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SIGGRAPH 1979 Film and Videotape Retrospective
Posted Thursday, September 25, 2025

Below are excerpts of things I found interesting and/or that I want to look up later while reading the 25-page PDF scan of the program listing for the SIGGRAPH ’79 Film and Videotape Retrospective.

Verbatim quotes from the program listing are in the main body of this page, while my personal annotations appear in the margins.

LAPIS 1966

10 minutes; 16mm movie film
By: James Whitney at the filmmaker’s L. A. Studio
Equipment: Mechanical analog machine (prototype)

TERMINAL SELF 1971

8 minutes; 16 mm movie film
By: John Whitney, Jr. at the filmmaker’s L. A. Studio
Equipment: Mechanical analog machine (prototype)

YIN HSIEN 1976

9 minutes; 16 mm movie film
By: Michael Whitney at the filmmaker’s L. A. Studio
Equipment: Motion-controlled optical printer (prototype)

BINARY BIT PATTERNS 1968

3 minutes; 16 mm movie film
By: Michael Whitney and John Whitney, Sr. at Information International
Equipment: FR80 Microfilm Plotter

PERMUTATIONS 1968

7 minutes; 16 mm movie film
By: John Whitney, Sr. at UCLA Health Sciences
Equipment: IBM 2250

FIRST FIG 1974

6 minutes; 16 mm movie film
By: Larry Cube and Gary Imhoff at Cal Arts
Equipment: Univac 1108, SC 4020 Microfilm Plotter

GENESYS c. 1969

25 minutes (short excerpt); 16 mm movie film
By: Ronald Baecker, Eric Martin and Lynn Smith at MIT Lincoln Labs
Equipment: TX-2
Illustrates the use of the Genesys computer animation system.

COMPUTER COLOR GENERATIONS 1972

23 minutes; 16 mm movie film with sound
By: Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory
Equipment: FR80 Microfilm Recorder
A documentary about a technique developed at Los Alamos by which computers can produce color film output at the same cost as black-and-white output. Using computer movie runs as examples, the advantages of color over black and white are discussed.

RON HAYS MUSIC-IMAGE PRESENTATION 1974-1975

50 min; 3/4-inch videotape; sound
By: Ron Hays at WGBH, Boston; Hollywood, CA; and New York City
Equipment: CMX computer editor; PAIK-ABE video synthesizer; Scanimate computer; various video switchers and special effects generators plus computer-controlled animation techniques.
Presentation includes overview of Ron Hays’ work in visual music and multi-media concert situations. Selections include works as seen on public television, feature-length films (Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Demon Seed) plus television coverage of Star Wars concerts at Montreal Olympic Stadium, 62,000 people in attendance, using lasers and computer imagery. Presentation also includes examples of Emmy award-winning computer graphic title sequences.

MEASURE FOR MEASURE 1968

14 minutes; 3/4-inch videotape
By: Animation and Computer Graphics Staff at the New York Institute of Technology
Equipment: PDP 11s, Evans and Sutherland frame buffers, Three River Graphic Display Processors.
An animated film that pokes fun at our way of measuring. Two kinds of computer animation and conventional animation were intercut.

NYIT SAMPLERS 1976

10 minutes; 35 mm movie film and 3/4-inch videotape
By: The New York Institute of Technology Computer Graphics Laboratory
A collection of animated pieces made at NYIT including 2-d and 3-d animation, special effects, and commercials.

HALLEY FLYBY / TEMPEL 2 RENDEZVOUS 1978

12 minutes; 16 mm movie film; silent
By: Linda M. Lee, James F. Blinn, and Julian E. Gomez at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Equipment: Evans and Sutherland Picture System 2, PDP 11/55, Univac 1108, Calcomp Microfilm
A study of a proposed mission to encounter Halley’s Comet and Comet Tempel 2.

The proposed Halley/Tempel 2 mission did not occur, and the spacecraft instead became Mariner 5 as part of a NASA mission to study the atmosphere of Venus.

