Cheezit Timeline by Benedetta Andreasi
This was so much fun to watch and I’m sure lots of laughs were experienced during the making, even if it was born from unfortunate technical woes. The physical recreation of a footage bin (or bins) from magazine clippings combines with the carefully arranged Cheezit timeline and other elements to be entirely familiar as an editing space, and I wonder if Benedetta gained unanticipated insights through her tactile engagement with these representations of her audiovisual texts. Her embodiment of certain transitions through movement and placement on the ‘screen’ could surely inspire a new challenge for videographic practitioners, while the commitment to singing sections of soundtrack augmented the sense of what might have been. Creativity loves constraint, yet this thinks outside the box in myriad cool ways. JS. More on this fragment here.

The Wrestler – Random Vignette – Ariel Avissar
Were it not for Ariel’s title and description, nothing about this fragment—this vignette, as he calls it—feels random. There is something in its constructed-ness that seems to demand a normative reading of the video, i.e., what it is saying about this character—the wrestler—and how he is treated by the film and by himself. What are we to make of this stitched together experiment? I know nothing about this film. I know nothing about this character. And yet, Ariel, I too wonder … WD. More on this fragment here.

Transcendental Etude by Joel Blackledge
In Joel’s piece (and his description) I enjoy the idea of returning to a ‘safe’ videographic space, in this case the supercut, though one which is less ‘cut’ and more ‘blend’. Borrowing the superimposition technique from the show this feels like a reminiscence, a brief glimpse behind the eyes. When you watch something like this it’s hard not to land on the term ‘haunting’ but here it’s hard to discern which image is haunting which. CD. More on this fragment here.

Stabbing a wet bag of Wonderbread repeatedly with a butcher knife by Philp Józef Brubaker
Leaning into the experimental, this sketch (as Philip describes it) nonetheless poses numerous questions: is it a humorous piece? Disturbing? What is the broader context from which this fragment comes? Will it feature in the final essay film or, like the damp loaf, is it now to be discarded? What can we infer from Philip’s minimal framing – indeed, would more explication diminish the intrigue – and would we have considered this a fragment without some preceding words, or merely a surreal videographic interlude? Perhaps the two are not mutually exclusive. Regardless of these ongoing musings, I’ll never look at mass-produced bread the same way again. JS. More on this fragment here.

PYAASA—onion-ring bokeh and other concentric circles by Andrea Comiskey
Brief yet hypnotic, this gentle montage becomes a visual treasure hunt as more concentric circles and curved lines reveal themselves through rewatches. It’s a subtle (and welcome) reminder of how seemingly insignificant details can, when collated, lead to new ideas or prove worthy of greater aesthetic appreciation. If you have an idea, however small, explore it: you never know what you might see anew, the patterns that could emerge, or who you might inspire. I hadn’t encountered the term ‘bokeh’ before, so Andrea’s collection here also offered a welcome learning opportunity – thank you! JS. More on this fragment here.

The Philosophy of Horror – Péter Lichter and Bori Máté
We are very grateful to Péter and Bori for sharing their film with us. It is exciting for us to see just how much the definition of a fragment can be stretched, and though this is a ‘complete’ film, it is very much a fragment of thinking and research. Péter and Bori were kind enough to take some time to write an extended exploration of the film for us, giving some details about the process of the making, which only serves to make viewing this work all the more illuminating. A very rewarding watch and listen. CD. More on this fragment here.

Public Domain by Dan O’Brien
Dan exhibits a range of materials and videographic approaches in this compilation, including his playful engagement with several physical artefacts (perhaps echoing Johannes Binotto), screen capture and juxtaposition. Given some of the darker themes at work, the integration of Mickey Mouse may seem initially incongruous, but the transition from mouse click point to Mouse key strike is ingenious, and the multiscreen sections emphasise an audiovisual discord that nonetheless effects a strange, almost tragicomic harmony. While it’s a shame this missed the Internet Archive competition deadline (we can all empathise with life getting in the way!), I’m so glad Dan submitted it here. JS. More on this fragment here.

Theory of aLiveness: A Teaser – Sureshkumar P. Sekar
I remember meeting Suresh at an event whilst he was still working on his PhD thesis and the scale of the work he was doing terrified me (early as I was in my own research). This fragment does such a beautiful job of illuminating this concept of aLiveness, in under 2 minutes, a real testament to the quality of his research and his videographic skills. And I can’t help but watch this video and consider the concept it explores and hope that I might experience this essential truth myself. This is the first of two Fragments submitted by Suresh to this collection. He therefore has the distinct privilege of being the first maker to receive their own category on the site. CD. More on this fragment here.

Screen Stars Dictionary: The Alternate Aishwarya – Sureshkumar P. Sekar
This fragment begins with a fragment of a different sort: the bit of video sent for inclusion to those who contribute to the Screen Screen Stars Dictionary, an initiative by the video essay journal tecmerin. I wonder whether Sureshkumar added this bit of video before or after he embarked on what became the “final” version of this piece. How close did he get to thinking this would, in fact, be his “proper” dictionary entry? Either way, it shows that a fragment may be born even up to the moment just before publication. – WD. More on this fragment here.