VIP - VideoChannel Interview Project

Tuoto, Arthur

Artur Tuoto
video artist from Brazil

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biography

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Interview: 10 questions

1. Tell me something about your life and the educational background
I was born in Brazil, 1986. I graduated from AIC Film School in São Paulo.

2. When, how and why started you filming?
In 2005 I started doing some “video poetry” work, just to experiment the audiovisual language mixing with another great interest of mine: literature.
After that, I started with more conceptual works, searching for some kind of atmospheric pieces, like experimental and observation documentaries.
I also begin to use new media (cell phones, pocket cameras, etc) to create more spontaneous and intimacy’s works.

3. What kind of subjects have your films?
I think the great goal of the experimental cinema is to express sensations that are still abstract to us, even in a spiritual way.
So I don’t know if my work have a “subject”. Cause I believe that everything that we see can be reconfigured in an “artistic” way, creating a discussion, a emotion or even a political debate. The possibilities are endless, so I try to be open as possible.

4. How do you develop your films, do you follow certain principles, styles etc?
I follow intuition. When I film something, I really don’t how or where I’m gonna use that, I just know that that thing that I’m filming, somehow, intrigues me. So after that, when I’m editing, I try to use reason to create some kind of concept that, when someone see that image, he will be intrigues as I was when I first saw that. So I think the major goal here is to maximise an energy and transform that energy into an art piece.

5. Tell me something about the technical equipment you use.
I use a simple digital 3ccd camera, a cell phone, a digital pocket camera and a MacBook to edit.

6. What are the chances of new media for the genre film/video in general
and you personally?

The chances are endless. The new media brings a revolution, especially because the kind of accessibility that this media have. Today people that never before would have a camera can film and interact with this media, if you think in cell phones and pocket cameras. For the other hand, new media art create new and unthinkable opportunity to multimedia artists. And I think that is the future, more and more people will become potential videomakers and potential artists, so as the public to this kind of material should grow.

7. How do you finance your films?
My films are very cheap, so is most self-financed.

8. Do you work individually as a video artist/film maker or do you work in a team?
if you have experience in both, what is the difference, what do you prefer?
I have experience in both, but I think I work better alone. I have a very unique vision in my projects, and is really hard to find another person that share this same vision. Most of all I discuss my “in progress” works with my girlfriend, who is a frequent contributor, and some friends that I really trust.

9. Who or what has a lasting influence on your film/video making?
Filmmakers and Conceptual Artists: Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Chris Marker, Jonas Mekas, Naomi Kawase, Pedro Costa, Andrei Tarkovsky, Straub/Huillet.
And also some Brazilian contemporary directors, like Karin Ainouz, Felipe Bragança, Júlio Bressane and Eduardo Coutinho.

10. What are your future plans or dreams as a film/video maker?
My major plan is to continued my work in an even more deep and conceptual way, to reach further levels of sensations and emotions.
I also have a feature film project that I expect to be working soon.

Can works of yours viewed online besides on VideoChannel? Where?
List some links & resources

Yes

My official site – http://www.arthurtuoto.com/
My vimeo channel – http://vimeo.com/arthurt/
My youtube channel – http://www.youtube.com/arthurtuoto