Suzan Pitt
Encyclopedia
Suzan Pitt is an American
film
animator
and painter
, whose surreal
, psychological animated films and paintings have been acclaimed and exhibited worldwide. She teaches with the Experimental Animation program at California Institute of the Arts
.
when using an 8mm
camera
in 1971.
Her film Asparagus was screened with David Lynch
's Eraserhead
for two years on the midnight movie circuit.
Pitt has worked as a film producer
for various animated projects, as well as designing the first two operas to include animated images for the stage (Damnation of Faust and The Magic Flute) in Germany
. In addition, she created large multimedia
shows at the Venice Biennale
and Harvard University
.
A former Associate Professor at Harvard University, Pitt has received a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Rockefeller Fellowship and three production grants from the National Endowment of the Arts. She lives in Los Angeles
, Mexico
and a remote cabin in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
animator
Animator
An animator is an artist who creates multiple images that give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence; the images are called frames and key frames. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, video games, and the internet. Usually, an...
and painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, whose surreal
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
, psychological animated films and paintings have been acclaimed and exhibited worldwide. She teaches with the Experimental Animation program at California Institute of the Arts
California Institute of the Arts
The California Institute of the Arts, commonly referred to as CalArts, is located in Valencia, in Los Angeles County, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the United States created specifically for students of both the visual and the...
.
Pitt stop-motion animation
While studying painting, Pitt came across the field of animationAnimation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
when using an 8mm
8 mm film
8 mm film is a motion picture film format in which the filmstrip is eight millimeters wide. It exists in two main versions: the original standard 8mm film, also known as regular 8 mm or Double 8 mm, and Super 8...
camera
Camera
A camera is a device that records and stores images. These images may be still photographs or moving images such as videos or movies. The term camera comes from the camera obscura , an early mechanism for projecting images...
in 1971.
Her film Asparagus was screened with David Lynch
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch is an American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound...
's Eraserhead
Eraserhead
Eraserhead is a 1977 American surrealist film and the first feature film of David Lynch, who wrote, produced and directed. Lynch began working on the film at the AFI Conservatory, which gave him a $10,000 grant to make the film after he had begun working there following his 1971 move to Los Angeles...
for two years on the midnight movie circuit.
Pitt has worked as a film producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
for various animated projects, as well as designing the first two operas to include animated images for the stage (Damnation of Faust and The Magic Flute) in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. In addition, she created large multimedia
Multimedia
Multimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms. The term can be used as a noun or as an adjective describing a medium as having multiple content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which use only rudimentary computer display such as text-only, or...
shows at the Venice Biennale
Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Venice, Italy. The Venice Film Festival is part of it. So too is the Venice Biennale of Architecture, which is held in even years...
and Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.
A former Associate Professor at Harvard University, Pitt has received a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Rockefeller Fellowship and three production grants from the National Endowment of the Arts. She lives in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and a remote cabin in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
.
Filmography
- Bowl, Theatre, Garden, Marble Game – 1970 (16mm, color, 7 min.)
- Crocus – 1971 (16mm, color, 7 min.)
- A City Trip – 1972 (16mm, color, 3 min.)
- Cels – 1972 (16mm, color, 6 min.)
- Whitney Commercial – 1973 (16mm, color, 3 min.)
- Jefferson Circus Songs – 1975 (16mm, color, 20 min.)
- Asparagus – 1979 (35mm, color, 20 min.)
- Joy Street – 1995 (35mm, color, 24 min.)
- El Doctor – 2006 (35mm, color, 23 min.)
- Visitation – 2011 (35mm, color, 8 min 50 seconds.)