The University of Vermont's Independent Voice Since 1883

The Vermont Cynic

The University of Vermont's Independent Voice Since 1883

The Vermont Cynic

The University of Vermont's Independent Voice Since 1883

The Vermont Cynic

Found Footage Festival finds itself at the Roxy

Admit it: Finishing papers was that much easier before the creation of YouTube.But what about the funny, strange, and outrageous videos that may not have made it into digital format?Nick Prueler and Joe Pickett, curators of the Found Footage Film Festival travel widely showing clips that almost certainly haven’t been seen on the internet.”I was working at a McDonald’s and found the training video, ‘Inside and Outside Custodial Duties’ and I could not believe how ridiculously stupid it was,” Prueler said.”We started playing it for friends … nothing to do on a Friday night in Wisconsin, where we grew up, so we would pop in the video,” he said.That was back in 1991. In April 2004, a friend suggested that they take their living room comedy scene on the road.”People really latched on to it,” Prueler said. “We even had to start turning people away … people are into this found aesthetic, and we’re all for it,” he said.”At first, it was just stuff we collected, but as we started touring, people would come up and say, ‘hey, here’s a video that you’ve got to see,’ so we started incorporating them into our show,” Prueler said.”When we come to Burlington about half the material will be from our own collection and half from other contributors,” he said.Over the past four years, Found Footage Festival has been named “Critic’s Pick” by publications ranging from The New York Times to Wired magazine.”It’s basically stuff that wasn’t meant to be seen in public …exercise videos featuring Mark Wahlburg and O.J. Simpson to educational videos starring celebrities,” Prueler said.”We also have a whole collection called ‘rap montage,’ which is where people who have no business rapping try to rap,” he said.Prueler and Pickett, who have worked on “The Colbert Report” and “The Late Show with David Letterman,” will be coming to Burlington’s Roxy Cinema on November 20 for two shows, at 7 and 9 p.m.

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Found Footage Festival finds itself at the Roxy