Close-Up is thrilled to present a very special opportunity to participate in an extended conversation with Peter Watkins about his work and theories on global media structures, on the occasion of our retrospective of his films. A strong familiarity with Peter's films is required, as is constructive and active involvement in the discussion. Anyone fulfilling the above is very welcome to attend but the event size is strictly limited and advance booking is essential.

The discussion will be preceded by a screening of Peter Watkins’ controversial and deeply influential film The War Game.

The War Game, Peter Watkins, 1966, 47 min, B/W, Digital

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On the occasion of this programme we have re-published Peter Watkins most recent statement on “The Global Media Crisis”, this is essential reading for anyone attending this event:

“The Monoform is like a time-and-space grid clamped down over all the various elements of any film or TV programme. This tightly constructed grid promotes a rapid flow of changing images or scenes, constant camera movement, and dense layers of sound. A principal characteristic of the Monoform is its rapid, agitated editing, which can be identified by timing the interval between edited shots (or cuts), and dividing the number of seconds into the overall length of the film. In the 1970s, the Average Shot Length for a cinema film (or documentary, or TV newsbroadcast) was approximately 6-7 seconds, today the commercial Average Shot Length is probably circa 3-4 seconds, and decreasing.” read more

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Part of our season on Peter Watkins