Latest Blog Posts

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  Back By Popular Demand: Erwin Helfer and Mama Yancey Screening at Old Town School of Folk Music

  April 26, 2019 at 9:38 am / Blog

  After a sold out event in January, Media Burn presents a second showing of archival video featuring legendary pianist Erwin Helfer and the late blues singer Estelle “Mama” Yancey on Saturday, April 27, as part of a celebratory evening of live gospel and blues music at Old Town School of Folk Music in Ravenswood.  In 1982, future Chicago Blues Festival Coordinator Barry Dolins filmed an intimate performance and conversation between Erwin Helfer and an 86 year-old Mama Yancey at the … Continue reading →

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  Telling the People’s History From the Cutting Room Floor

  April 19, 2019 at 4:48 pm / Blog

  We strongly believe that camera original documentary footage (or “outtakes”) is the most significant untapped historical resource available today. It offers viewers the chance for an in-depth first person experience of past people, places, and events, as well as the potential to craft new stories. In a unique collaboration between Media Burn, Skidmore College, and documentary filmmakers Deb Ellis and Denis Mueller, students were given the opportunity to be the first to review and use the 85 hours of source footage shot for the 2004 feature … Continue reading →

New Videos

• Tracing the Light

  2009-01-01 / Arts & Culture, Chicago, Performance

  Long version of film about making the show “Tracing the Light” by Donna Blue Lachman. Continue reading →

• Tracing the Light

  2009-08-08 / Arts & Culture, Chicago, Performance

  Acorn Theater. complete show. Continue reading →

• The Last Supper: Saralin at Home

  1972-01-01 / Arts & Culture, Guerrilla TV, Performance

  Transferred from 1/2″ open reel. Continue reading →

• Jackie Curtis / Anton Perich (Artist Photographer) / Candy Darling

  1972-01-01 / Arts & Culture, Guerrilla TV, Performance

  00:03 The tape opens on a group of people sitting around in an apartment. They speak at length about a variety of topics. 02:35 One man asks to hear about a person named Harriet. 04:40 Two people discuss a prank they’d like to play on their friend. When Susan arrives, they pretend to not know who she is. 07:00 A few of the people pass around a bust of a man, using it to construct an outfit for one of … Continue reading →

• Building of the World Trade Center

  1972-01-01 / Uncategorized

  Transferred from 1/2″ open reel. Continue reading →

• Sioux Sundance

  1972-01-01 / Communities, Guerrilla TV, Native American, Unassigned

  Rosebud Reservation SD / Wounded Knee 1972 / Crow Dog Old Medicine Man /
  Leonard Crow Dog (Son) and Russell Means  / Reel 1 and Reel 2 / also may have a still photo of me
  taping it. Transferred from 1/2″ open reel. Continue reading →

• TVTV Supervision

  Guerrilla TV, TVTV

  00:07 “New York City – 1948.” A group of men gather around a storefront as a couple wheels a TV out of the shop. “Supervision: Tales of Television. It’s Television.” Group of people from the neighborhood watching TV in the living room. The owner blocks the TV and they all yell at him to move.  2:07 TV show of women dancing. Director and choreographer argue. Texaco show song. Back in the living room, everyone laughs at the show. “A TVTV … Continue reading →

• Abbie Hoffman Makes Gefilte Fish

  1973-12-24 / Guerrilla TV, TVTV

  00:00 “Abbie Making Gefilte-Fish.” Camera person narrates Abbie Hoffman and Laura Cavestani beginning to cook the gefilte-fish in a dramatic voice. Hoffman sings while cooking. Footage of them cooking. They describe some of the ingredients they are adding in. He describes the final dish. As he continues to cook, he describes the textures and smells to the camera. 11:30 Hoffman tells a story about cooking gefilte-fish in the Virgin Islands. He describes the difficult cooking process, and then having it … Continue reading →