Kino Kopf

Born from steel and glass Kino Kopf is created by two inventors. They are assembled by their mother, a nurturing artist, and their Father a greedy entrepreneur. Kino Kopf is the first of its kind a sentient humanoid VHS camera. They are given a life by their mother but presented to the world by their father. Kino Kopf is the next big sensation and spurs a technological revolution. They are soon forgotten and alone as new models surpass them. Kino Kopf is left alone to contemplate if they ever had a soul, as visions of an electric cowboy dance through their dreams.

  • Jack Cosgriff
    Director
    The Flesh of Another, The Waltz of a Lonesome Pigeon, Father Why Have You Forsaken Me?
  • Jack Cosgriff
    Writer
    The Flesh of Another, The Waltz of a Lonesome Pigeon, Father Why Have You Forsaken Me?
  • Mike Ackerman
    Key Cast
    "Father"
  • Gowri Shaiva
    Key Cast
    "Mother"
  • Rowen Olless
    Key Cast
    "Kino Kopf"
  • Bharath Manthena
    Director of Photography
  • Vasu Kalra
    Assistant Camera
  • Shreyash Sarda
    Gaffers
  • Siddharth Kabir Singh
    Gaffers
  • Swetha Yelamarthi
    Gaffers
  • Raffety Lawless
    Sound Mixer
  • Raffety Lawless
    Assistant Director
  • Sydney Swihart
    Boom Operator
  • Sydney Swihart
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Sci Fi, experimental, family, drama
  • Runtime:
    10 minutes 10 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    September 12, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    200 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Czech Republic
  • Country of Filming:
    Czech Republic
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital and VHS
  • Aspect Ratio:
    4:3
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Prague Film School
Director Biography - Jack Cosgriff

Jack Cosgriff is an experimental filmmaker living in Prague, Czechia. He was born in Denver, CO, and now studies at Prague Film School. His films are surrealist nightmares bending time, reality, and perception. Jack crafts his films on 1980s VHS camcorders and edits using VCRs. He is known for the award winning horror short film The Flesh of Another.

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Director Statement

My favorite hobby is collecting old VHS tapes. In one of the corners of an old video store, I noticed an RCA case that caught my eye. I asked the owner if I could take a look inside and low and behold was an RCA CC300 VHS Camcorder. In its day it was the best consumer video camera you could buy. It was a revolutionary camera that was now building up dust in the back of a store. The camcorder was completely broken and hadn’t been used for years. I just felt so sad seeing this poor thing going to waste so I took it home with me to restore it.

This was not the first VHS camera or VCR I had ever restored, but it was by far in the worst condition. After disassembling, I noticed that every rubber belt had melted over the years and so many cables had been snapped off. I painstakingly had to find replacements for everything that had been destroyed. I spend days repairing and cleaning every corner. Finally, I got this little camera working like brand new.

While fixing it I became so emotionally attached to the camera with a strong paternal feeling of wanting to care for it. I started imagining how it felt to be left behind in the dust for better technology. I decided to write a film from the perspective of this forgotten camera. I wanted to explore what it means to come of age when you are a product. This story became the film Kino Kopf. The film stars and was shot with this RCA CC300 VHS Camcorder.

As an artist, I want to bring back VHS into cinema. It is truly unlike any video format ever seen. There is a beauty of color and texture that has been lost by modern cameras. There are no filters of emulation in this movie. Every tape you see is authentic VHS footage. Even the footage shot on a cinema camera was burned onto tape and manually glitched for transitions. The glitches were created with video feedback loops, dirty video mixers, and poking holes in tapes. I want to make films unlike anything an audience can see today.

I hope this film will open up the audience’s heart the way this camcorder did for me.