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Footsteps

Actor and cameraman engage in a game of ‘grandmother’s footsteps’ in a playfully delightful film.

Animation & Artists Moving Image 1974 6 mins

Overview

Marilyn Halford as the actor-director and William Raban as the cameraman re-enact a popular children’s game, forcing the viewer to acknowledge the physical presence of the person behind the camera. Moving from negative to positive image, and silence to music, Footsteps humorously explores the relationship between camera, actor and spectator, whilst drawing attention to the material nature of film.

Founded in 1966, the London Film-Makers’ Co-operative started life at Better Books, a counter-culture bookshop on Charing Cross Road, where a group led by poet Bob Cobbing and filmmakers Stephen Dwoskin and Jeff Keen met to screen films. Initially inspired by the activities of the New American Cinema Group in New York, the London Co-op grew into a pioneering organisation that incorporated a film workshop, cinema space and distribution office. During its four-decade history, the Co-op played a crucial role in establishing film as an art form in the UK and participated in a vibrant international film scene. This BFI Player collection brings together new scans of films distributed by and/or produced at the London Co-op.