“My motto was always ‘cut the crap’”, said Keen. “I wasn’t interested in the politics of making films – I just wanted to make films. Looking back, I didn’t really think about a trajectory. I just asked to borrow a camera. I always worked with borrowed cameras. Once I started filming, I just had to carry on. I couldn’t stop. It was natural.”
“Out here, every day is Ray Day. Daylight bleaches out yesterday’s news front, and chattering TV is in shop windows and English living rooms. Film is for cinemas and darkened rooms.”– Jeff Keen
“Hooray for Darkened Rooms” – André Breton.
Jeff Keen’s films are available for hire from BFI and LUX in UK.
You can also watch the documentary Jeff Keen Films for free on BFI Player here.
GAZWRX: The Films of Jeff Keen – a 4 DVD box set is available through BFI shop here.
FILMOGRAPHY
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A selection of 70+ film and video works as originally described by Jeff Keen: A collection of early short films (1955-1959) – including SUMMER, SUMMER, SUMMER (B&W, silent) – made with Ray Barker WAIL (1960, B&W, silent) – 5 mins, Standard 8mm. Monster shots, Baby-Blatz & motorcycles. LIKE, THE TIME IS NOW (1961, B&W, silent) – 6 mins, Standard 8mm. A ‘Beat’ parody. THE AUTUMN FEAST (1961) – 14 mins, Standard 8mm/16 mm. Made with Piero Heliczer and based on his poem of the same name. BREAKOUT (1962, B&W, silent) – 10 mins, Standard 8mm. A ‘Nouvelle Vague’ psychodrama starring Robin Blashke. HOUSE OF SECRETS (1964-66) – 15 mins, Standard 8mm. A collection of short films including FLIK FLAK (1964-65, colour, sound, 3 mins), INSTANT CINEMA (1965, 2 mins) & MISSING CLOSE-UPS (1965, 5 mins) THE GAMES & DIVERSIONS OF DR GAZ (1965, colour, silent) – 8 mins, Standard 8mm. Dr Gaz at play on the town rubbish tip. Camera: Ray Barker. THE PINK AUTO (1965-66, colour, sound) – 15 mins, Standard 8mm. Twin Screen – a four-part saga for two projectors, starring: Rita Ray, Daphne Dayle, Morton Duane & Tom Tyler. MR SOFT ELIMINATOR (1966, silent) – 8 mins, Standard 8mm. A one-man war movie in glorious colour starring Tom Tyler. MARVO MOVIE (1967, colour, sound) – 5 mins, Keen’s first 16mm film. Around the well-worn landscape, Dr Gaz hunts the Spectre of Mighty Mouse, as the Catwoman makes her first appearance. WHITE LITE (1967) – 3 mins, 16mm. In negative movie space, Anti-Matter Man meets the Bride of the Atom. CINE BLATZ (1968, colour) – 2.5 mins, 16mm. A high-speed foray thru Time/Life Fotoworks. MEATDAZE (1968, colour) – 8 mins, 16mm. A complete movie programme in one short film. MONSTRA (1968, colour, silent) – 8 mins, Standard 8mm. Movie-evidence with paintings. RAYDAYFILM (1968-76, colour, sound) – 18 mins, 16mm. A collage of animation & live action, now projected as part of the RAYDAY EXPANDED CINEMA SHOW. MOTHMAN (1968) – 30 mins, Standard 8mm. Film Diary. THE MUTT ‘N’ JEFF ICECREAM SUNDAE (1969) – 30 mins, Standard 8mm.Film Diary. DAY OF THE ARCANE LIGHT (1969, colour, sound) – 14 mins, Standard 8mm. An epic of Love & War shot in one day on the town rubbish tip, starring Rita Ray, Dexter Duke, Morton Duane etc. GOOD EARTH FILM (1970-71, colour, silent) – 30 mins, Standard 8mm. WHITE DUST (1970-72, colour, sound) – 35 mins, 16mm. BEFORE YR EYES (1970-1984) – 10 mins, Standard 8mm. STOLEN MOMENTS (1971-72) – 30 mins, Standard 8mm. THE LOST WORLD OF DR GAZ (1972-73) – 30 mins, Standard 8mm. LONE STAR (1974-75) – 30 mins, Standard 8mm. 24 FILMS (1970-75, colour + B&W, silent) – 18 mins, 16mm. ROSA CANINA (1975) – 30 mins, Standard 8mm. GODZILLA: LAST OF THE CREATURES (1975-76) – 30 mins, Standard 8mm. MAD LOVE (1972-78, colour, sound) – 48 mins, 16mm. DR GAZ AGAINST THE ART OF THE CINEMA (1976, colour) – 3 mins, 16mm THE RETURN OF DR GAZ (1976-78) – 30 mins, Standard 8mm. THE CARTOON THEATRE OF DR GAZ (1976-79, colour) – 16mm. VICTORY THRU FILM POWER (1979-1984) – 3 mins, 16mm. SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION (1980) – 34 mins, Standard 8mm. THE RETURN OF SILVERHEAD (1980, colour, sound) – 21 mins, Super 8mm. DR GAZ IN SEARCH OF THE PICTURESQUE (1982-83, colour, silent) – 5 mins, Standard 8mm. FROM ONE MOMENT TO THE NEXT (1984) – 10 mins, 16mm. ALBINO RAY (1984) – 5 mins, 16mm. BLATZOM (1983-86) – 13 mins, 16 mm. PULVERISED CINEMA (1990) – 10 mins, 16mm. B-B-B BOM & LIFE STORM (1990) – 5 mins (video?) OMOZAP (1991) – 1 min, 16mm. OMOZAP 2 (1991) – 2 min, 16mm. KINO PULVERISO (1993) – 1 min KINO STACCATO (1999) – 2 mins JOY THRU FILM (2000) – 20 mins, 16mm. RAYDAY Videos: ARTWAR Super 8: ARTWAR Videos: HAND DRAWN VIDEO WITH VIDEO PEN/ELECTRONIC SKETCHPAD: + MANY MORE VIDEOS STILL TO BE DIGITISED! WATCH THIS SPACE! |