Rodeo Film Company - Films by Matt McCormick

future so bright

an art project documenting the abandoned and endangered relics of American western expansion

“Future So Bright” is a series of film/video installations that detail and document abandoned structures in the American West. Captured on 16mm film, transferred to digital video, and edited together with field recordings, the installations create a time capsule of forgotten and disregarded spaces, many of which are quickly being reclaimed by nature or new development. “Future So Bright” examines the disposable mentality of American Western expansion and takes note of the forgotten spaces and abandoned relics that are quickly disappearing.

The first piece in the series is the single channel video loop “Western Edge” which looks at the short-lived boomtowns and pioneer settlements of the late 1800s and early 1900s. From the defunct agricultural settlements to mining towns that went bust, early western expansion was marked by rapid growth and rabid abandonment.

The second piece in the series, “Motor Hotel” is a two-channel loop that features adjacent images of mid-century development that came with the advent of “car culture” and the family road-trip/vacation. “Motor Hotel” looks at the motels, roadside attractions and tourist traps that sprang up in the 1950s along popular travel corridors such as Route 66, only to be later bypassed and forgotten with the introduction of the Interstate highway system in the 1960s. “Motor Hotel” explores the abandoned ruins of these tourist boomtowns as they fall back into the natural landscape.

Future installments of “Future So Bright” will look at abandoned industrial and military complexes as well as urban centers and transportation.

FUTURE SO BRIGHT : LIVE
In addition to the loop-based installation series, there is also a ‘live’ version of the project in which a selection of the images are edited together into a structured, 40-minute film and presented with a live soundtrack. In the live version, images project on a screen while Matt sits to the side playing various instruments and creating layers of ambient sound, music, and noise with electronic sampling devices.

technical specifics and production:
The images featured in Future So Bright were originally shot on 16mm film using a hand-cranked Bolex movie camera. The film was processed and transferred to digital video for editing and exhibition. Principle photography took place primarily in 2006, and includes locations in Oregon, Washington, Montana, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, and California. A soundtrack of field recordings and follied sound accompanies the images.

Installation and presentation of videos from the “Future So Bright” series is very open and flexible, allowing for spontaneous decisions that reflect and adapt to each individual presentation space. Videos from the series may be presented on video projectors or flat screen monitors, and may be presented individually or side-by-side. A limited edition of DVDs and archival Digi-Beta copies will be released for purchase.