Short film

Toy Catalogue

1996 · 18 min

A playful, hands-on tabletop experiment that feels like watching someone lovingly fuss over tiny plastic treasures while chatting to them.

Overview: John documents part of his extensive collection of cheap, miniature plastic toys by pouring out sorted bags containing them onto a table under the camera, then scattering them to form compositions of colours and textures, paying special attention to certain toys among the masses of them. With a normal shooting speed and in-camera editing, it moves at a fast pace and the toys pile up, but John pushes them aside, and soon makes room for more in the middle. In a recording made on sound film after shooting, or in a live narration, he describes each scene and tells stories to the toys, and sometimes creates “sound effects” with plastic.
How it feels: Whimsical, light and earnest. Brisk and needs your attention.
About: Obsession, art, memory
Content: No violence, gore, sexual content or swearing.
Note: Written by AI, so it can be wrong. Full breakdown

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