A still from Gary Beydler’s “Pasadena Freeway Stills,” a 1970s experimental film that transforms single images into motion.
Courtesy of the Estate of Gary Beydler and Canyon Cinema Foundation.
Experimental filmmaker Gary Beydler gained a reputation for the 16mm films that he shot in and around Los Angeles in the 1970s. He passed away in 2010, but remains known for works that are moving meditations on highways, deserts and water.
A new digitized version of Beydler’s Pasadena Freeway Stills is now available from Canyon Cinema, which has distributed Beydler’s 16mm films for decades. The color, six-minute effort demonstrates how single images can be stitched together to create the illusion of movement. The film is also a wonderful time capsule: It reveals old cars in a familiar setting, and how the freeway’s shoulders and surrounding buildings have changed over 50 years.
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
For the film, a graduate student got behind the wheel while Beydler filmed the drive through the freeway’s four consecutive tunnels. He printed out individual frames—about 1,400 in total. On a mounted piece of glass, he marked out a square of tape.
The film starts with Beydler, wearing a white shirt, positioning each still on the glass with his hands. Then that image is shot with a camera. As the freeway journey continues, each frame becomes shorter, creating cinematic movement. Voila!
Pasadena Freeway Stills was preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2008. The 16mm and digital copies can be rented from Canyon Cinema for public and classroom screenings. You can also view a version online here.
370 Monthly Reader Sponsors and Counting!
Join the more than 300 readers who make monthly contributions to The Eastsider..
Even a small monthly contribution will create a more stable source of revenue, giving us confidence to expand staff and provide you with more of the community news you can’t find anywhere else.
—Jesús Sanchez, Publisher