8-Ball with Jay Rosenblatt

In anticipation of his visit to the Walker next week, found footage filmmaker Jay Rosenblatt was kind enough to answer a few questions.

1) If you had to describe your overarching artistic aspirations in one word, what would it be?

“sublime”

2) Where do you find most of the found footage you use in your films?

from old 16mm educational prints that were being dumped by school districts.

3) Does the footage you find dictate your projects or does the project dictate the footage you’re looking for?

both, some films have begun with an image I come across and other begin with an idea and then I look for the footage.

4) Which artist blew your mind as a teenager?

Bob Dylan

5) A lot has been written about the connections between your psychology practice and your art practice. Do you see a separation between the two?

I no longer work as a therapist but I do think the desire to assist in the healing process is a motivation for some of my films.

6) Working mostly in short films, you fly under the radar of a lot of the film-going populace. How does producing for a more specific audience affect your film practice?

I don’t really produce for a specific audience. I want my films seen by the most people possible but I don’t try to appeal to the lowest common denominator.

7) On a similar note, have you ever wanted to go feature-length?

Yes but shorts have never been a means to get to that. I’ve always said that I’ll make a feature when I have a feature idea and the budget.

8) What artist or filmmaker had/has the biggest influence on your aesthetic?

Chris Marker had a big effect on how I approach filmmaking.

Jay Rosenblatt’s films are showing FREE through February 27th in the Lecture room and FREE on Thursday, February 3rd all before his visit for a conversation on February 4th.