PIXILLATION 1970

4 minutes; 16 mm movie film; sound
By: Ken Knowlton and Lillian Schwartz at Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, NJ
Equipment: SC 4020 Microfilm Plotter, optically added color
Abstract art film.

ABSTRACTIONS ON A BEDSHEET 1972

7 minutes; 3/4-inch videotape; sound
By: Bill Etra in Miami, Florida and New York City
Equipment: PDP 11, oscillators
An abstract art work with computer-controlled audio and computer-controlled programmed distortion of a video raster.

OLYMPIAD 1971

3-1/2 minutes; 16 mm movie film; sound
By: Ken Knowlton and Lillian Schwartz at Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, NJ
Equipment: SC 4020 Microfilm Plotter, optically added color; BEFLIX and EXPLOR software systems.
Abstract art film based on programmed manipulation of running man image.

MS MUFFET 1975

3 minutes; 3/4-inch videotape; sound
By: Lou Katz, Bill Etra, and Louise Etra at Columbia University and Etras’ studio
Equipment: PDP 11/45; Tektronix Scan Converter at 4010 terminal; Rutt-Etra Video Synthesizer; Electronic Associates of Berkeley Video Lab; Synthi Audio Synthesizer.
A real-time interactive art piece, with computer-controlled graphics, colorization, sound and keying effects. The performer interacted with the images as the piece was recorded.

PATCHWORK '71 Prior to 1971

30 minutes; 16 mm movie film; sound
Collected and Edited By: Professor Kent Wilson, Department of Chemistry, University of California, San Diego
Equipment: Many systems. Some sound and optical color added by Dr. Wilson.
A sampler of excerpts from instructional and demo films produced by many of the graphics groups active in the early ’70’s in several universities and laboratories.

THE PRISM SHOWREEL 1976-1979

4 minutes; 3/4-inch videotape
By: Peter Chandler, Tony Diment, and Hayden Young at Imperial College, London; EMI Central Research Labs, Hayes; and EMI A/V.
Equipment: PDP 11/40
Selected title sequences and commercials.

THE ANTICS SHOWREEL 1975-1978

5 minutes; 16 mm movie film
By: Alan Kitching and Colin Emmett at ATLAS Labs
Equipment: FR80
Demonstration of the ANTICS software.

FINITE ELEMENTS 1977

10 minutes; 16 mm movie film By: Alan Kitching and Colin Emmett at Atlas Lab
Equipment: SD 4020/ANTICS
Royal College of Art. A full length animation.

This educational film is available on YouTube.

THAMES TV TITLE SEQUENCE 1979

1 minute; 16 mm movie film
By: T. Pritchett at ATLAS Lab
Equipment: FR80/35 mm

THE ALIEN 1979

2 minutes
By: J. Landsdowne, System Simulation at the CAD Centre, ATLAS Lab
Equipment: FR80/35 mm
For 20th Century Fox.

It took me a second to realize that they're talking about the movie Alien. I'm not sure if it had been released before the 1979 SIGGRAPH. I read that this is a computer-generated wireframe scene, but I haven't seen the movie, so I'm not sure exactly where or what it is. I guess I'll move Alien up on my to-watch list.

WIRE TREES WITH 4 VECTORS 1978

4 minutes; 3/4 inch video; stereo sound
Audio by: Lief Brush, Stu Pettigrew
Video by: Phil Morton, Guenther Tetz
Black and white performance computer graphics with audio synthesis.
Equipment: UICC GRASS System, Chicago, Sandin Image Processor, Arp Audio Synthesizer

Ah, the mysterious (Z)GRASS...

PROGRAM #9: AMATEUR TV 1979

29 minutes, 3/4 inch video; stereo sound
By: Phil Morton, Jane Veeder
Using digital home computer, analog signal processing, and light-weight video equipment to produce a subjective research report on amateur television (2,000-plus U.S. Ham TVers transmitting/receiving personal television from their home bases).
Equipment: Bally Arcade (Home Computer), Sandin Image Processor

It's like they packed all my favorite things—Jane Veeder, Bally Astrocade, Sandin Image Processor, *and amateur television!*—all in one 30-minute video. And happily, it's on YouTube. You can find Morton and Veeder's Program #7 on YouTube, too.

