NBC (1966)

Synopsis

This short film features Frank Eidlitz’s early experiments with light, colour and motion. Commissioned by the television network National Broadcasting Company (NBC) to reinterpret the station’s classic peacock logo, Eidlitz produced a series of film experiments with kaleidoscopic spinning lights. To create these visuals, Eidlitz covered a series of disks with pieces of reflective paper and fluorescent colours, which he then placed on an apparatus that spun the disks at a high speed. The motion could be varied and stopped at any time, allowing the artist to create varying designs and images. Opening with a close-up of a woman’s face covered in reflected lights, the majority of the film is comprised of flashing lights and spinning colours. The NBC peacock symbol appears intermittently throughout the film, at the forefront of the image.