Boy With a Microphone

Transcript (Download)

Here, I'm at my home.

We're at our home.

Okay, okay? Come on.

Dad, what are you doing, Dad? What are you doing? Would you like to try? Yeah, what am I supposed to say? Microphones make me nervous.

You can say microphone.

Microphone? Microphone.

Microphone just to talk.

Tubes up there.

Tubes up there.

That's all been very, very clearly taken care of.

Why do you have the good ones? Do you understand how that's working in this company? Uh -huh.

We have to have production in order to sustain the research without refinancing.

And so that's why we have both a production, you know, our focus in the future and the present is research in a major way.

But we also need to...

That is the roof up there.

What's the weather? It's okay.

This is what every hominid has done for millennia.

That is, I'm trying to get rid of dead wood limbs that are on live trees because saprophytic fungi, which attack dead material, will then invade the dead limb and become an opportunistic parasite.

If they do that, they'll kill the tree.

We don't want that to happen.

Also, I'm clearing the view.

Minor technicality.

You're also venting firmly natural hostilities against international multinational corporations which seem to snuff the lifeblood out of your research.

And they won't give me enough money.

And I can't live without money.

The backstroke is real important in this.

Ducking is also important.

You explain to them what's happening with water.

What happens here every day? The tide comes up.

Yeah, and then what happens? The tide goes down.

How many times a day? Four.

Now, what's the tidal fluctuation between night and day and the most drastic tides? Down.

Where's the mushroom? Patty cake.

It's not patty cake.

What is it? Do you remember? Thunder bee.

You don't know? No.

Mosquito Mascaria.

Ammonita Mascaria? Oh, Senzu Linnaeus.

That was back in 1760.

He called it Agaricus Mascarius.

You're following Linnaeus' description.

Oh, it is? Okay.

But what's your favorite bird? Eagle.

I'm out with the tiger.

Hey, do you know what the name of the eagle is? The science name? Haleatus leukocephalus.

Can you say that? Okay.

Can you try? Yeah.

Haleatus leukocephalus.

Haleatus leukocephalus.

Wow, that was a good try.

Haleatus leukocephalus.

What? What? What? Yeah.

What do you want? What do you want? I want that, I said.

I'm in the yard.

I'm in this yard over here.

Yeah, I want that.

This is my tree house right there.

See it? This is the tree house.

This is the tree house up here.

This is the tree house.

Up here is the tree house.

If it didn't have a ladder on here, then I can't climb up.

If it didn't have a ladder.

Do you like leather? Leather? Do you like leather? Huh? Huh? Huh? What do you explain? What do you explain? Pigs.

They don't explain anything.

Let's see what they say.

Here's my toy box.

Here's my toy box.

Shut up! This is my toy box right here.

And there's water all over it.

So I get to clean it up.

Let go of that.

Let go of what? That.

I'm doing my work like a farm boy should.

Why are you all chained up? Did you get me a surprise, Mom? Doggie, come over here, dog.

Come over here, dog.

Don't get chained up, dog.

Don't want to get up.

I'm going to go get some water.

I'm going to go get some water.

I'm going to go get some water.

I'm going to go get some water.

I'm going to go get some water.

I'm going to go get some water.

I'm going to go get some water.

I'm going to go get some water.

I'm going to go get some water.

I'm going to go get some water.

I'm going to go get some water.

I'm going to go get some water.

I'm going to go get some water.

I'm going to go get some water.

I'm going to go get some water.

I'm going to go get some water.

I'm going to go get some water.

I'm going to go get some water.

I'm going to go get some water.

I'm going to go get some water.

No Ginger, you pig.

No Ginger, you pig.

Can I film some? I was just de -red, and you were like, Do you have too many horses? No, just one.

You like cows? Yes.

What do you do with them? I just leave them alone.

You do? Mm -hmm.

Identifier

F.2005-08-0293

Date Of Production

1985

Abstract

In Boy With a Microphone, a child in the Pacific Northwest narrates his world, interviewing people and animals with equal curiosity.

The film was selected for cablecast on the Learning Channel's series "Ordinary People: Independent Portraits." Critic Lucy Lippard called it "a home movie of ordinary family life at its almost Arbus-like abormality" ("Out of place, out of mind," In These Times, May 21, 1986).

Format

Super 8

Extent

169 feet

Color

Color

Sound

Mag Stripe

Reel/Tape Number

1/1

Has Been Digitized?

Yes

Language Of Materials

English

Element

Reversal Positives

Genre

Documentary

Form

Short

Subject

Animals
Farms
Children

Preservation Sponsor

Related Collections

Subseries I: Completed Works

Related Places

North America ➜ United States ➜ Washington

Main Credits

Stamets, Bill (is filmmaker)

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