REFERENCE CARRIER 1978

2 minutes; 3/4 inch video; silent
By: Phil Morton
A dynamic black and white analog computer reference signal to be filled in and colored by the user.
Equipment: Sandin Image Processor

LOOP CYCLE 1978

2 minutes; 3/4 inch video; stereo sound
Audio by: Phil Morton, Jane Veeder
Video by: Jane Veeder
Nested electronic multiplication and streaming.
Equipment: Sandin Image Processor

CETACEAN 1978

3 minutes; 3/4 inch video; stereo sound
Audio by: Chip Dodsworth, Barry Bosch
Video by: Chip Dodsworth, Phil Morton
Geographic field collection at Santa Cruz, California and electronic field reprocessing at Chicago, Illinois OCEAN
Equipment: Portable Video Teck, Sandin Image Processor

Keying video of the tide coming in is surprisingly effective. Video on YouTube.

ICRON 1978

11 minutes; 3/4 inch video; stereo sound
By: Bob Snyder
Multiple visual and audio instrument (simultaneous) configuration running on master analog program.
Equipment: EMU Audio Synthesizer, Sandin Image Processor

DATA BURSTS: THIRD MOVE 1978

3 minutes; 3/4 inch video; stereo sound
Audio by: Phil Morton, Bob Snyder
Video by: Phil Morton, Buenther Tetz
Color performance computer graphics with audio synthesis.
Equipment: UICC GRASS System, Sandin Image Processor, EMU Audio Synthesizer

THREE VIEWS OF WATER 1975

6 minutes (excerpt); 3/4" videotape color
By: Dan Sandin
Analog Image Processing of Naturally Collected Material
Equipment: Sandin Analog Image Processor

VAPOR TRAILS 1979

5 minutes (excerpt); 3/4" videotape color
By: Stuart Pettigrew
Direct Video Synthesis
Equipment: Analog Image Processor

NCC/GRASS POOP TAPE 1976

15 minutes; 3/4" videotape color
By: Dan Sandin, Tom DeFanti, Phil Morton
Circle Graphics Habitat GRASS System/Image Processor Demonstration
Equipment: Vector General and Image Processor

So they're not going to address why it's called "GRASS poop tape," huh?

FIRST TAPE FROM THE DIGITAL IMAGE COLORIZER 1979

10 minutes; 3/4" videotape color
By: Dan Sandin
The First Card of the Digital Image Processor in its First Public Showing
Equipment: Sandin Digital Image Colorizer

CHEMISTRY TAPES (EXCERPTS) 1973-77

5 minutes; 3/4" videotape color
By: Circle Graphics Inhabitants
Sample Tape of Rotating Molecules, etc.
Equipment: Vector General and Sandin Image Processor

SPIRAL 3 1978

10 minutes; 3/4" videotape color
By: Tom DeFanti, Phil Morton, Dan Sandin, Bob Snyder, Jane Veeder and Rylin Harris (dance)
Performance Piece with Digital and Analog Computer Graphics and Dance
Equipment: Vector General and Sandin Image Processor

L6 - PART I 1966

1966 15 minutes; 16 mm movie film
By: Ken Knowlton at Bell Labs
Equipment: Stromberg DatagraphiX 4060 Microfilm Recorder
Introduction to List Processing Language L6.

POEMFIELD #2 1967

8 minutes; 16 mm movie film
By: Ken Knowlton and Stan Van Der Beek at Bell Labs
Equipment: Stromberg DatagraphiX 4060 Microfilm Recorder
Computer art film. Concrete poetry.

A classic.

