Movies: William Raban

A land and sea-scape film drawn from rich sources of imagery: the constantly changing mood of the sea to the distinctly different shorelines of Kent and the Pas de Calais – twenty-one miles of water that define both the “island race” and English host...

A rapid time-lapse journey from the London Houses of Parliament to the English Channel near the port of Dover is offset by David Cunningham’s musical score composed from fragments of Margaret Thatcher’s Belgrano speech....

This film documents the transformation of a derelict fire station into studio and living spaces for artists. The opening of the restored building is celebrated in performances and installations by its new occupants. In common with Raban’s films that ...

“The film image is a row of boarded-up town houses pending demolition. Two cameras film in alternation this derelict facade from two changing viewpoints. They pan in opposing crossways movements and develop a picture view that appears to extend beyon...

"For this short film event, the film is removed from the film feed reel, and is unwound, to span the space between the projector and screen. The projector starts, and the film snakes back through the audience, as it is consumed by the projector. The ...

Three screen piece. "I was looking for a pure image, an image which was intrinsic to the medium of film. This film is not an abstract film; the subject is the projector gate, the plane where the film frame is arrested in the projected light beam, and...

“This film is the starting point of a continuous investigation into ways of presenting cubist space in terms of the flat surface of the film screen. The film image is the view through a window, the window-frame providing a constant spatial reference ...

"This experiment determines what happens when a negative is superimposed upon its own positive image. The center of the picture forms the optical soundtrack on both left and right screens so that what you see finds its aural equivalent in sound." - A...

Originally, this was a four-minute time-lapse film that was shot continuously over a twenty-four-hour period. The camera was positioned on a busy pathway in Regent's Park, and recorded three frames a minute. The shutter was held open for the twenty-s...

Raban layers recordings of successive film performances in which he stands before a projection, states the date and time, and says "A camera is filming the audience watching yesterday's audience watching the blank screen. Sounds of the projection and...

Whilst working on previous time-lapse films, I found that colour film tended to record the actual colour of the light source rather than local colour when long time exposures were used. Using this phenomenon, Colours of this Time records all the imp...

Directed by William Raban....

"ISLAND RACE contrasts everyday events with actions of right wing extremists, counter anti-racist demonstrations, the funeral of a gangland leader, and the jingoistic street parties celebrating Victory in Europe Day. Using only picture and sound, wit...

Documentary about the surroundings of a skyscraper in London....