Films by Bill Bedford

About

Filmmaker and photographer Bill Bedford has investigated the relationship between still and moving images since the mid-1970s. He creates what he calls “moving, semi-moving, and non-moving pictures” in short films that move between documentation and abstraction. Sometimes this abstraction evolves while filming, through camera movement or objects moving in front of the camera. Other times, Bedford creates or discovers abstract shapes and patterns during the editing process.

In this program of six recent films completed between 2018 and 2026, Bedford also explores the relationship between sound and image by introducing recordings that either resonate with the images or provide an intriguing counterpoint to them. The rhythm of train sounds in Ralph (2017) resonates with the motion on the screen, suggesting possibilities about what we’re actually seeing. An audio cassette that Bedford found at a garage sale provides the soundtrack for Report Card (2022).

Bedford’s films have been screened at numerous film festivals including at the Ann Arbor Film Festival and at the Wisconsin Film Festival. Examples of his still photography are included in MMoCA’s permanent collection. Bedford creates his films and lives in Watertown, Wisconsin.