2002-2003 Humanities Fellows

Sense of Place Optional Seminar

April 7, 2003; KIVA Collette Theater, UI

Synopsis by Nancy Chaney

Heavy Metal, a video in progress

Speaker: Hans Rosenwinkel, Assistant Professor, UI School of Communication

(See promotional literature elsewhere in digital file)

Present: Kenton Bird, Rodney Frey, Mary DuPree, Rula Awwad-Rafferty, Jerry Fischer, Bill McLaughlin, Gary Reed, Gundars Rudzitis, Margaret Salazar, Nick Sanyal, Karen Guilfoyle & Nancy Chaney. Video tech: Kate Parker.

Hans Rosenwinkel is a self-described voyeur. His energy and passion for producing documentary films is obvious as he describes his year and a half long exploration of damage and restoration in the waterways, wildlands, and psyches of Idaho’s Silver Valley for his forthcoming video, Heavy Metal, documenting a controversial legacy of mining there. Rosenwinkel’s drive and creativity seem perfectly suited to the dictionary’s definition of a documentary as a means of presenting facts in artistic form. A product of the 1980s punk rock generation, theater arts, television advertising, and digital media art, he blends his unique talents and experiences into a piece that is simultaneously entertaining and provocative.

In the opening scenes of Heavy Metal, Rosenwinkel introduces us to an unseen phantom or den of phantoms that continue to linger over the still unwell valley, like a poisonous fog. He uses this metaphoric hook to remind the viewer of the pervasive ailment that is the stigma of EPA and the moniker of Superfund Site, and of the widespread, possibly malignant pollution of ground, water, and living things that belong to that place in this generation and in generations to come.

To emphasize the chronically unsettled state of affairs in the Silver Valley, Rosenwinkel alternates between close-ups and distance shots, black and white and color images, clips from one interviewee to another and back again, and among people holding curiously diverse and veraciously-held perceptions of the same place and time. Audience members liken his camera action and effectiveness in keeping viewers off-balance to that of David Lynch and his work on Twin Peaks. The effect is not unlike what might be seen through the compound lens of an insect’s eye: multi-faceted, contorted, at once detailed and broad. In case we might blink, Rosenwinkel adds an auditory backdrop- what he terms a musicscape- by bands including Lanterna from San Francisco and the appropriately-named Mines from Seattle. Not your father’s Oldsmobile, this film.

To manage this difficult-to-grasp topic, Rosenwinkel organizes Heavy Metal thematically, rather than chronologically. His subtitles include “Accusations,” “Stigma,” “Denial,” “Solutions,” “Hope,” and “The Future.” He believes that the end product will provide an objective view of multiple sides of the convoluted story of human activities, for better or worse, in the Silver Valley. One interviewee likens the story to an onion, with many, many layers to uncover, any one of which “makes you want to cry.” From the beginning, Rosenwinkel set out to gain the trust of locals, some of whom felt wronged by the media before, who were suspicious of the intent of outsiders. “I gave them my word to give an unbiased approach,” he said. He began with interviews then assembled an introduction and a rough conclusion to the video. Middle sections, with footage from public meetings, will be added next, and Rosenwinkel will likely return to the Silver Valley to capture some pick-up shots, to balance the time allotted to various perspectives expressed in interviews.   

In addition to his work at the University of Idaho, Rosenwinkel produces documentaries with his private film company, “Evolution Media.” So far, he and his associates have dedicated 1 ½ years to film and assemble Heavy Metal. Ultimately, through judicious editing, they will reduce over 50 hours of film footage to 56 minutes and 46 seconds for broadcast on public television. Rosenwinkel anticipates that the formal debut of the completed program will be in the fall of 2003.

Hans Rosenwinkel may be reached at (208) 885-7460 or <hansr@uidaho.edu> For more information about Heavy Metal, visit http://www.class.uidaho.edu/humanities/heavy_metal.htm