TVTV

Made in 1976, TVTV's close-up look at Hollywood's annual awards ritual mixes irreverent documentary with deadpan comedy. TVTV's cameras go behind the scenes to follow major Hollywood figures (including Steven Spielberg, Michael Douglas, Lee Grant, Jack Nicholson, and many others), capturing them in candid moments—inside their limousines, dressing for the ceremony, backstage at the awards.

A behind-the-scenes documentary about the events and personalities surrounding Superbowl X in Miami between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Dallas Cowboys. Features intimate portraits of the players and the CBS personnel who broadcast the events of Superbowl week. Produced with multiple lightweight video cameras in TVTV style, it is both informative and revealing of the extremes surrounding football culture and hype. With color commentary provided by Bill Murray and Christopher Guest.

The New Wave is the seminal compendium of independent video work in the early 1970s. Written and narrated by Brian O'Doherty, this overview of the emerging video field includes examples of guerrilla television and "street" documentaries, early explorations with image-processing and synthesis, and performance video. This historical anthology includes excerpts of tapes by the following video pioneers: Stephen Beck and Warner Jepson, Peter Campus, Douglas Davis, Ed Emshwiller, Bill Etra, Frank Gillette, Don Hallock, Joan Jonas, Richard Serra, Paul Kos, Nam June Paik, Otto Piene, Willard Rosenquist, Dan Sandin, James Seawright, Steina Vasulka, TVTV, Stan Vanderbeek and William Wegman.

Documentary about the rapidly fading Cajun culture in rural Louisiana. About half of the tape focuses on Nathan Abshire, "Mr. Accordion," who performs traditional music with his band and talks about the old life. The other major focus of the tape is the celebration of Cajun Mardi Gras.

TVTV turns its critical eye to the world of advertising in Adland, subtitled Where Commercials Come From. Focusing on the reality behind the image, and specifically on the strategies of Madison Avenue, they interview prominent 1970s admen such as George Lois and Jerry Della Femina. They also go behind the scenes of commercial shoots, where such figures as Ronald McDonald and the precocious child actor Mason Reese are put through grinding routines, only to reveal themselves as jaded pros off-camera. In this clear-eyed look at the manipulation inherent in advertising, the TVTV crew meets its match in the relentless cynicism and masculine braggadocio of the seasoned admen; ultimately, TVTV conveys respect for the savvy and skills of these shrewd veterans.

This witty and startlingly candid look at the 1972 Republican National Convention is a classic work of guerrilla television, and an alternative time capsule of an era of dramatic change in American politics, media, and culture.

1972, 59:04 min, b&w, sound. In 1972, TVTV brought their low-budget, free-form journalistic techniques to the floor of the Democratic Presidential Convention in Miami. Using lightweight, 1/2-inch Portapak equipment, which allowed them greater mobility and spontaneity than the networks, the TVTV crew moved around the Convention floor with ease and speed. They came away with shrewd, sardonic portraits of the politicians, delegates and voters, providing an irreverent picture of the behind-the-scenes political maneuvering. TVTV's close coverage of the California delegation, as well as the successful battle to unseat Chicago mayor Richard Daley and his delegates, exemplifies the collective's verite methods. Presented without commentary, TVTV's candid, close-up coverage offers a revealing look at one of the foundations of the American political process.