UFO'S 1979

3 minutes; 16 mm movie film
By: Ken Knowlton and Lillian Schwartz at Bell Labs
Equipment: Stromberg DatagraphiX 4060 Microfilm Recorder
Computer art.

METAMORPHOSIS 1973

10 minutes; 16 mm movie film
By: Ken Knowlton and Lillian Schwartz at Bell Labs
Equipment: Home-built frame buffer and color television
Computer art.

I need to know more about this "home-built frame buffer."

CRYSTAL GROWTH 1978

1978 10 minutes; 16 mm movie film
By: Ken Knowlton, George Gilmer, and Mary Shugard at Bell Labs
Equipment: Home-built frame buffer and color television
Simulation of crystal growth.

BAOBAB 1979

1979 20 minutes; 16 mm movie film
By: Ken Knowlton and Emmanuel Ghent
Equipment: Home-built frame buffer and color television
Computer art.

WIPEPOEM 1976

6 minutes; 3/4-inch videotape
By: Patsy Scala at Syracuse University
Equipment: DEC 10, Grass Valley television switcher, refracted laser light
Abstract attempts to sensualize computer imagery through use of color, movement, and the interplay of negative and positive space.

I only recently learned about Patsy Scala's work, which is a real shame. I'm not sure if I've seen Wipepoem or just read about it, but I remember being really impressed. I need to look up more about her and her work.

SCOPE II 1976

5 minutes; 3/4-inch videotape
By: Patsy Scala at Syracuse University
Equipment: DEC 10,Grass Valley television switcher, refracted laser light
Abstract attempts to sensualize computer imagery through use of color, movement, and the interplay of negative and positive space.

SYRACUSE CABLE SYSTEMS-COMPUTER VIDEO MUSIC CHANNEL 1979

30 minutes; 3/4-inch videotape
By: Programming Department Staff at Syracuse Cable Systems
Equipment: Apple II
Part of a 24 hour-a-day computer graphics cable channel, possibly the first of its kind in this country.

Sounds like a good idea. Definitely need to look this one up.

AND-HANDS 1962

2 minutes; 16 mm movie film
By: Stan Van Der Beek at Computation Center, University of Texas, Austin
Equipment: CDC 6600, light pen and keyboard
Drawings of geometric shapes (hands and heads). Use of type and limited animation.

Huh, had no idea that Van Der Beek did work at my alma mater.

MAN AND HIS WORLD 1968

1 minute; 16 mm movie film
By: Stan Van Der Beek and Ken Knowlton
Equipment: Stromberg Carlson 4020; BEFLIX software system
Exploration of graphics and patterns color experiments from black and white originals.

WHO-HOO-RAYS 1967-1970

7 minutes; 16 mm movie film
By: Stan Van Der Beek at home
Equipment: Home-made modifications to standard oscilloscope.
Radio programs are modified into abstract images, filmed in black and white, and color printed by "Brown/Olvey".

POEMFIELD #7 1969

5 minutes; 16 mm movie film
By: Stan Van Der Beek and Ken Knowlton at Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, NJ
Equipment: Stromberg Carlson 4020
One of a series of computer poems that explore the graphic possibilities of typography and patterns. Made from black and white film printed in color by "Brown/Olvey".

COLLIDEOSCOPE 1966

4 minutes; 16 mm movie film
By: Stan Van Der Beek, Ken Knowlton, and Carol Bosche at Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, NJ
Equipment: Stromberg Carlson 4020
Experiments with text and typography. A short poem is transformed into a series of patterns and optical illusions.

SYMMETRIKS 1972

7 minutes; 16 mm movie film
By: Stan Van Der Beek and Wade Shaw
Equipment: Light pen
Drawings that are multi-copied by the computer. An experiment to make color from a black and white film.

EUCLIDEAN ILLUSIONS 1979

11 minutes; 16 mm movie film
By: Stan Van Der Beek and Richard Weinberg at NASA, Houston, Texas
Geometric shapes penetrate each other and move through space. An unexpected moment in geometric order.