in Metal” is an art rock film by Tommy Becker. The film is divided into nine vignettes that blend the artist’s: video, music, poetry, performance and computer generated design. The short works link thematically in their investigations into human-vehicle relationships. Whether, performing instructional poetry in the garage, documenting the interiors of strangers’ cars or celebrating art world connections to the road, the work balances a playful humor with a critical eye on where society is currently parked.
SCREENINGS: Chicago Underground FF, Ann Arbor FF, Zebra Poetry FF, Kasseler Dokfest, Athens International F&VF, The Film & Video Poetry Symposium, Moviate Underground FF, Experiments in Cinema FF, That One Film Festival. AWARD: “Best Short - Music Video” - Athens International Film & Video Festival 2020.
Video, Music & Text: written, recorded, edited and performed by Tommy Becker. Vocals, Guitars, Keys & Drum Programming by Tommy Becker.
Theme Song for Driving / Emotions in Metal | DV | 2019 | 50sec
The sun is setting as I attach a cherry blossom branch to the grill of the car. I power on the dash cam and the ritual begins. A meditative drive through the neighborhood.
Mobile Solitude / Emotions in Metal | DV | 2019 | 02:02 mins
Today, more than ever, our surroundings are infected with mass amounts of irrelevant data. Could cars become mobile meditation spaces? Could a sanctuary for our minds be parked out front?
Poem for a Garage / Emotions in Metal | DV | 2019 | 02:40 mins
An instructional, poetry, performance work that investigates human-vehicle relationships. Close your eyes and slowly, lower your head. Stay idle in this position as you learn the fact that if you drove at 60 miles per hour, it would take six months to get to the moon.
Brushy Wayne / Emotions in Metal | DV | 2019 | 01:47 mins
For me, Thiebaud's streets are ideal streets; long, straight stretches of blacktop, glowing in California sunlight, void of traffic. They invite us to take a long, slow drive along the edge of the city. This piece is a tribute to Wayne's landscapes.
Chris, Stephen, Christine / Emotions in Metal | DV | 2019 | 03:13 mins
Chris Burden was a CA based sculptor & performance artist. In 1974, he performed his iconic work, “Trans-Fixed" that involved him being crucified to the hood of a Volkswagon Beetle. In 1983, Stephen King published the horror novel, "Christine". Its lead character, a demonic 1958 Plymouth Fury. During preproduction, nightmares blurred these artists’ work resulting in this death metal tribute to art and the automobile.
A Way Through / Emotions in Metal | DV | 2019 | 02:40 mins
We consider our car interiors to be private spaces, but they are publicly viewable. The camera searches for answers before getting pulled into a swirling of digital space. (video synth by Kit Young)