Morgan Fisher (filmmaker)

Morgan Fisher (* 1942 in Washington, DC ) is an American filmmaker and artist . He is known for his avant-garde films, which consistently advance the definition of the film itself.

Life

Morgan Fisher studied art history at Harvard from 1960 to 1964 . After graduating, he worked as a research assistant in the still young field of computer cartography. He then went to the West Coast, where his interest in film began to develop. From 1964 to 1965 he attended the University of Southern California . He completed his academic career at UCLA Film School from 1965 to 1966. Fisher then went on to teach and take odd jobs in Hollywood where he took his first steps as a director.

Morgan Fisher's early films, The Director and His Actor Look at Footage Showing Preparations for an Unmade Film (1968) and Phi Phenomenon (1968), were shown at film festivals at St. Lawrence College and the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. In the following years he quickly made a name for himself with a few more films. In 1984 Morgan Fisher finished work on his longest and most critically acclaimed film, Standard Gauge, which was shot in 16mm and was 35 minutes long. Standard Gauge is an autobiographical film examining Fisher's work as an editor in the film industry. The Whitney Museum of American Art held a major exhibition in honor of Morgan Fisher's films in 2005. It was entitled: Standard Gauge: Film Works by Morgan Fisher.

In the late 1990s, Morgan Fisher expanded his artistic development. He expanded his work to include painting, drawings and spatial work.

After a nineteen year hiatus, Morgan Fisher returned to film and created the 21-minute film () (Parenthesis, 2003). The film received critical acclaim at the 2004 Rotterdam Film Festival and the Whitney Biennale.

Morgan Fisher says of his films: "My films tend to be about filmmaking."

Filmography

• The Director and his Actor look at Footage Showing Preparations for an Unmade Film . 1968.
• Phi Phenomenon . 1968.
• Documentary footage . 1968.
• Production stills . 1970.
• Picture and Sound Rushes . 1973.
• Wilkinson Household Fire Alarm . 1973.
• Cue rolls . 1974.
• Turning over . 1975.
• Projection Instructions . 1976.
• Protective coloration . 1979.
• Standard and Gauge . 1984.
• () (Parenthesis). 2003.

Web links

• Morgan Fisher in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• Morgan Fisher at the Buchholz Gallery