SPIN
Dir. Brian Springer, 1995
United States. 57 min.
In English

During the year leading up to the 1992 Presidential election, artist Brian Springer spent his time tuning into satellite feeds used by the campaigns and the television networks that were not intended for public consumption, but were available to those with the know-how and the technological means to intercept them. The footage collected and Springer’s commentary shine a light on the manipulative practices of mass media. Pulling the mask back on the insidious system that silences public debate and shuns anyone outside the inner circle of those manufacturing the news; politicians, journalists, spin doctors, and televangelists. It is truly a must see for any paranoiac.

SPIN’s revelations highlight the fact that the job of President is really more about presentation, look, and likeability than it is policy. And that it is more in line with the job description of an actor, or television host/personality. Seeing the entertainment-ification of the presidential election which we now cannot escape from. In addition to the main characters of the election, George Bush Sr., Bill Clinton, and even Al Gore and Larry King, SPIN also looks at the events of the Los Angeles Rodney King riots and its racist portrayal by the news media as well as the unsuccessful presidential bid by Larry Agran, who was ignored and excluded by the media despite his polling numbers.

Brian Springer is an artist, educator, and documentarian, working primarily in video, sound and performance. Springer has exhibited internationally, and taught at a number of institutions across the States.

Special thanks to Video Data Bank.